Looking for an oil recommendation

[TNspecV]

New here and i must say, wow. Everything from gun oil to air filters! great forum. I am looking for some recommendations for motor oil.
I drive an 08 nissan sentra spec v. SAE 5W-30 viscosity recommended in the manual. Dealership was running castrol GTX when i lived in louisiana moved to east tennessee and they use penzoil. I am a 'spirited' driver at times but mostly im the guy who gets passed thinking its an 80 y/o granma lol. No real issues with the vehicle, just an over zealous knock sensor that cuts fuel from time to time (nissan seems to ignore it).
Also, i am running a short ram intake looking to get an amsoil filter but may be limited by underhood clearance issues. also, i typically run 93 pump gas from a lakeside market that has suposed 'pure' gas because the do buisness with marine vehicles. otherwise, its 93 and a fuel conditioner because the manufactuer actually says no ethanol blends (in an '08! guess its cause its all aluminum minus the cylinder sleeves)
sorry for the length of the post, but i wanted to be detailed to give yall the most accurate representation of what i need. I am much appreciative of any recommendations and hope to be able to contribute some in the future!

 

[larryhightower]

Hi I am new and also live in Tennessee, ( Nashville) I use and really like Pro Spec III oil from Texas Refinery with a TBN of 15.

 

[umungus1122]

Pennzoil is one of the best conventionals and will do just fine for regular 3-5k oil changes.

 

[TNspecV]

Thanks for the welcome! sorry for the ignorance but i do not know what TBN stands for....is there any benefit to a synthetic vs. fossil oil? would it be bad in the long run going from the castrol gtx (synthetic i believe) to the penzoil which is not?

 

[Mau]

What an 08 car that says no ethanol to be used? That can't be right.

 

[larryhightower]

Hello again I am certainly no expert but maybe this will explain what TBN is.
What is a TBN, and who uses it? In short, a TBN (total base number) measures the amount of active additive left in a sample of oil. The TBN is useful for people who want to extend their oil usage far beyond the normal range.

By comparing the TBN of a used oil to the TBN of the same oil in virgin condition, the user can determine how much reserve additive the oil has left to neutralize acids. The lower the TBN reading, the less active additive the oil has left.

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted By: TNspecV
...is there any benefit to a synthetic vs. fossil oil? would it be bad in the long run going from the castrol gtx (synthetic i believe) to the penzoil which is not?


GTX is conventional, as is Pennzoil conventional (PYB). Both would suit your purposes quite fine. Even if you were running synthetic and switched to conventional, that, too, would be permissible.

I used a fair bit of GTX over the years and was happy with it. I happen to use PYB now, and am happy with it as well.

With respect to benefits of a synthetic, that's a loaded question. If synthetic is not required in a vehicle, it MAY be of benefit if you extend your OCIs, have a known sludger, have ridiculously cold weather, a turbo, or race the vehicle.

That being said, I've had a turbo and I get ridiculously cold weather, and conventionals haven't failed me. I just don't use 20w-50 or something absurd in winter. I follow the manufacturers' recommendations for my vehicles.

 

[Gene K]

The current Pennzoil Yellow Bottle (PYB) is regarded by most to be among the best of the current conventional oils.

If you are going to stick to a conventional you could certainly do a lot worse.

 

[dave1251]

I always change my own oil and when I do I prefer Pennzoil Yellow Bottle.

 

[cb_13]

If you want to stay with conventional valvoline, castrol gtx, and pennzoil have all treated me well over the years. Pennzoil is my favorite mainly because it comes in a yellow bottle and I enjoy listening to all the "car guys" tell me I am gonna sludge up my engine by using it.

 

[fastsvo]

Originally Posted By: cb_13
If you want to stay with conventional valvoline, castrol gtx, and pennzoil have all treated me well over the years. Pennzoil is my favorite mainly because it comes in a yellow bottle and I enjoy listening to all the "car guys" tell me I am gonna sludge up my engine by using it.


So is that indeed a thing of the past?

 

[Garak]

Absolutely. In any case, there are variants of the legend with just about all the conventional brands, including PYB, GTX, and QS. Funny thing, though, I used QS conventional for 6000 mile OCIs during the "sludge years" in fleet service, and never had any sludge.

Of course, it must have been all the oil's fault. Never mind the leaded gas, carbs, emissions systems that were designed on the back of cocktail napkins, people never changing their oil (of course, they all claimed 3000 miles), people never changing a PCV valve....

 

[cb_13]

Originally Posted By: fastsvo
Originally Posted By: cb_13
If you want to stay with conventional valvoline, castrol gtx, and pennzoil have all treated me well over the years. Pennzoil is my favorite mainly because it comes in a yellow bottle and I enjoy listening to all the "car guys" tell me I am gonna sludge up my engine by using it.


So is that indeed a thing of the past?

If it was actually the oils fault back then is debatable. I don't know enough to say either way but I will guarantee that changed at recommended intervals modern Pennzoil will NOT sludge up your engine. I guess I should add as long as it's a version of it that is specd for you engine as well but you get the idea. Its good stuff now.

 

[JGW]

Originally Posted By: Garak
Of course, it must have been all the oil's fault. Never mind the leaded gas, carbs, emissions systems that were designed on the back of cocktail napkins, people never changing their oil (of course, they all claimed 3000 miles), people never changing a PCV valve....

 

[mechtech2]

There are a number of cars that do well with the knock sensor disconnected. They can be over sensitive and really pull ignition timing for no good reason. For some cars, yanking the connector is a good fix. If it knocks with 93 octane, you have problems anyway. check with your specific car forums to ascertain this.
Short ram intake? Are you now getting hot underhood air when stock was outside/ambient air? Think twice about this.

No alcoholfuels allowed? I doubt this severely! They must mean E85, not the universal E10 sold in the USA.

Now oil:
Your 5-30 should be perfect.

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted By: mechtech2
There are a number of cars that do well with the knock sensor disconnected. They can be over sensitive and really pull ignition timing for no good reason.


Off topic, but a very funny story: My buddy who took over my Audi 200 was leaving one shop after doing the water pump. The second he left the shop, the muffler fell off. There was a muffler shop just up the block, so he drove there. The vibration from the exhaust dragging kept activating the knock sensor, so it was running rather poorly for that block.