just switched over to mobil 1 at 12,xxx miles. had it done at quick lube for $58.xx but their oil change sticker says the next interval is still only 3k miles. i call shenanigans! what are you guys changing your synthetic at? 7.5k? 10k? one thing i forgot was the filter they used was probably a generic filter and wondering if it can keep up with the oil intervals.

 

they say 7k depending on weather, area, air conditions (such as dust, dirt, etc..).

I say 8k for oil change but change the oil filter at 4k just to be safe

 

Even though it will say on the bottle up to 10k and some up to 15k. I would just double up on the recommended 3k. Even 7-8k is reasonable. Of course that all goes out the window if you're riding your car hard.

Also...don't skimp on the filter. Go for the Mobil 1 filter since you're already using Mobil 1 syth. So you might want to go in a little earlier just this once.

Here are some links to give you more info.

Original Discussion on G35driver.com
https://g35driver.com/forums/g35-sedan-v35-2003-06/126300-who-changes-their-own-oil.html

Nissan OEM filters are just as sucky as Fram Filters
http://www.6mt.net/forum/showthread.php?t=9169

The Process of an Oil Change:
http://www.g-owners.com/article_read.asp?id=17

The ins and outs of Oil (Mineral vs Synthetic)
http://www.carbibles.com/engineoil_bible.html

Oil Filter Study (Exploded Filter visuals and flow ratings)
http://www.oilfilterstudy.com/
http://minimopar.knizefamily.net/oilfilterstudy.html
http://minimopar.knizefamily.net/oil...study-faq.html

 

you can run a synthetic with a good filter 10k, I run mine 7.5k because It makes me feel better and the navi max oil change can only be set to 7500

3k on a SYNTHETIC is garbage lol , a good dino can go longer then that.


may I also recommend castrol syntec 0w-30 (autozone) much better oil then M1 which show high lead wear in used oil analysis. The German syntec 0w-30 has proven itself one of the best oils in the VQ (search Bob is the oil guy forums) M1 5w-30 runs very thin closer to a 25weight oil.. while the German castrol is closer to a 35 weight
purolator filters are just as good as M1 filters but half the price also

 

Actually, the mileage you can go inbetween changes DEPENDS on the condition of your oil thoughout the service life. If your engine is pretty tight, the oil stays clean and you can run for many thousands. If your engine is worn, you have to change it sooner.

How do you tell? Blackstone labs.

 

isn't 0-30w german oil too thin for our high-revving engines? especially during the summer?

 

i go 5k intervals with mobil 1.

 

60 bucks??????

please, listen carefully and follow these directions.

#1) go to autozone (or costco or wherever they have your oil) and purchase it.
#2) also purchase a purolater or mobil1 filter that fits your car
#3) take it to a mom and pop auto mechanic and ask them if they'll do it but just charge for labor.
#4) pay an amount like 15 or 20 dollars, and leave appreciating what i just said.

ezlube and all those places are big rips.

also, the 3k mile figure is an arbitrary figure. with non-synthetic oils, you could check when you need to do an oil change by checking your dipstick's oil color (if it's black then, you really need one). but, synthetics don't turn black (i think, someone correct me if i'm wrong) so i think you should decide depending on how hard you're running the car, environment, engine age, etc.

 

i change my mobil 1 synthetic every 4k miles.

 

Thin Oil Myth
Created: April 10, 2006
Last Edited: Never

Disclaimer:
All the temperatures here are in celcius.

Short answer:
0w-30 and 5w-30 can be thicker than 10w-30.

Long answer: Read below.

Really Basic (but not so intuitive) information:

I'm sure we have all seen 5w-30, 10w-30, 10w-40, 20w-50, but what does it mean?
When talking about viscosities, you must state the temperature.

Lets break this up into two categories: hot and cold.

Xw-20, Xw-30, Xw-40, etc (HOT!)
This is your oil's hot viscosity. The viscosity is measured @ 100c.
This number is relative when the engine is warmed up.
The most common unit is cST. The larger the number, the "thicker" the oil.

Examples
A "30" weight is between 9.30-12.49 cST @ 100c.
A "40" weight is between 12.50-16.29 cST @ 100c.

Here's a table.


0w-XX 5w-XX 10w-XX, etc (COLD!)
This is your oil's cold viscosity. A 0w, 5w, 10w, etc, are not measured at the same temperature!
This is number relative when starting your engine.
The most common unit is cP. The larger the number, the "thicker" the oil.

Examples
A "10w" weight must have a MAX viscosity of 6600 cP @ -30c
A "0w" weight must have a MAX viscosity of 6200 cP @ -35c

Here's a table.
It never gets to even -15c here, so what's the start up viscosity for me?
Great question! A lot of us don't live in super cold temperatures.
Unfortunately, the oil companies don't have to tell you. All they need to specify are the extremes.
Can I know an oil's viscosity at different temperatures?
Yes! Aside from actually measuring the viscosity, you can do some calculations.
With a viscosity calculator and enough data, you can piece a graph together.
You can usually get all the data from the manufacturer's datasheet.
Take the calculator with a grain of salt. They are decently accurate in most temperatures, but I wouldn't trust them below -15c.
Why do they measure the cold and hot viscosity (cP vs cST) in different units?
Something about dynamic vs kinematic viscosity.
I won't go into detail here, because I haven't researched this.


Back to the point, "Why isn't 5w-30 or 0w-30 thin?"
I think a real-life example will help.

Lets compare Mobil1 5w-30 to Mobil1 10w-30.

First the Hot (100 c) setting
Straight from Mobil1's datasheet (Looked on April 4, 2006):

5w-30 = 11.3 cST
10w-30 = 10.0 cST

Looks like the 5w-30 is thicker! (Notice how both oils are a "30" weight)


Now lets look at the cold setting
Based on the 5w and 10w specifications:

5w-30 = 6600 cP or less @ -30c
10w-30 = 7000 cp or less @ -25c

Looks like 5w-30 is thinner than 10w-30!
We can conclude that:

5w-30 is thinner than 10w-30 at -25c.
5w-30 is thicker than 10w-30 at 100c.

The above implies that 5w-30 thins out less than 10w-30 as temperature increases.
Still confused? Maybe this graph will help.
The graph is just a learning tool, don't use it as an actual reference.
Reminder: this example refers to Mobil1. If you're curious about other brands, you will have to look at their datasheets.


Finally, my concluding remarks.

My main points are:

5w-30 can be thicker than 10w-30.
0w-30 can be thicker than 5w-30.
Unless you have tools to measure viscosity, you need to at least:

Specify a temperature.
Check the manufacturer's datasheet.
The cold viscosity tells you NOTHING about the hot viscosity.
Some things you might have noticed:

I haven't claimed an Xw-30 to be thicker than an Xw-40. At least at operating temps, any Xw-30 will be thinner than any Xw-40.
Everything I have said can apply to other weights within the same hot viscosity.

It's possible for a 0w-40, 5w-40, or 10w-40 to be thicker than a 15w-40 at certain temperatures.
It's possible for a 0w-20 to be thicker than a 5w-20 at certain temperatures.
MANY other factors about oil were not discussed here. Please don't base your oil preference on viscosity numbers only.
When in doubt, follow your car's manual. At least you won't void your warranty that way.

 

5k for me

 

every 4k for me

 

5 to 7k on Royal Purple.

 

6K on Mobil 1

 

viscosity is often measured in centipoise (cP) for dynamic viscosity and centistokes (cST) for kinematic viscosity...