opinion on oil

Aaron1

Been going 5000 miles between oil changes (Regular oil) on every vehicle I have owned since the early 90's. Never had a single problem.. 95 nissan truck had well over 200k when I sold it. 99 toyota corolla (My beater) (Lol, and I beat the sh8t out of this car) as of today is at 213k and still runs very good with no engine problems or oil usage between changes. As far as my new Z car goes, I may just stick with the 3750 plan between oil changes, But have no plans on changing it any sooner. law Enforcement,Fire,Ems,Taxi's, they all go 5k and beyond between oil changes. It's very common to see these vehicles with 150k plus. Im not saying this plan is for you or anyone else, but this is what has worked for me for many years with very good results.

steveg78

Well since this thread has turned into another oil debate I will chime in. I don't get why people are changing even earlier than the recommended 3750mi interval? Has anyone gotten oil analysis to back up that at 3750 the oil has unfavorable contaminants? I followed the book with the break-in and did the first oil change at 3750. I understand the "theory" of why some people changed it earlier but some of the regimens sound like overkill...Like changed at 1200 then changed again at 3000. And it seems like everyone is hung up on the 3,000mi interval when the book says 3750. I'm at 9,500 now. Changed the oil at 3750 each time. Last oil change was in Aug but I am under the mileage and the car has sat in the garage mostly so I'm not changing it til spring.

So can anyone link me to some analysis threads that show what readings you got at 3750 interval vs anything sooner? Also, I was reading the manual and I believe I may even qualify for schedule 2 w/ 7500mi or 6mo since my vehicle is a weekend cruiser and usually just highway driving. Just something to ponder for the guys who dont DD their Z.

SPOHN

You are right. There's no doubt to me. But like myself who drives the hell out of it, I change at 3000. especially in summer times with higher oil temps at longer periods of times. And if your in alot of stop and go traffic every week it could be considered then also.

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IDZRVIT

I will change my oil at 7500 mile intervals with M1 (for warranty purposes only otherwise it would be once a year in the fall) because I don't daily drive in hot, dusty, cold, stop and go city driving, short distances, speed tests, etc. I'm just a guy who uses my Z for weekend cruising and the odd commute to work. I would agree with one of the other posters that changing oil at 3K miles is overkill unless you actually drive your Z daily in the aforementioned conditions.

Also, for those concerned about oil temps you may want to have a look here:

SwRI: Sequence IIIG test for gasoline engines, API SM, ILSAC GF-4

This standard for API certification was developed for lubricating newer engines such as our Z's that rev higher, run hotter and have decreased tolerances made possible by today's manufacturing technologies. I would hazard a guess that this is why our cars don't go into limp mode until 280 deg F is attained. The Nissan engineers are confident that below 280 deg they won't be having bearing failures leading to catastrophic failure of the engine. But if the engine is consistently operated in the 5-7.5K rpm range then that's a different matter and most likely considered as not normal use for warranty claims.

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"America.... still builds rockets!"
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'13 CTS-V Coupe: 6.2L LSA, 556HP

steveg78

yeah, all I'm really concerned about is warranty and falling within the spec of the manufacturers maintenance schedule. God forbid something goes wrong I don't want the dealer finding any reason that I neglected to follow any maintenance guidelines.

LunaZ

You're supposed to change the oil?

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2009 370Z Sport/Touring/Navigation | see my journal for mods
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ImportConvert

A few years ago I actually read a post on BITOG where they tested a car, taking samples of the oil as the miles racked up. There was less wear metals, proportionate, with 3K miles on the oil than when the oil had just gone in. It seemed the oil was protecting better the older it got.

As long as your TBN's are holding up, and the oil is good and stable, you are G2G. If your oil hasn't sheared down and the TBN is still effective at 9K miles, go for 10. I know a guy (PATMAN) on the old LS1 forums that did TONS of UOA work, and he ran his 'vette for 9K between changes with 0-30GC, and Blackstone told him it had more in it.

ETA: Just found this backing up what I just said:
http://www.dtsc.ca.gov/TechnologyDev...il-Filters.cfm

I'm not really a "save the planet" type, but if I can reduce the amount of waste I produce while saving money without harming anything, I think it's a plus.

All this being said, the 370Z does tend to run a bit warmer than many other engines do. It would do you good to send off a few UOA's to see how your oil is holding up, especially if you use some of the more unstable oils like Mobile 1 5-30, etc. (yes, that is a back-handed swipe at M1).

steveg78

I will have to educate myself more on oils and the acronyms you use because I don't have a clue as to what you just said! I can say that as of right now, I am using genuine Nissan E$ther oil and I will use that for my next oil change as well. I know you can use other oils but at this point I don't feel like deviating from the manual just yet.

Thanks

sonic370

all good comments. i don't track mine and drive it pretty normal...
the 2000 mile difference to me won't matter....