Using a non-specified weight

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I've seen some talk on here about using a weight not specified by the manufacturer. I'm not well educated on how this decision is made so feel free to educate me. If it's not dangerous i might do it myself in my truck (2014 Nissan Frontier 4L V6 VQ40DE)
EDIT::
I do lots of short trips for home stuff and use the same truck for work towing 4000+lb I'm in the northeast so I have to deal with the issue of winter as well Nissan specifies 5w30 SN i believe

 

[Bandito440]

What does Nissan recommend?

What would you rather use, and what are you hoping to achieve by doing so?

 

[69GTX]

No single motor oil weight/grade specified by the manufacturer can cover every single situation across the globe in varying climates. One grade cannot possibly fit all. That said, they pick one to make it easier on car owners who otherwise might put any old thing in there. An exception would be when the mfg lists multiple grades based on temperature. Many don't bother to do that any more.

 

[RF Overlord]

Since you're in Cow Hampshire

the temps aren't bitter like the Ice Road Truckers encounter, and as long as your 4000-lb load is within the manufacturer-allowed limit, then just run the recommended 5w30. I would use synthetic, though.

I would be more concerned with regular transmission fluid changes (if it's an automatic) than with second-guessing Nissan's recommended oil viscosity.

 

[supton]

I would just run 5W30, common as dirt. I'm switching up from 0W20 to 0W30 on my two, mostly because I can, not because I think it will fix anything; but I just put in 10W30 for the end of summer and fall usage. Temps won't be cold enough, and it uses up some cheap oil I had. I'd use 5W30 if I had it, but if I am paying, I figure I'll grab 0W30.

Going up a grade is usually ok (often spec'd outside of North America already). Going down a grade, if not specified, seems to be iffy. Odds are it'll be fine, many engines got back-spec'd to 0W20/5W20. But as has been hashed out here, 20's don't bring that much to the table, being mostly for mpg reasons.

 

[Danh]

Deleted - already answered.

 

[TWG1572]

I have 168K miles on the same truck/engine. I've always run the recommended 5w30 since new. I think Danh did a nice job of outlining the rationale behind changing weights, but based on my experience I fail to see a reason to run anything other than the 5w30. It certainly seems to be working.

 

[HerrStig]

The manual for my 08 V6 Camry which lists 5w30 as the oil to use ALSO states: " The 30 in 5w30 indicates the oil viscosity when the oil is at its operating temperature. An oil with a higher viscosity may be better suited if the vehicle is operated at high speeds or under extreme load conditions" . So, as I read that, they are not ruling out other grades if conditions warrant. Interesting information on, for example, how the Australian manual for the same Camry model differs in what it stipulates are proper oil grades is often posted here. I think you are quite safe in using Rotella T6 in 5W -40 in your vehicle, one grade difference isn't going to hurt. THere are a lot of places in the US which get as hot as Australia, where they seem to prefer thicker oil.

 

[GR_CoB]

This is how I pick my oil.

 

[BrocLuno]

NissanHualer, you gave us almost all the info needed... But you did not say how many total miles are on the engine?

So it gets cold where you are. I dunno about hot, but it is not Phoenix ...

So My guess is that a 30 wt at operating temp is all that's needed. Even hauling trailer up grades as long as it's not foot to the floor for more than 10 minutes at a time, I see no need for a 40 ...

So that leaves the bottom of the scale. Does it get below -10*F there much? If not a 5W will do. If it does, you'll need a 0W ...

Now comes the real homework. You want a "heavy" 30 for the hard work. Not all 30's are equal in HTHS. So looking at the best of the bunch, I'd ask Shannow or Zeng for a breakdown of 5w30's by high temp viscosity and HTHS and go from there

And you thought this was easy ...

Of course if it were my truck, I'd just throw Rotella T6 5W-40 in there and cruise on. It's a bit thin as 40's go, so more like a 35, and that's close enough for me in any modern motor w/o variable valve timing (VVT) ...

 

[RoadRaceJosh]

I just put Mobil 1 0W-40 in my Frontier as I sold the BMW for which the oil was originally intended. 5w30 is specified for my 2.5. I'll be taking a long road trip mid September. I'll let you know if the highway fuel economy suffers or not.

The pedant in me also wants to point out your question is about viscosity, not weight.

 

[TiredTrucker]

Originally Posted By: RF Overlord
Since you're in Cow Hampshire

the temps aren't bitter like the Ice Road Truckers encounter, and as long as your 4000-lb load is within the manufacturer-allowed limit, then just run the recommended 5w30. I would use synthetic, though.

I would be more concerned with regular transmission fluid changes (if it's an automatic) than with second-guessing Nissan's recommended oil viscosity.


Like ice road truckers encounter? They must be running different areas than I did in Alaska. I saw normal daytime high temps that were in the -35F territory frequently. We didn't even discuss wind chills. The local news would only say something like "today's high temp will be 35". We all knew that they meant below zero.

 

[Doog]

I use what is on the engine oil cap.

 

[Danh]

Originally Posted By: TWG1572
I have 168K miles on the same truck/engine. I've always run the recommended 5w30 since new. I think Danh did a nice job of outlining the rationale behind changing weights, but based on my experience I fail to see a reason to run anything other than the 5w30. It certainly seems to be working.



Gee, thanks. Now I'm sorry I deleted the post; such inspiration may never strike again...

 

[K20FA5]

I have that same engine, mines a 2010 with 104,000 miles. At about 102,000, I moved over to M1 0W-40. My engine has always had some top end rattle when starting, and in lower gears above about 2,500 RPM. These noises are gone with the 0W-40. It still seems to be getting the same MPG as before, it's just much quieter.

I've always read about people with these VQs running a 40 weight, but until recently, I never did. Now I wish I would have started running it right after the warranty was up.

Try it for an OCI, it's a very thin 40 weight. I definitely won't hurt anything for one OCI. See how your truck likes it. Mine really seems to!

 

[Garak]

Note that Nissan specifies a 5w30 in SN, not SN/GF-5. Therefore, a CJ-4/SN 5w30 like Delvac 1 LE 5w30 or something like Castrol 5w30 C3 are permissible choices, should you want higher HTHS without technically going out of spec. Castrol's lube selector in North America even lists the C3 as a choice.

 

[OptOut]

its a 2014, i bought off a dealer because they never sold it so it sat in their garage and i made him an offer and he took it im at 2200 miles now so ive got 800 miles to decide what oil i am going to throw into her once the factory fill has done its job. i had a previous post about what oil to choose and i was thinking about going with PP but considering i am a "severe" driver i am thinking about maybe putting a thicker than recommended oil so my whole choice process is now up in the air. i know i want a group IV synthetic but i dont know how to ID them at the store

 

[Camprunner]

NissanHauler I have the same motor in my 2012 Pathfinder and I tow a 5,000 lb camper in the summer. This summer I ran Chevron Dello 10w30 XLE simi synthetic and it ran great in my 4.0 I felt it would hold up better then a typical 5w30. I plan to use it again next towing season and the price at WM is not bad either.