Oil change advice

[xterrajoe]

1. What kind of vehicle you have:2011 Nissan Xterra 2400 miles

2. What your owner's manual says -- not just viscosity, but certifications (look for acronyms like API SM, ILSAC GF-4, etc.) and change intervals as well:
5w30 API or ILSAC approved oil. I think Nissan recommends something like every 7500 miles for intervals

3. Where you live: Massachusetts

4. How you drive (easy? hard? fast? slow?)I take my vehicle off road. I am decently hard on it.

5. What your daily drive is like (short trips? long trips? city? highway?)I don't drive it daily very much and when I do it is only like 10 town miles. I bought the truck in October and it only has about 2400 miles on it.

6. Whether your car has any known problems: Bought brand new no known problems.

I am going to be taking a 2500 mile trip in April and when I get back I am going to change the oil. I just don't know what to use. Should I go synthetic? Stay conventional oil for awhile? what filter should I use?

I should add that the oil has already been changed on this vehicle once and I was not the one who changed it.

 

[chubbs1]

You have so many good options it is hard to answer. ANY of the new API SM or SN ILSAC GF-4/5 oils will work fine. I will just tell you four oils that you absolutely CAN'T go wrong with. Pennzoil Platinum or Ultra (such a proven track record it is just plain fool-proof for that engine). OR you can use Mobil 1 5w30 or even Mobil 1 0w40. The Mobil 1 oils also have a great reputation and meet an incredible amount of top OEM specs. The 0w40 would shear over some time and be a thicker 30 grade and it is Mobil's best oil on the common market. If you are a real stickler for the warranty just stay with 5w30. The engine in your vehicle has been known to be a little tougher on oil and usually shears so it would be fine in there.


Those are just two options that are totally sound and you couldn't go wrong with any of them. You really could use any Major brand SM/SN oil, conventional or syn and it would be fine.

Mobil 1 and Pennzoil Platinum are on sale this month at Advance Auto with a Mobil filter or K&N respectively for $32 and change.


Good luck and safe driving.

 

[abycat]

I got a 2011 versa and im going to do my first change in a couple hundred. nissan has three different maintenance and care levels they have preferred severe and a middle one. The severe says for my car 6000km or six months and the less severe is 12,000km and 6 months they say what makes it severe is pretty much not driving it in a hermetically sealed perfect temp bubble.

Im just going to do the 6000km or six months for warranty purposes. My dealer actually stocks Mobil 1 for their cars they service. they just use the dino mostly and thats that.

Keep the 5w30 or what is reccomended for your ride, they are really picky about that one and alot of the new nissans and even the not so new ones have a vvt on the intake side at least and Im pretty sure oil can change the operation if not harm it.

its funny cause the engine really does not need to many things in regards to specs besides the wight and at least a SM oil. I was kinda surprised when my 2011 had a SM classification in the manual. I bet the 2012 juke Would be the one that needed SN if any. DI and turbo.

By the way you are considered severe service in nissans eyes so I think an oil of your choice in a 5w30 and either a Nissan filter which may have cardboard end caps or a nice Mobil 1 filter which my dealer stocks for their cars and i like them as well. For your syn question nissans severe mileage is peanuts for almost any oil syn or not so some would say your wasting your money putting syn in but im going to in my car which gets the severe treatment at 32,000km. Im doing it cause it makes me feel good and has less bad points than good ones besides making your wallet lighter most of the times.

If you placed my body into your shoes I would fill it up with some 5w30 mobil 1 fully syn with a mobil 1 filter I like the ep ones cause they are the same size as the stock nissan filter but are made to go the distance so you know they will not be in bypass with the severe OCI you have to do.

You will have an answer that is different from each others cause they all think differently. Take our desicions and use them to make your own decision cause oil is Pretty good nowadays and unless you buy PQIA regects you might not notice one oil being better than the next also because of your stock very uncomplicated and very economical engine, and your short OCI which you have to do cause of warranty.

PS. alot of things that are widely known but not discussed anymore cause its common knowledge are tucked away a bit back in the threads so do some looking. I did for 6 months before I signed up. There is soooo much info that you dont know or mostly are misunderstood about like numbers and facts. dont worry we all had something to learn after we signed up. Sure a great place though.

 

[toneydoc]

chubbs1 gave you good advice on oil. I would also throw in Castrol Edge and Castrol Syntec in 5w30 grade. Filters such as Mobil 1, K and N, Purolator Pure One, or Wix. The key is using good products and regular changes of oil and filter. Safe trip to you. Happy oil change upon return.

I am just about ready for a cold one today. My feet are hurting from boots all day.