So I've been looking into swapping some fluids out on my 370Z and I wanted to keep track of some things I have learned so far and share them on the board.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Engine Oil:
Fluid Swap DIY post:
DIY: Nissan 370Z Oil change (AK370Z way) Pictures inside
Fluid volume is 5-1/8 quarts of 5W-30 (standard temp ranges) with an oil filter change per the 2010 Owners Manual on Nissan.com. Nissan recommends their Ester Oil to quiet the DLC coated valvetrain. There are lots of other very good oils but not all seem to be Ester based if you are concerned about that fact. Motul 300V is 100% Ester based synthetic oil and has great shear-protection and lubrication properties.
-Factory Replacement Non-Ester Oil Option: Standard 5W-30 Dino Oil (~$3/qt)
-Factory Replacement Ester Oil Option: Nissan Ester Oil 5W-30 (~$12/qt)
-Performance Oil Options: (limitless, check Eneos, Redline, Amsoil, etc) (varies)
-Ester-Based Performance Oil Option: Motul 300V 5W-30 (~$15/liter, liter = 1.05 quarts)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Transmission Oil:
Fluid Swap DIY post:
DIY: Transmission Oil Change
Fluid volume is ~3 quarts (for a manual) of 75W-85 API GL-4 (standard temp ranges) per the 2010 Owners Manual on Nissan.com. The 2009 Manual said that 75W-90 was also appropriate but this is not stated in the 2010 manual anymore for some reason.
Redline has a new MT-85 (75W-85 GL-4 gear oil) that is supposed to be the correct application for our cars. $12.50 per quart. Will be trying this myself shortly.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Differential Oil:
Fluid Swap DIY post:
DIY: Rear Differential Oil Change
Fluid types are specified differently for a 2009 vs a 2010 model. The 2009 owner's manual calls for ~2 quarts of Nissan Differential Oil Hypoid Super GL-5 80W-90. The 2010 owner's manual calls for ~2 quarts of Nissan Differential Oil Synthetic GL-5 75W-90. Again, I am not sure why there is a difference but I will be sticking to the recommendations in the manual for my year. Differential oil is known to be very dirty after even 3k-5k miles only and is an easy swap. Options are below for upgraded lubricants. Ester based oils are not required for the differential but these types are available in this application too (see Motul). Nissan recommends not using a differential oil with LSD specific friction modifiers added to it. All differential oils have some friction modifiers but there are LSD-specific additional modifiers that can be purchased, often seperately.
-Factory Replacement Non-Ester Gear Oil Option: Standard 75W-90 GL-5 Synthetic Oil (~$5/qt)
-Performance Synthetic Gear Oil Options: (any 75W-90 GL-5 without LSD friction modifiers added, check Eneos, Redline, Amsoil, Valvoline, etc) (varies)
-Ester-Based Performance Gear Oil Option: Motul Gear 300 100% synthetic Ester-Based 75W-90 GL-5 (~$19/liter, liter = 1.05 quarts)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Brake Fluid:
Fluid Swap DIY Post:
DIY: Bleed your brakes without removing your wheels (sport package only)
There are many different types and specifications of brake fluids out. There's DOT 3, DOT 4, DOT 5 and also DOT 5.1 specifications. Both the 2009 and 2010 Owner's Manual call for DOT 3 or equivalent brake fluids. From reading about the fluids on Amsoil's website, the differences have to do with low temperature viscosity and dry/wet boiling points per fluid. Racing brake fluids have a much higher dry and wet boiling point than OEM fluids which helps keep the fluid from boiling at the track and during hard usage. However, racing brake fluid absorbs moisture from the air more quickly than OEM fluids and therefore must be changed every 2-3 months if used. Standard fluids boil MUCH more easily but can be changed less frequently (every year or two).
Therefore, for me the ideal solution is to pick a synthetic DOT 3 or DOT 4 fluid (such as Amsoil) that is street-spec but has better boiling points and can be changed less frequently unless you want to maintain the fluid more often. However, Amsoil has synthetic DOT 3 and DOT 4 brake fluids so which do we use? Another point to consider is that our cars have advanced ABS systems. As mentioned, the cold temperature viscosity for ABS to appropriately function needs to be very low. DOT 3 fluids have lower dry/wet boiling points than DOT 4. This is due to viscosity differences throughout the temperature ranges. Unfortunately, we need DOT 3 spec fluids to maintain appropriate ABS functionality IF you ever are in a place where the temps get very low (below ~30* farenheit). Hotter climates can probably allow for a DOT 4 to be used without issue. This is why the factory manual specifies DOT 3 fluid, so the car is functional in all enviornments that Nissan can see the car going into (and to not get sued for failing ABS systems). Therefore, you can use either DOT 3 or DOT 4 fluids, but keep in mind what the expected temperature ranges are for your driving climate. In either situation, a synthetic, high quality upgrade is a no brainer since the boiling points for wet and dry are much better than OEM in either case. Dry boiling point is fresh out of the bottle fluid and wet boiling point is after 3% moisture absorption from the atmosphere (basically after usage for 12-14 months for typical fluid and 2-4 months for true racing fluids). See below for comparison charts:
DOT 3 Required minimum dry boiling point: 205*C
DOT 3 Required minimum wet boiling point: 140*C
DOT 3 Typical viscosity @ -40*C: 1065 cSt
DOT 3 Typical viscosity @ 100*C: 2.0 cSt
Amsoil Series 500 DOT3 Dry boiling point: 274*C
Amsoil Series 500 DOT3 Wet boiling point: 156*C
DOT 4 Required minimum dry boiling point: 230*C
DOT 4 Required minimum wet boiling point: 155*C
DOT 4 Typical viscosity @ -40*C: 1550 cSt <-- not suitable for ABS
DOT 4 Typical viscosity @ 100*C: 2.0 cSt
Amsoil Series 600 DOT4 Dry boiling point: 304*C
Amsoil Series 600 DOT4 Wet boiling point: 210*C
Motul RBF 600 Racing Brake Fluid Dry boiling point: 312*C
Motul RBF 600 Racing Brake Fluid Wet boiling point: 216*C
-Factory Replacement DOT 3 Brake Fluid Option: Standard DOT 3 brake fluid (~$4 per 12oz, not recommended for performance driving really)
-Performance DOT 3 Brake Fluid Option: Amsoil Series 500 High-Performance DOT 3 Synthetic Brake Fluid (recommended for factory swap to maintain regular brake fluid intervals and ABS functionality in very cold climates) ~$5 / 12oz
-Performance DOT 4 Brake Fluid Option: Amsoil Series 600 High-Performance DOT 4 Racing Brake Fluid (recommended for factory swap to maintain decent brake fluid swap intervals where cold climate ABS concerns are not a problem) ~$6 / 12oz
-Full Racing DOT 4 Fluid Option: Motul RBF600 Racing Brake Fluid (Recommended for all out performance in warmer climates, required fluid change every 2-4 months due to faster moisture absorption) ~15 / 12oz