Nissan 370Z Forum - View Single Post - What is the best oil to buy from autozone, pep boys, etc?

cheshirecat · 03-09-2012, 11:19 AM

The Mobil1 filters are actually some of the best you can get, from what I've read.

As far as oil, Mobil1 is fine. This is one of those topics that you can debate for hours and research for months and still not have a definitive answer when it comes to real-world consumer use. To my knowledge, the only fully synthetic oil Mobil1 makes is their 0w-40. The rest are blends.

This is how I understand it:

Basically, there are "groups" which are kind of like grades of synthetic oil. Mobil1 5w-30 is a "Group III" oil, which means it's a synthetic blend with a natural petroleum base. They used to be Group IV, but it's more profitable for the company to manufacture Group III and you can blend in additives that bring it close to Group IV performance.

However, many people prefer Group IV "true synthetics", as they are better suited at withstanding viscosity loss from combustion than Group III oils. Also, something interesting is that the ester oil Nissan recommends is actually a Group V type oil, which means it doesn't fall into a standard oil type category.

Group III oils, like the Mobil1 5w-30, cannot even be called "synthetic" in Germany or Japan by law. Only Group IV can carry that label.

Again- this will most likely not have any impact on your performance, especially if you aren't engaging in hard driving. Don't take this like I'm saying a Group III oil is bad for your car- it isn't, however, there are better oils out there if you want to look for them.

03-09-2012, 11:19 AM	#8 (permalink)
cheshirecat A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Florida Posts: 1,428 Drives: N54 135i Rep Power: 292	The Mobil1 filters are actually some of the best you can get, from what I've read. As far as oil, Mobil1 is fine. This is one of those topics that you can debate for hours and research for months and still not have a definitive answer when it comes to real-world consumer use. To my knowledge, the only fully synthetic oil Mobil1 makes is their 0w-40. The rest are blends. This is how I understand it: Basically, there are "groups" which are kind of like grades of synthetic oil. Mobil1 5w-30 is a "Group III" oil, which means it's a synthetic blend with a natural petroleum base. They used to be Group IV, but it's more profitable for the company to manufacture Group III and you can blend in additives that bring it close to Group IV performance. However, many people prefer Group IV "true synthetics", as they are better suited at withstanding viscosity loss from combustion than Group III oils. Also, something interesting is that the ester oil Nissan recommends is actually a Group V type oil, which means it doesn't fall into a standard oil type category. Group III oils, like the Mobil1 5w-30, cannot even be called "synthetic" in Germany or Japan by law. Only Group IV can carry that label. Again- this will most likely not have any impact on your performance, especially if you aren't engaging in hard driving. Don't take this like I'm saying a Group III oil is bad for your car- it isn't, however, there are better oils out there if you want to look for them. Last edited by cheshirecat; 03-09-2012 at 11:32 AM.