synthetic oil - Zilvia.net Forums | Nissan 240SX (Silvia) and Z (Fairlady) Car Forum

S13 Passion · 04-07-2002, 10:58 AM

im thinking about switching to synthetic oil on my next oil change.  the only thing i can think of thats good is that it can go for 10,000km.   what else is beneficial from synthetic?  it does clean your engine and allows you to rev higher right?

gtfour43 · 04-07-2002, 12:47 PM

I dont know if it allows you to rev higher but I do know one thing. I took apart a customers engine once and he used nothing but Mobil 1 synthetic since he broke in the engine and it looked like brand new in there. The car had 130,000 miles on it already and it looked like some engines with 10,000 miles. I was shocked when I looked inside the engine. He usually changed his oil every 5,000 miles too not the normal 3,000 like with regular oil. Ever since I saw that I used only Mobil 1 in my cars. I also noticed that his car didnt have the usual oil leaks like other cars with that much mileage did. I think it also helps prevent the seals from hardening up and leaking. <img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/thumbs-up.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':thumbsup:'>

S13 Passion · 04-08-2002, 08:12 AM

nice... so it like gets rid of carb buildup and shit like that?

*DSC* · 04-08-2002, 04:18 PM

Oil Research <img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/thumbs-up.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':thumbsup:'>

my240likenoother · 04-08-2002, 08:35 PM

i have tryed syn. in my 240 one and fealt like it lost power and from what i heard ower moter is made to run a a thicker oil that other cars unles you have 2 cams and i dont have muck knolage about that

gtfour43 · 04-08-2002, 09:37 PM

My240 you are right. Older high mileage cars need thicker oil and unfortuneately synthetic doesnt come in thick weights. I used 5w-30 in my brand new honda engine and it was fine. After 3,000 miles it was still full. I tried running the same oil in my gf's car with 50,000 miles and it was a quart low within a month. I use 10w-30 for cars with more mileage cause its thicker and doesnt burn as easily.

tnord · 04-09-2002, 09:05 AM

synthetic doesn't come in thick weights? why don't you check out Mobil 1's line of oils. i use a thick oil in the summer (to stand up to high heat and stress of the track) and a thin oil in the winter so the oil flows better when it's cold and less wear is caused on startup. i think it's 15W50 in the summer and 5W30 in the winter. can't remember though. i do remember that the summer stuff has a red label and the winter has a blue.

gtfour43 · 04-09-2002, 10:27 AM

Cool. I didnt know that. I have never seen it in Hawaii...yet. Thanks for the tip. <img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/thumbs-up.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':thumbsup:'>

drift freaq · 04-09-2002, 11:49 AM

ok guys the advantage to running synthetic oil is two fold.
First off synthetic has much less viscosity break down even when its dirty. Conventional oil breaks down due to high heat and when it gets dirty.
Synthetic, due to its properties is very heat resistant and has much longer viscosity life,actually indefinite. If you can keep it clean with a high end .05 micron filtration setup. ( Amsoil actually sells these) At which point all you would do is spin filters and top off.
So there is truth to the extended drain intervals of the better synthetics I.E. Amsoil, Mobil 1 and Redline.
You do want to use a uprated filter(1-5 micron) with your synthetic though if you want to reap longer drain intervals.
I actually ran Amsoil in my 90 Hardbody started doing it at 21K and I was using amsoil filters and changing the filter out every 12k and doing oil changes every 25K . At 135k I sold the truck and it ran better than some of the brand new trucks out there. the current owner is still running that engine and that was 3 years ago so do the math he is probably in the 180K range.
I use Mobil 1 in my current car 91 fastback . Amsoil is not always easy to get and its more expensive.
I get Mobil 1 at Costco for $21.66 for 6 quarts .
I am running 15K change intervals with the Mobil1 because they do rate theirs as long for extended drain intervals.
Amsoil is specifically tested and proven to be able to run 25k drain intervals provided you change your filter on 12K intervals(this is with the amsoil filter)
thats it in a nutshell

uLmighty · 06-19-2010, 11:40 AM

im using castrol synthetic changing every 5,000 miles and mobil 1 oil filter. idk if thats good or not but i have about 131,xxx miles. idk which is better regular or synthetic for 1997 240sx?

R_G · 06-19-2010, 12:28 PM

Synthetic is better. Like stated above " Synthetic breaks down less " .

If you ever have the time read this.....

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/faq...=haas_articles

bb4_96 · 06-19-2010, 01:49 PM

I know LSX can see an increase of up to 20hp by switching to synthetic.... you do have an LS motor right?

g6civcx · 06-19-2010, 02:19 PM

One of the main reasons other than dirt in the oil is water saturation. Old cars with open intake can get moisture contamination in the oil. This is one of the main reason for the frequent interval.

Not as big of a deal on new cars with betted sealed engine, but there is still water contamination. Just not as much as there used to be.

Silverbullet · 06-20-2010, 10:57 AM

^ got any references to open vs closed intake designs? Would an SR20 be considered newer?

04-07-2002, 12:47 PM	#2
gtfour43 Leaky Injector Join Date: Mar 2002 Posts: 68 Trader Rating: (0) Feedback Score: 0 reviews	I dont know if it allows you to rev higher but I do know one thing. I took apart a customers engine once and he used nothing but Mobil 1 synthetic since he broke in the engine and it looked like brand new in there. The car had 130,000 miles on it already and it looked like some engines with 10,000 miles. I was shocked when I looked inside the engine. He usually changed his oil every 5,000 miles too not the normal 3,000 like with regular oil. Ever since I saw that I used only Mobil 1 in my cars. I also noticed that his car didnt have the usual oil leaks like other cars with that much mileage did. I think it also helps prevent the seals from hardening up and leaking. <img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/thumbs-up.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':thumbsup:'> __________________ 91 Fastback SE

04-08-2002, 04:18 PM	#4
DSC New Title Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: VA Posts: 3,454 Trader Rating: (0) Feedback Score: 0 reviews	Oil Research <img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/thumbs-up.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':thumbsup:'> __________________

04-08-2002, 09:37 PM	#6
gtfour43 Leaky Injector Join Date: Mar 2002 Posts: 68 Trader Rating: (0) Feedback Score: 0 reviews	My240 you are right. Older high mileage cars need thicker oil and unfortuneately synthetic doesnt come in thick weights. I used 5w-30 in my brand new honda engine and it was fine. After 3,000 miles it was still full. I tried running the same oil in my gf's car with 50,000 miles and it was a quart low within a month. I use 10w-30 for cars with more mileage cause its thicker and doesnt burn as easily. __________________ 91 Fastback SE

04-09-2002, 10:27 AM	#8
gtfour43 Leaky Injector Join Date: Mar 2002 Posts: 68 Trader Rating: (0) Feedback Score: 0 reviews	Cool. I didnt know that. I have never seen it in Hawaii...yet. Thanks for the tip. <img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/thumbs-up.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':thumbsup:'> __________________ 91 Fastback SE

04-09-2002, 11:49 AM	#9
drift freaq R.I.P. Aya, always love Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Los Feliz/Hollywood Posts: 18,564 Trader Rating: (215) Rides Gallery: drift freaq Feedback Score: 215 reviews	ok guys the advantage to running synthetic oil is two fold. First off synthetic has much less viscosity break down even when its dirty. Conventional oil breaks down due to high heat and when it gets dirty. Synthetic, due to its properties is very heat resistant and has much longer viscosity life,actually indefinite. If you can keep it clean with a high end .05 micron filtration setup. ( Amsoil actually sells these) At which point all you would do is spin filters and top off. So there is truth to the extended drain intervals of the better synthetics I.E. Amsoil, Mobil 1 and Redline. You do want to use a uprated filter(1-5 micron) with your synthetic though if you want to reap longer drain intervals. I actually ran Amsoil in my 90 Hardbody started doing it at 21K and I was using amsoil filters and changing the filter out every 12k and doing oil changes every 25K . At 135k I sold the truck and it ran better than some of the brand new trucks out there. the current owner is still running that engine and that was 3 years ago so do the math he is probably in the 180K range. I use Mobil 1 in my current car 91 fastback . Amsoil is not always easy to get and its more expensive. I get Mobil 1 at Costco for $21.66 for 6 quarts . I am running 15K change intervals with the Mobil1 because they do rate theirs as long for extended drain intervals. Amsoil is specifically tested and proven to be able to run 25k drain intervals provided you change your filter on 12K intervals(this is with the amsoil filter) thats it in a nutshell __________________ "Having a lot of tracks on a song is like putting stickers on a car to get more horsepower" New Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uebV1OnbRsw Buy my mounts! http://zilvia.net/f/sale-items/51531...ns-mounts.html http://zilvia.net/f/tech-talk/317539...e-mouts-6.html

04-07-2002, 10:58 AM	#1
S13 Passion Zilvia Member Join Date: Nov 2001 Posts: 267 Trader Rating: (0) Feedback Score: 0 reviews	im thinking about switching to synthetic oil on my next oil change.  the only thing i can think of thats good is that it can go for 10,000km.   what else is beneficial from synthetic?  it does clean your engine and allows you to rev higher right?

04-08-2002, 08:12 AM	#3
S13 Passion Zilvia Member Join Date: Nov 2001 Posts: 267 Trader Rating: (0) Feedback Score: 0 reviews	nice... so it like gets rid of carb buildup and shit like that?

04-08-2002, 08:35 PM	#5
my240likenoother Zilvia FREAK! Join Date: Aug 2001 Posts: 1,261 Trader Rating: (0) Feedback Score: 0 reviews	i have tryed syn. in my 240 one and fealt like it lost power and from what i heard ower moter is made to run a a thicker oil that other cars unles you have 2 cams and i dont have muck knolage about that

04-09-2002, 09:05 AM	#7
tnord Nissanaholic! Join Date: Dec 2001 Posts: 1,975 Trader Rating: (0) Feedback Score: 0 reviews	synthetic doesn't come in thick weights? why don't you check out Mobil 1's line of oils. i use a thick oil in the summer (to stand up to high heat and stress of the track) and a thin oil in the winter so the oil flows better when it's cold and less wear is caused on startup. i think it's 15W50 in the summer and 5W30 in the winter. can't remember though. i do remember that the summer stuff has a red label and the winter has a blue.

06-19-2010, 11:40 AM	#10
uLmighty Zilvia Junkie Join Date: May 2010 Location: 661 KerN CouNty Age: 35 Posts: 333 Trader Rating: (3) Feedback Score: 3 reviews	im using castrol synthetic changing every 5,000 miles and mobil 1 oil filter. idk if thats good or not but i have about 131,xxx miles. idk which is better regular or synthetic for 1997 240sx?

06-19-2010, 12:28 PM	#11
R_G Zilvia Junkie Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Monterey Bay/Watsonville Posts: 388 Trader Rating: (0) Feedback Score: 0 reviews	Synthetic is better. Like stated above " Synthetic breaks down less " . If you ever have the time read this..... http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/faq...=haas_articles __________________ Last edited by R_G; 06-19-2010 at 01:58 PM..

06-19-2010, 01:49 PM	#12
bb4_96 Zilvia Addict Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Under my car Posts: 785 Trader Rating: (4) Feedback Score: 4 reviews	I know LSX can see an increase of up to 20hp by switching to synthetic.... you do have an LS motor right?

06-19-2010, 02:19 PM	#13
g6civcx Post Whore! Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Virginia, USA Posts: 5,764 Trader Rating: (5) Feedback Score: 5 reviews	One of the main reasons other than dirt in the oil is water saturation. Old cars with open intake can get moisture contamination in the oil. This is one of the main reason for the frequent interval. Not as big of a deal on new cars with betted sealed engine, but there is still water contamination. Just not as much as there used to be.