Oil Recommendation - VQ35DE @ 110k

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strada

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Hello good people of BITOG, long time reader, never needed to post but now I have a hankering for some advice.

I have an 2006 G35 coupe with the ubiquitous VQ35DE, now with ~110k miles.
I have had it since early 2008, purchased with ~28k miles - so roughly 9k miles per year since then. Daily driven basically to work 6-7/days per week in NE Ohio, ie mild summers, harsh winters. I drive to a couple different hospitals to work, one is 10-15min of easy city driving - no traffic when I go in. And the others are 20-25min of mostly highway. I do not track my car and generally it's driven in a pretty relaxed manner with occasional loud pedal activity.

I used Amsoil SSO 0w30 from the first oil change say around 35k miles until about last year around 100k. Not sure what was in it before. I ran an OCI of ~7500mi throughout the time I've owned it. UOA was done around 50k miles which was favorable. Blackstone recommended OCI of 10k but I've pretty much been changing when time allows at a year interval vs 10k miles.
UOA is attached from some years ago:


Throughout the lifespan, I needed to add a quart during each OCI but my engine never suffered from the massive oil consumption issue of some of the VQs around that era which required engine replacement. Around 90k miles I noticed a bit more consumption 1.5qts or so, and I switched to Amsoils 5w30 and it seemed better. Only a quart or so needed by 7500 miles again.

Any who, my local store that used to carry Amsoil went out of business and I've been wondering should I make the change to something more readily available just for convenience sake and price for that matter. I've looked into some of the HM/EP formulations of Mobil/etc along with more expensive stuff like RP but the jury seems out. I intend to have this car for another 2-3 years as I wait for my new job. Car has been quite reliable and tolerant of the NE Ohio climate and I'm trying to do the best thing for the motor. Again primary goal is to get to and from work every day.

Any advice is appreciated.
 
I can only tell you what's worked for me in the wife's 2007 M35, same engine with 275 HP. We've had the car since new. Now has 101K miles. Average OCI has been 5,100 miles using synthetic blends from Conoco Phillips (Kendall GT-1) and Quaker State (my brew of 40% Ultimate and 60% green bottle).

Engine remains clean and now uses one third of a quart between oil changes.

Naturally if you change synthetic brands you may see increased consumption for one or two intervals. Others have griped about the VQ35DE. So far I've loved ours.
 
The VQ is like the Honda J35 in that it chews up oil. I've seen some very good UOAs on M1 0w40 in the VQ. It is available at Walmart and is relatively inexpensive. So far I have been very happy with it in my Odyssey with the J35.
 
VQ35's love 40 wt oils. I've been using VML 10w40 this summer and the engine runs very smooth & quiet, especially on cold starts.

In the winter, I'm likely going to use a 0w40.
 
I have a VQ35HR with 145,000 miles and have used nothing but Castrol 5w-30 full syn and a M1-108 filter since it was new in 2008. My latest UOA had 6ppm of iron and was clean as a whistle. The VQ has been on the Ward's 10 best engines list more than any other engine. One could argue it's the best V6's ever made. (Until the VQ37HR came along)
 
Basically what the other guys said. Look into a reputable synthetic 40 weight and call it a night. My coworker has an old 350Z he romps on and takes to the track. He probably has 150k and it runs great while being constantly like it was stolen. It burns oil and lets a little tiny poof of blue smoke when it starts, but it's never left him stranded. I only say synthetic because you're up north.
 
0w-40 (Mobil, Pennzoil, Castrol) year-round. Keep OCIs reasonable and don't give it a second thought.
 
Hmm, lots of votes for a 0w-40, somehow despite being fairly active in the G community years ago I never got wind of this. I was worried the 0w30 Amsoil was too thin for the VQ and switched back to the 5w30. I understand these 0w40s tend to be on the lighter side of 40 weight oils. I second planeman, people noticed less consumption with the 40w despite the factory recs then? Also I've heard the Penzoil Platinum is decent stuff, I'm sure in reality all of them M1, PP, Castrol etc would not show a significant difference in a randomized trial if you could ever do one. In any case, seems the most common rec is 0w40, any benefit to the high milage formulas or is that all marketing?
 
I don't think you have an understanding of multi-grade ratings. At an engine's operating temperature, a 0-30 and a 5-30 will be approximately the same viscosity. They will be indecernable.

When things get cold, the 0w30 will resist thickening better. Therefore worrying about 0w30 being too 'thin' versus a 5w30 is actually silly. Some 0w30 are admittedly 'thinner' but the difference is negligible.

Your oil gets eaten when it's hot and thin, not when the car is resting outside. Therefore, moving to a 40 weight will reduce oil consumption because it will be less likely to sneak past seals and rings.

Burning oil is also bad for emissions. So going to a 0-40 or 5w40 will give you the cold start protection you need, and the resistance to getting burnt off in an engine that's notorious for it.
 
I have a VQ40 DE V6 in my 2012 Nissan Pathfinder so same family so similar motor and also can be rather hard on oil esp towing a camper. The VQ40 towing a load can shear an oil something quite quickly! I find in the summer when towing I run Mobil 1 0w40 or a heavy duty 10w30 like Chevron Delo XLE 10w30 diesel oil both run great without any consumption. I do find my V6 likes Valvoline Synpower 5w30 for the winter it seems quite quiet running this oil and again no consumption at all out to 7,500 mile OCI.
 
Originally Posted By: SnakeOil
I don't think you have an understanding of multi-grade ratings. At an engine's operating temperature, a 0-30 and a 5-30 will be approximately the same viscosity. They will be indecernable.

When things get cold, the 0w30 will resist thickening better. Therefore worrying about 0w30 being too 'thin' versus a 5w30 is actually silly. Some 0w30 are admittedly 'thinner' but the difference is negligible.

Your oil gets eaten when it's hot and thin, not when the car is resting outside. Therefore, moving to a 40 weight will reduce oil consumption because it will be less likely to sneak past seals and rings.

Burning oil is also bad for emissions. So going to a 0-40 or 5w40 will give you the cold start protection you need, and the resistance to getting burnt off in an engine that's notorious for it.


You know, you're right. Here is the info for 0w30 vs 5w30 that I've even looked at before. I guess I was mistakenly assuming that while the engine was cold the 0w was too thin compared to the 5w and prior to reaching operating temps that the consumption may have been occurring there. Anecdotally the 5w30 seems to be consuming less for what its worth, not sure how to explain it based on the viscosity numbers...

..............Signature Series...........................................0w30...........5w30
Kinematic Viscosity @ 100ºC, cSt (ASTM D 445) .......10.4 ............10.5
Kinematic Viscosity @ 40ºC, cSt (ASTM D 445) ..........58.3 ...........60.1
Viscosity Index (ASTM D 2270)...................................170.............166
CCS Viscosity, cP @ (ºC) (ASTM D 5293).....................5909(-35).....4426(-30)
NOACK Volatlty, %wt loss (g/100g) (ASTM D 5800)....7.6...............6.9
High-Temperature/High-Shear Viscosity
@ 150ºC, 1.0 X 106 s.-1, cP (ASTM D 5481)...............3.1...............3.2

In any case, I think I will try the 0w40 then and see if it helps. Any opinions on the brands or just find whatever suits my fancy/is available. Again my question remains about some of the high mileage oils and their value?
 
Castrol Edge 0w30 is very popular in the Missan community, especially the VQ engines, and it's also what I use in my 96 I30 with the original VQ30
 
Originally Posted By: slacktide_bitog
Castrol Edge 0w30 is very popular in the Missan community, especially the VQ engines, and it's also what I use in my 96 I30 with the original VQ30

How long do you run it? How much if any does burn?
 
Originally Posted By: SnakeOil
I don't think you have an understanding of multi-grade ratings. At an engine's operating temperature, a 0-30 and a 5-30 will be approximately the same viscosity. They will be indecernable.

When things get cold, the 0w30 will resist thickening better. Therefore worrying about 0w30 being too 'thin' versus a 5w30 is actually silly. Some 0w30 are admittedly 'thinner' but the difference is negligible.

Your oil gets eaten when it's hot and thin, not when the car is resting outside. Therefore, moving to a 40 weight will reduce oil consumption because it will be less likely to sneak past seals and rings.

Burning oil is also bad for emissions. So going to a 0-40 or 5w40 will give you the cold start protection you need, and the resistance to getting burnt off in an engine that's notorious for it.


That is horrible information. What you are masking and don't understand is something called Viscosity Index. You're asking for more wear, less power and a whole lot more issues but going to a heavier weight.
 
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