Hey guys I'm looking at doing an oil change soon, I'm running 15w 60, is this alright or what should I change to is the oil I'm using now a little thin ?? What should I change to ?? The engine is also very healthy
10w 40 for me personally, I like using nulon full synthetic personally, although I doubt that I'd notice the difference with a different brand. Use search dude, millions of threads on oil
Penrite 15-40 everyday plus semi synthetic has to be my choice, at a great price also! Gives great fuel economy and no lifter tick ;D I'd also suggest a Drift oil filter, has an in built magnet and welded nut for convenience.
I am sure you have the penrite oil that has been sold without the new additive. I saw the shelf full of the "new" penrite synthetic, at auto shop. I think they had 10W60 or 15W60, which sounds great but "added ZINC" ? Wondering if that would gunk up the lifters.
any cheap 10w40 or 15w40 for me these days. regular changes is always better than leaving expensive oil in there for longer. i'm not made of money that i can dump $100 bottles of oil regularly.
The Oil question again. I just copy this from the other post and save time typing as it is is a simple but not such a straight forward question to answer for info: personally - I use penrite synth 10W 30/40 in winter and 15W 40 in summer but thats irrelevant for the reasons listed below. http://www.aus300zx.com/forum/showthread.php?t=304355 The Oil question again. There is more contraversy and opinion on this subject than any other except best colour of a Z and one's underpants, but thankfully the science generally doesnt differ too much once thrown in, as generally once the nitty gritty comes down to it, the science says, that we should all wear white underpants as they are far cheaper, cooler to wear and can be bleached once the shit hits the fan (or we literally hit the skids). So lets review the accepted scientific facts to start with before reccommending any oils first to give an insight into the bigger picture: 1. The oil guide for Z's was written by japanese that live in freezing cold japan with a new motor, so the reccommended manufacturers oil specifications do not reflect hotter temperatures here unlike the manufacturers oil guide which does has some variable in it to account for hotter temps but they refer to new motors. 2. The best oils that have international uncontested independant scientific engineering proof to back them up (knock, sheer, ball testing etc) were AMSOL (1st) and Mobil 1 (2nd) but these are difficult to get and have limited viscosity ranges although the ranges are generally suited to the VG30DETT, other high quality oils that rate high and are more commonly accessible in Australia are Mosul and Royal Purple. Having said that, generally speaking any oil that meets SAE API specs will do the job and so brand names of oils are generally inconsequential, based on opinion and irrelevant if you change your oil regularly. 3. Oils should be changed at 5,000klm or earlier if the oil has become dark or dirty and if the car has seen adverse conditions such as dusty roads or track work. The oil filter should always be changed at the same time and having magnetic sump bolts and magnetic oil filters offer distinctive motor wear protection by trapping abrasive metal particles and taking them out of the circulation. Ideally temperatures in the motor should remain constant for oils and so TT motor should ideally have a oil cooler present to prevent high excess temperatures when constantly boosting high (for this reason TT's are fitted automatically with one unless it has been coverted). 3. Synthetics are superior oils as they generally have many additives that protect the engine like suspension agents that trap the dirt, anti-coagulates that prevent sludge etc etc/ Like wise blended oils (part synth) are better than mineral based oils for the same reason. 4. It is estimated that up to 70 % of wear occurs in the motor during startup, this huge variable effects the viscosity of oil that you should have dramatically. I.e a motor that has many short stops will require an oil with a lower viscosity than a motor that travels long journeys occasionally with a higher viscosity. So temperature alone does not determine the viscosity of the oil that you require, it also depends on the way you drive (short stops or long drives) and how you drive the vehicle (do you race or cruise). It is therefore impossible for anyone to reccommend an oil specification to someone else without knowing, where you live,what temperatures you face, what type of motor you have, what type of fuel you use, what condition the motor, valves and turbo's are in, what modifications are present, what distances you drive, what the frequency of use is, how you drive and what colour underpants you have. So how many people on this forum have reccommended a type of oil for you to use = the number or people that know the colour of your underpants I guess by now you are suggesting that only you will know all of these variables and be able to calculate what type of oil you need. I think A2Z is on very much on track with his approximate general guide but given the variables involved I would expand his reccommendation slightly to: I do not recommend running any less than a 5W30 full no name synthetic oil for a new brand new motor in constant minus conditions that drives the car for about 10 klms around 10 times a day and gives it full boost, lots of "stick" and wears red underpants. I would reccommend running a 10W30/40 full no name synthetic oil for a stock TT motor in good condition that lives in temperatures of 0 - 40c, drives one to three times per day and travels around 40 klms each time and gives it the odd boot to clean the valves, but generally cruises and wears white underpants (sounds like me ) I would reccommend running 15w40/50 full no name synthetic oil on a stage 2 TT motor with 80,00klm - 180,000 klm in good condition that lives with temperatures of 10 - 40c drives once a day for 100klm and drives quick and fast but not excessive or at full boost and wears black underpants I would reccommend running 20W 50/60/70++ full brand name synthetic oil like amsol, mobil 1, mosul or royal purple for a stage 3 TT motor with 100,000klms + in fair/ worn condition that lives with temperatures of 18 - 50c travels 5 times a day but doesnt let the motor cool down between uses and drives 15 - 200klms per trip and gives it the "stick" and goes as fast the legal limit allows (whilst the fuzz are watching him) and wears no underpants at all Oils aint oils - soul! Another rant here Regards Jamie
MMmmmm its a good read but there are many assumptions in there thinly veiled with the "scientific" label. True, the vast majority of wear occurs at startup however, unless your oil has a way of neutralising corrosive acids then it wont matter if the oil was suitable to lubricate rocket engine gimble bearings in the deep freeze of space.... the wear WILL still occur. There is NO hard and fast figure for oil changes... simple as that. Unless you spring for a programme of oil sampling, youll never know what is the best oil change interval. Remember, oil NEVER looses its "oiliness", it just becomes contaminated and looses its mutigrade properties. Factoring in the appearance of oil is ludicrous!!!! High detergent oils will blacken almost immediately. The number of cold starts between changes is probably a valid indicator (one of many). Having said this, you cannot change your oil too frequently. However, those of you who run really exxie boutique brand synthetics in a seldom used show-pony may still baulk at unloading 100 dollars plus every couple of thousand K's The artical goes on to suggest that there is some secret hidden "formula" to successful oil choice........bollocks. The engine manufacturer has done it for you!!!! Plain for all to see in the owners manual! Not based purely on winter conditions in Japan with a spanking new motor as the writer blithely suggests, but in fact exhaustively tested in all conditions from the sublime to rediculous hot and cold and everywhere inbetween that the car could reasonably be expected to actually operate in, right up to engine destruction!!!!! Im not going to reccommend any particular oil to run as, like everybody else, I have a personal preferrence/opinion (based on actual scientific analysis) and opinions differ a little too much on this subject similar to what contitues a hot looking chick or good music, but if you stick close to what the manufacturer reccommends as far as oil weight is concerned then youll be pretty close to the mark regardless of the colour and cost of the container it comes in. my 2 bob....dollars worth!!! E
