The Goods On Oils

[Kenna802]

Nissan recommends 7.5 - 30 I have had the motor rebuilt and am thinking i may dump the oil and maybe try Castrol Edge 5-30

[Missileman]

By all means drain your oil but don't through it out just yet, why not give the genuine nissan 7.5w-30 a go I hear it is not too expensive?

Edited April 17, 2012 by Missileman

[Kenna802]

I would rather use a better oil than the factory stuff as i have had work done to the motor and want it to last a long time. The royal purple is the best i have used so far but getting it were i live is almost impossible unless i mail order. I have tried synx 3000 ( before the car was rebuilt ) and also tried Motul 4100? didnt seem to like the lower oil pressure from that one. was just curious as it would be nice just to go down the shops and find something. Does anyone have any comments on the Castrol edge 5w40?

[Just_Rb]

who in south-west sydney stocks Gulf western oils? and is the Sougi m 6000 still available?

[joeyjoejoejuniorshabadoo]

I would rather use a better oil than the factory stuff as i have had work done to the motor and want it to last a long time. The royal purple is the best i have used so far but getting it were i live is almost impossible unless i mail order. I have tried synx 3000 ( before the car was rebuilt ) and also tried Motul 4100? didnt seem to like the lower oil pressure from that one. was just curious as it would be nice just to go down the shops and find something. Does anyone have any comments on the Castrol edge 5w40?

chat to whoever built the motor and ask them what oil they use

[ARTZ]

Stock rb30 = coles motor oil changed every 50 000km's and it still wont die....

ARTZ, the HPR will be fine, i used the old HPR for years and years at double factory power and when i pulled the motor apart it was immaculate. I cant see the new HPR being anything but better again. But then again I'm a big Penrite fan so i might be a little biased.

well I wouldnt call that biased, I would call that tried and tested ... I'll stick wih it

Just out of curiosity ,whats in ya gearbox..

[Birds]

Just out of curiosity ,whats in ya gearbox..

Gears

[joeyjoejoejuniorshabadoo]

i lol'd

[ARTZ]

Gears

lol....smart ass....new clutch is in birds...is yours

I remember you were a mineral oil fan too yeah, guy just put VMX-M in it...I was like, yeah whatever...

[JonnoHR31]

Just out of curiosity ,whats in ya gearbox..

just the usual castrol gear oil i think, i cant remember though, its overdue for a change....

[numleg]

Given that the RB26/25/20 is an old motor(s) designed in the 1980's when oil technology was nothing like what we have today, I see no reason why a good quality mineral oil of the correct weight and changed regularly (5000km) will not provide good long term protection for an RB motor.

However as soon as you change turbos (specificaly roller/ball bearing) you are adding a much newer component built and designed around much newer/better oil technology. At this point i would say yes you do need to move on to modern semi-synth/full synth oils.

But as I change oil at <5000km service intervals, I figure the oil doesn't get to the point of breaking down and failing to provide proper protection. As such I dont see any need to buy top priced oils which are developed to work better over longer periods of time.

Of course if you are servicing something newer i.e. a VQ series motor then this pretty much goes out the window.

[JonnoHR31]

The thing is, back in the 1980s no one was making 300+rwkw out of 100% standard RB bottom ends, if you tried to with 80s spec mineral oil theres a pretty good chance it wouldn't last long. For a standard car, sure anything thats costs more than $1/L will probably be fine if changed regularly, but if your near the limits of a standard motor or on the track a lot decent oil does help it last longer.

[joeyjoejoejuniorshabadoo]

not to mention how hot the oil gets when you abuse the car

[Birds]

Given that the RB26/25/20 is an old motor(s) designed in the 1980's when oil technology was nothing like what we have today, I see no reason why a good quality mineral oil of the correct weight and changed regularly (5000km) will not provide good long term protection for an RB motor.

However as soon as you change turbos (specificaly roller/ball bearing) you are adding a much newer component built and designed around much newer/better oil technology. At this point i would say yes you do need to move on to modern semi-synth/full synth oils.

But as I change oil at <5000km service intervals, I figure the oil doesn't get to the point of breaking down and failing to provide proper protection. As such I dont see any need to buy top priced oils which are developed to work better over longer periods of time.

Of course if you are servicing something newer i.e. a VQ series motor then this pretty much goes out the window.

I'd like to throw an analogy your way and see what you think. You were born/built before the 90's (I'm guessing), so would you suffice living on technology available in the 80's or pertain to the use of modern technologies to further your lifespan? Granted I'm drawing a bow with comparing a living organism to a machine, but the principles of making things last are the same. We're living longer than ever before and that's because of advancements in food/safety/medical/pollution technologies + some help from our friend evolution. The same can be applied to engines, within reason. Remember that oils are designed for engines, not the other way around. There have been a lot of advancements in engine designs, but the bread and butter workings of the internal combustion engine are still the same - piston slides up and down a cylinder bore, turning a crank bathed in oil.

An RB will run fine on the oils that were out at the time, but it can certainly run better and last longer on a better oil - many additives only found in modern oils are designed to promote longevity and reduce friction. Ask any Sougi users (well, ex-Sougi users) for their opinions on an average oil compared to this top drop and they will tell you which comes out on top, whether it is worth spending $60+ on a ~20 year old engine.

To draw a better analogy, I consider ethanol mix petrols to be a technology of engines - not unlike advancements in oil technology - the result is a higher octane combustion mix, which allows an RB to produce more power and run cooler than it was ever originally designed to on 98 (was 98 even commercially available back then?).

[ARTZ]

Lol no...unleaded was new, most cars still run leaded fuel or 'Super' as it was called.

I think 95 only become available mid 90s

Its times like this I realize just how old my skyline is..

[HYBR3D]

I would rather use a better oil than the factory stuff as i have had work done to the motor and want it to last a long time. The royal purple is the best i have used so far but getting it were i live is almost impossible unless i mail order. I have tried synx 3000 ( before the car was rebuilt ) and also tried Motul 4100? didnt seem to like the lower oil pressure from that one. was just curious as it would be nice just to go down the shops and find something. Does anyone have any comments on the Castrol edge 5w40?

For over the last 5 years ive been religious to using Castrol Edge in my evos. Since owning a skyline and being apart of this forum, reading peoples "opinions" about oils... Castrol apparently is not as good as it used to be especially since BP brought them ad boosted there marketing and decreased the quality of the product..... Apparently....

So I went out and brought some AMSOIL 20w-50 Race Oil.... Its great stuff!! Its 100% Synthetic not "Fully Synthetic" as Castrol states. There is a difference.

But.... My car isnt running at its best and I think the oil might be wearing a little quicker than normal.

So I may of wasted my money im not sure. the price difference isnt to bad ($90 for 5L)

Being 100% Syn, its alot lighter or watery than the equivalent branded "fully Syn"

Im not worried about the 20w as it dosnt get cold enough in Australia to need a really low weight oil like 0w or even 5w

But im running a BB turbo and I do like boosting it most days, so its important to me to have a high temp oil like 50.

Basically to reply yo you... is Castrol alright? well its ok. ive never had a prob with it. but there is better stuff. The question is do you need to spend more $$$ on better quality oil?

Just make sure the weights are up to what your car needs what ever brand. I might give Castrol another go next change.

Edited May 6, 2012 by HYBR3D

[iwanta34gtr]

Hi Every1,

Due for an oil change and was ready to buy some royal purple 10w40 for my 34 GTR (completely stock with 83k on the clock).

After reading through some of this thread, not quite sure if the viscosity i've chosen is the best choice?

Car is mainly just a weekend toy and wont be seeing any track time.

Any advice, info or confirmation would be appreciated.

Cheers in advance.

Edited May 10, 2012 by iwanta34gtr

[joeyjoejoejuniorshabadoo]

Castrol apparently is not as good as it used to be especially since BP brought them ad boosted there marketing and decreased the quality of the product.....

lol wut? castrol edge is castrol edge. no changes there apart from the packaging for 2012

So I went out and brought some AMSOIL 20w-50 Race Oil.... Its great stuff!! Its 100% Synthetic not "Fully Synthetic" as Castrol states. There is a difference.

there is, but becasue something is 100% syn doesn't actually make it better. a mineral content has its advantages as well as it's disadvantages

But.... My car isnt running at its best and I think the oil might be wearing a little quicker than normal.

So I may of wasted my money im not sure. the price difference isnt to bad ($90 for 5L)

for you to notice this,:

how is it driven?

how old is the oil?

what are you actually noticing?

have you tested the oil?

what does the oil look / smell like?

Im not worried about the 20w as it dosnt get cold enough in Australia to need a really low weight oil like 0w or even 5w

But im running a BB turbo and I do like boosting it most days, so its important to me to have a high temp oil like 50.

you do realise there is a lot more to cold oil weights than ambient temperature yes?

[joeyjoejoejuniorshabadoo]

Hi Every1,

Due for an oil change and was ready to buy some royal purple 10w40 for my 34 GTR (completely stock with 83k on the clock).

After reading through some of this thread, not quite sure if the viscosity i've chosen is the best choice?

Car is mainly just a weekend toy and wont be seeing any track time.

Any advice, info or confirmation would be appreciated.

Cheers in advance.

for a weekend toy that doesn't see track or a long time on the limiter i think 10w40 is definitely the right choice for an 83000 km RB26

the other choice i'd look at for a stock GTR is the penrite 10w50, motul 8100 5w40 or even turbolight 10w40

[iwanta34gtr]

Thanks for the reply mate.

Still a bit torn between 10w40 and 10w50?

And will a 5L bottle be enough for my requirements (have been doing some searching and seen the RB26 is approx 4.5 litres with filter).

But hard to get a straight answer through research on the internet (Some people have oil coolers or add extra for track days?).