hey guys Im taking my Z for her first oil change since being her new owner and im stuck on what oil to use. i have been doing research and i hear royal purple synthetic might be the way to go as it is said to increase performance a little. the current oil is mobil 1. I also see amsoil on Z1. what is a good choice as i want my Z to have the best and will settle for nothing less.

 

Don't waste your money on Royal Purple. It is not much different than any other synthetic off the shelf oil. If you do buy Royal Purple, get the XPR. You can't buy that stuff off the shelf. It is $14 a quart. That is the stuff you need if you want the Barney juice.

Castrol edge is decent too, but again it has a $10+ per quart price tag. And I dont even think you can buy it in the U.S.

I used to run Mobil 1, until I read the VOA on it. Very low in zinc, which is a necessity to prevent metal on metal wear. It's what you need to protect your engine. Zinc is said to be harmful to a catalytic converter, but I have not seen any modern day oil have such a high rating of zinc that it would pose a problem.

Pennzoil Platinum synthetic has nearly 1000ppm of zinc. That is a very good amount. Mobil 1 has less than 400ppm. I'm using the PP in my 2009 Mazda 3 and the engine is actually quieter, and I'm getting better mileage as well. Same for my z31. It'a $20 for a 5 quart jug.

There are many other 'ingredients' in oil that you need to look for to make an unbiased choice. Look for a recent VOA of an oil you would like to use, and compare it to another oil you are interested in.

Filters are important too. An OEM filter is probably the best filter you can get for your engine. So go up to your local Nissan dealership and buy one. They're around $6.

Go to www.bobistheoilguy.com. That is hands down the best site you can visit to learn about oils.

 

Hey does anyone have anything else to add to this? Not that I'm accusing Sweets of posting bad info, but the more info/opinions the better.