2011 Maxima & Very Hot Weather Oil Recommendation?

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You know those Oil "temp" charts were common in N America before all the mfgs reduced the tolerances in engines and thus "spec'd" them so we could run 0W-20 oils.

Or did they just delete that manual page with the Ambient temp 'thick' oil chart? Hmmmmm?
 
The main reason for speccing thinner oils in the US is because of a federal requirement that manufacturers specify in the owner's manuals that weight of oil used when the window sticker fuel mileage numbers were obtained.

As far as specifying closer tolerances, or for that matter, clearances, I doubt that they have changed very much in the last 60 years. I do know, that Chevrolet, several years ago, quit matching their piston tolerances to their engine block cylinder tolerances, saving money and leading to many complaints of engine knocking when the clearances stacked up too much in the wrong way.
 
Originally Posted By: ammolab
You know those Oil "temp" charts were common in N America before all the mfgs reduced the tolerances in engines and thus "spec'd" them so we could run 0W-20 oils.

Or did they just delete that manual page with the Ambient temp 'thick' oil chart? Hmmmmm?


Yes, I've had many vehicles that had charts. It's just been sad to see them go. As for your last point, that's probably quite right, since some of the manuals don't seem to have been edited properly to reflect only one grade and API/ILSAC certification. My Infiniti manual recommends, in one place, choosing viscosity based on ambient temperatures, then elsewhere speaks of 5w-30 SM/GF-4 as recommended, and in other places required.
 
Originally Posted By: Finklejag
Do people on this site even read the post anymore? I highly doubt it they have Autozone's over there, where people can pick up 5 quarts and a filter for $19.99
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You mean to tell me there are no AutoZone or PepBoys stores in the middle of a desert in Saudi Arabia or in Bahrain??? Now, who would have thunk it?
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MAKamal, welcome to BITOG! Nice car!
 
Originally Posted By: 1999nick
The main reason for speccing thinner oils in the US is because of a federal requirement that manufacturers specify in the owner's manuals that weight of oil used when the window sticker fuel mileage numbers were obtained.


I agree, but that doesn't mean to go thicker than necessary just because of CAFE. In my 3.7 L, the same engine family as that of the original poster, the engine will go into limp mode if the oil gets too hot. If the oil is thicker, that's good for the oil itself if it gets hot; however, a thicker oil WILL run hotter, and will simply cause the engine to go into limp mode sooner. A better oil cooler is the solution in this case, not thicker oil.
 
Hi, MAKamal:

I will put in my two cents worth of advice here.

I think the main issue is the dust in Bahrain, so the oil filter should be changed with the oil, and the air filter serviced regularly. With such frequent changes an oil filter like the Bosch Premium or its equivalent is good and economical.

That region almost never sees low temperatures, so oils with higher weight values are OK. There is a region in California with a similar climate; and that is the northern section of Death Valley around Scotty's Castle. But Bahrain has no high elevations.

What the dealer is putting in is fine, but when out of warranty for this climate I personally would use a 10W-40. But the Shell Helix Ultra 5W-40 (Approved by Porsche and Ferrari) looks good as presumably it can take high temperatures.
 
Originally Posted By: Garak
Now, why can't Nissan/Infiniti make a chart like that for North America? I suppose they don't want us obsessing too much.

Caterham will be proud of me - don't go too thick, even though it's rather warm there. The same engine is speced for 5w-30 in North America. I would assume that the engine would go into limp mode if the oil got too hot - thus, you don't want too thick of an oil in the first place, since it will just run hotter anyhow.

If it were me, I'd stick with the M1 0w-40 or something 5w-30 SM like the Fuchs TITAN GT1 Pro Flex 5W-30 or LIQUI MOLY Longtime High Tech 5W-30.

Why is the Castrol Magnetech in 10w-30 all SM or better, while the 5w-30 is SL in your location?


Garak
Thank you for your input.

About the Castrol Magnatec 5w-30 I doubt this is available in our market but I got the data from the net, let us ignore this one.

Yes the temperature here is getting really hot as I mentioned in my first post, but as the car manual recommendation it's preferred to use 5w-30, but there is an additional statement which is not shown on the attached shot, "if 5w-30 is not available, select the viscosity from the chart that is suitable for the outside temp".

The M1 0w-40 will cost me about $68 for 4L and I see it is a bit pricey for 5000km oil change.

Many Maxima owners in my region are using Fuchs oils and they are happy with it, many of them are using 10w-30 grade, but I have two critical questions and really need the answer, the Fuchs TITAN GT1 Pro Flex 5W-30 is available in our market but the specs say that this oil is Specially developed for BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Opel vehicles with exhaust after treatment and turbocharger.

1. Is this oil safe to be used in my Maxima VQ35 engine?
2. Can this oil tolerate for 5000KM (3000M) intervals? Will the 5w-30 get sheared quickly?

Here you can find the Fuchs Products data http://www.fuchs.com.au/categories.asp?cID=9&c=162634

Please send your answer ASAP as I am going to change the oil two days later. Regards,
 
Here I am attaching the two pages extracted from the car manual regarding the Capacities and Recommended Fuel/Lubricants

photod.jpg


photoa.jpg


photob.jpg
 
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Originally Posted By: MAKamal
Many Maxima owners in my region are using Fuchs oils and they are happy with it, many of them are using 10w-30 grade, but I have two critical questions and really need the answer, the Fuchs TITAN GT1 Pro Flex 5W-30 is available in our market but the specs say that this oil is Specially developed for BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Opel vehicles with exhaust after treatment and turbocharger.

1. Is this oil safe to be used in my Maxima VQ35 engine?
2. Can this oil tolerate for 5000KM (3000M) intervals? Will the 5w-30 get sheared quickly?


Looking at the link you provided, I see very little wrong with the Pro Flex 5w-30. It meets a variety of decent specifications. It shows it as meeting API SM, but nothing about ILSAC. The latter is my only concern. Will it be an issue? That's hard to say. Your manual pages indicate that an ILSAC rating is recommended but not required, so if a warranty issue were to arise, who knows what Nissan would do? There's nothing wrong with the 10w-30 you mentioned, either. It meets both the API and ILSAC specifications. In your weather, I'd have no hesitation in using a 10w-30, particularly that one meeting those specifications.

As for shearing and what it really means in your application, that's hard to say. For the VQ engines, I've seen very expensive oils shear, and some "lesser" oils exhibit no shear. The durability of these engines isn't in question, anyhow, so perhaps shear might not be a huge issue here, except on paper.
 
[/quote]

I agree, but that doesn't mean to go thicker than necessary just because of CAFE. In my 3.7 L, the same engine family as that of the original poster, the engine will go into limp mode if the oil gets too hot. If the oil is thicker, that's good for the oil itself if it gets hot; however, a thicker oil WILL run hotter, and will simply cause the engine to go into limp mode sooner. A better oil cooler is the solution in this case, not thicker oil.
[/quote]

Do Infinity owners really get oil HOT enough to go into limp mode? Driving on the street/highway? In Canada????? If so I would call that whopper of an engineering mistake.
 
Originally Posted By: MAKamal
Here I am attaching the two pages extracted from the car manual regarding the Capacities and Recommended Fuel/Lubricants

photod.jpg


photoa.jpg


photob.jpg



Here is a list of my findings

Castrol Magnatec Proffesional 10W-30
Classification: API SN, SM, SL (SJ and all superseded classifications)/CF. ILSAC GF-4, GF-3, GF-2
KV @ 40 C (cSt): 62.8
KV @ 100 C (cSt): 10.4
Viscosity Index: 148

Castrol Magnatec 10W-40
Classification: API SM (SL, SJ, SH and all superseded classifications)/CF. ACEA A3
KV @ 40 C (cSt): 102
KV @ 100 C (cSt): 14.5
Viscosity Index: 149

Castrol EDGE 5W-40
Classification: API SM/CF. ACEA A3/B3, A3/B4, C3
KV @ 40 C (cSt): 82
KV @ 100 C (cSt): 13.9
Viscosity Index: 174

Castrol Magnatec 5W-30
Classification: API SL, ILSAC GF-3, ACEA A1/B1, A5/B5
KV @ 40 C (cSt): 53.1
KV @ 100 C (cSt): 9.46 (Max 12.5)
Viscosity Index: 163

Mobil 1 0W-40
Classification: API SM, SL, SJ, CF. ACEA A3/B3, A3/B4
KV @ 40 C (cSt): 78.3
KV @ 100 C (cSt): 14
Viscosity Index: 186

LIQUI MOLY Synthoil High Tech 5W-40 (Made in Germany)
Classification: API SM/CF. ACEA A3-04/B4-04
KV @ 40 C (cSt): 86
KV @ 100 C (cSt): 14.1
Viscosity Index: 170

LIQUI MOLY Longtime High Tech 5W-30 (Made in Germany)
Classification: API SM/CF. ACEA A3-04/B4-04/C3-04
KV @ 40 C (cSt): 67
KV @ 100 C (cSt): 12
Viscosity Index: 178

Shell Helix Ultra 5W-40 (Approved by Porsche and Ferrari)
Classification: API SM/CF. ACEA A3/B3/B4
KV @ 40 C (cSt): 76.3
KV @ 100 C (cSt): 13.8
Viscosity Index: 187

Fuchs TITAN SUPERSYN 5W-40 (Fully Synthetic)
Classification: API SM/CF. ACEA A3/B4
KV @ 40 C (cSt): 85
KV @ 100 C (cSt): 14
Viscosity Index: 170

Fuchs TITAN GT1 Pro Flex 5W-30 (Synthetic)
Classification: API SM. ACEA A3/B4/C3
KV @ 40 C (cSt):
KV @ 100 C (cSt):
Viscosity Index:


Currently the dealer is using a conventional oil Mobil 20W-50
Classification: API SM, SL, SJ or SH. ILSAC GF-4
KV @ 40 C (cSt): 162
KV @ 100 C (cSt): 18.1
Viscosity Index: 124

And here is what is in the car manual
====

I think I would consider the dealer's choice, and also the other oils you listed.

With heat and dust:

'Thicker oil is better',
changing frequently is important since there is sand or dirt,
Synthetic is my first choice, but not required,
Cost and availability are legitimate factors

I might want to allow for cost , but more so the availability of the oil... The best choice might be the one that you can buy when its time to change

I would consider any of the oils below:

Castrol Magnatec 10W-40
Castrol EDGE 5W-40
Mobil 1 0W-40
LIQUI MOLY Synthoil High Tech 5W-40
Shell Helix Ultra 5W-40
Fuchs TITAN SUPERSYN 5W-40

or even the dealer's conventional oil Mobil 20W-50

If sand, dirt, and short trips are a big concern and they probably are... then maybe low cost is better and changing oil every 3000 miles or even less is as important as the viscosity and brand , synthetic or conventional etc.

Oil analysis could help determine if dirt is really getting into the engine and an issue... if there is oil analysis in your region

Best of luck with your new car!
 
Originally Posted By: MAKamal
Here I am attaching the two pages extracted from the car manual regarding the Capacities and Recommended Fuel/Lubricants


photob.jpg



Anyone besides me notice the note saying 5W-20 is not suitable for sustained high speed driving? 'Spose Honda, Toyota, Ford et al know this???
 
Originally Posted By: gizzsdad
Anyone besides me notice the note saying 5W-20 is not suitable for sustained high speed driving? 'Spose Honda, Toyota, Ford et al know this???

When they say "sustained high speed driving" they probably mean something like the Autobahn. What we have in the US by comparison is sustained grandma driving, so no need to worry.
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Thank you guys for coming in.

I found that most of the European Oils meet API Certificate but not ILSAC unlike American Oils. Since my car manual recommends API and ILSAC Certificates I was recommended by friends to go for Motorcraft Premium Synthetic Blend Oil and it's available in 5W-30 and 10W-30 and other grades too and can be easily bought from Ford/Mercury Agent for $3.17/quart also found positive talks about it in this forum.

Motorcraft 5W-30 Premium Synthetic Blend Oil properties:
XO5W30QSP.jpg

SAE Grade 5W-30
API Service GF-5/SN
Specific Gravity@ 60°F (15.6°C) 0.860
Density, lb/gal 7.17
Flash Point, COC, °C (°F) 206 (402)
Viscosity:
cSt @ 100°C
10.8
cSt @ 40°C 65
cP @ -30°C 6,300
Viscosity Index 163
Pour Point, °C (°F) span>

MOTORCRAFT® 5W-30 PREMIUM SYNTHETIC BLEND MOTOR OIL

Motorcraft 10W-30 Premium Synthetic Blend Oil properties:
XO10W30QSP.jpg
SAE Grade 10W-30
API Service GF-5/SN
Specific Gravity@ 60°F (15.6°C) 0.871
Density, lb/gal 7.25
Flash Point, COC, °C (°F) 224 (435)
Viscosity:
cSt @ 100°C
10.4
cSt @ 40°C 69
cP @ -30°C 5,900
Viscosity Index 157
Pour Point, °C (°F) span>

MOTORCRAFT® 10W-30 SYNTHETIC BLEND MOTOR OIL

You guys can read the figures better than me, consider my car is yours which one you will choose from the above for 5000km (3000mile) OCI.

Regards and many thanks again
 
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Originally Posted By: gizzsdad

Anyone besides me notice the note saying 5W-20 is not suitable for sustained high speed driving? 'Spose Honda, Toyota, Ford et al know this???


Nissan knows that 5W-20 is closer to being a solvent than an oil.
 
Originally Posted By: ammolab
Do Infinity owners really get oil HOT enough to go into limp mode? Driving on the street/highway? In Canada????? If so I would call that whopper of an engineering mistake.


Some might, but I haven't. I don't track or drive overly aggressively. If you ask me, though, it is an engineering mistake. My old Audi with a turbo had an oil cooler that was bigger than the radiator, and couldn't push the oil temperatures above 100 C, no matter how hard I pushed it, and that was with 15w-40 in it on a 34 C day.
 
Originally Posted By: gizzsdad
Anyone besides me notice the note saying 5W-20 is not suitable for sustained high speed driving? 'Spose Honda, Toyota, Ford et al know this???


For the OP's family of engines in North America, 5w-20 isn't recommended whatsoever. 5w-30 is it.
 
Originally Posted By: MAKamal
You guys can read the figures better than me, consider my car is yours which one you will choose from the above for 5000km (3000mile) OCI.

Regards and many thanks again


I say either would do the trick. It's pretty cool that you can get the Motorcraft oil there for that price. Grab whatever what's closest on the shelf, I suppose. I'd lean towards the 5w-30, with it being the recommended grade, but I'd use either here, even in Canada, in the summer.

Interestingly enough, Infiniti of Canada pushes Mobil products (conventional and synthetics) at their dealers. Nonetheless, the Motorcraft is probably your best bet, meeting all recommended specifications at a very nice price.
 
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