Mobil1 EP 15w-50 mixing questions?

[steven88]

So I have a 2002 Nissan Maxima with the VQ35DE engine....been treating her with synthetics ever since 25k...my most recent synthetic being GC green, and it's been sweet! I recently stumbled upon Mobil 1 EP 15w-50 @ Target for only $3 a quart...I guess they are blowing them out...

anyway my question is...will this oil serve my engine well? I know European specs allow 20w-50 to be used...while American specs allow 5w30 to 10w-40...should I go ahead and pour the 4.5qts of 15w-50 and call it a day? How about mixing the formula with some thinner 5w-20 or perhaps 0w-20?

I'm not too familiar with this subject...so any input would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Kitto]

mix them with 5W30 EP and you are good to go!

 

[steven88]

could you explain why? just wanted to get your opinion...on why not going with the full mixture of 15w-50?

anybody in here have experience with VQ35s and thick oils? I know GC is thick...but I'm talkin about, higher than 12.1 cst? How well do they perform under thicker oils?

 

[steven88]

btw, I live in southern california...I drive mostly city miles...with 5-6 miles per trip

 

[BlazerLT]

stick to a thinner grade oil and don't start using ridiculously thick oil for no reason.

If you want fuel economy and perfect protection, stick to the 5w30.

Nothing else is needed and just leave the other thick ________ on a shelf for a reson. No one buys it because no one needs it,,,,including you.

 

[ATS-V]

Mix it 1 qt to 3.5 qts EP or regular M1 and send in a UOA. This will yield you a GC like mixture.

 

[steven88]

which thickness should i go with? 5w-20 is 8.8 cst and 0w30 is 11 cst, according to the mobil 1 website...they don't list the 0w-20 however :\

also they dont carry anything below 5w30 on the extended performance line

 

[ATS-V]

I would mix with 5w30.

That mixture in a 3.5-1 ratio will yield you a low 40wt.

 

[steven88]

oh...alright..

anymore input?

 

[cfromc]

If you mainly do short trips I don't know why you would want a thicker oil than GC. I am changing oil soon on my short trip car (5 miles 2-4 times a day) and will be going to a very thin 5w30. Was even considering a 5W-20. My manual specs a 5w30 (optional 10w30 or 0w30 depending on temperature) so, since I'm still under warranty I decided to go with a thin 5w30. In only 5 miles the oil will maybe just barely even reach operating temperature and "thin" out. Now that the weather is getting cooler, the oil probably won't even reach temp. I want something for easy starting and good fuel economy along with good protection. If you are not towing, driving up mountains for extended periods of time or running WOT the entire 5-6 miles, I don't see how you need more than a 5w30. I'll put my neck on the line and say that the thinner the better when the engine is cold, and a 15W-50 is not that thin when cold. You will likely get slightly better protection and gas mileage by avoiding 15W-50, or even a mix of it, in a short trip vehicle. My 2 cents.

 

[steven88]

sounds good....thanks for the input! just curious, thats all..

 

[RD400]

I have a VQ30DE and am planning on mixing 1 qt M1 15w-50 EP with 3.5 quarts of the last of my remaining M1 10w30 SS at my next OIC. This viscosity blending page gives a cSt very close to GC at 100C, and I've read here that VQs seem to like a thicker 30 oil.
Other than that, I don't really have a good reason

 

[RD400]

Quote:

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If you mainly do short trips I don't know why you would want a thicker oil than GC.

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Very good point!

 

[steven88]

yeah thats the general consensus here on BITOG...VQ's like thicker oils...and it's actually the American specs, that call for such a thin oil (5w30)...Europeans come standard with 10w-40 and allows up to 20w-50...maybe its for better protection on the autobahn

anyway, does anybody know how thin the mobil 1 0w-20 is?

 

[BlazerLT]

8.8cst @ 100c

 

[cfromc]

I'll admit I don't know much about that particular engine but 20W-50 seems really thick for just about any automotive engine made in the past 30 years. Also remember that at 40C/104F the viscosity is about 45-55 for a 5W-20 and well over 125 for a 20W-50. As the oil temperature rises between 40C and 100C, the viscosity for a 5W-20 lowers to 8-9 and a 20W-50 to 18-20. What I'm trying to say is, you probably won't even hit an oil temp of 100C by the time you shut the car off so the engine is still "seeing" a viscosity of well over 8-9 when running a 5W-20 for only 5 miles. From my experience, a 20W-50 takes longer to warm up then a 5w30 so the engine will be pumping that thick oil nearly all the time for a short-trip vehicle. Bad for gas mileage. I suggest looking at some UOA's for the lighter weight oils and comparing the wear rates against the higher ones. This should give you some piece of mind that the lighter oils protect very well vs. heavier oils of the same group and quality.