What are the differences with oil viscosity indexes?

I live in the south...hot humid 70 % of the year and 20-40 degree "fall/winter"...is there a "best" oil for each region of the country?

I do alot of stop/go driving, but starting in Aug. I'll be traveling 30 miles to and from College everyday...and alot of short trip to/from work (I live not 5 miles from my work place).


The titan oil filter is small.....you'd think it would be huge...

I think 5w/30 is a good oil... even a 0w/40!

-I Know its odd, you would think Nissan would have a larger oil filter to use on the Titan/Armada....

I dont know what you are running for oil but a 10w30 doesnt shear down as quickly as a 5w30 if that helps you any. BTW if you're running synthetic I would worry about a 5w30 in the heat and the nissan oil filter seems to work really well so far.

I dont know what you are running for oil but a 10w30 doesnt shear down as quickly as a 5w30 if that helps you any. BTW if you're running synthetic I would worry about a 5w30 in the heat and the nissan oil filter seems to work really well so far.

Ditto!!! Synthetic 5W-30 is very shear stable and works great as an all around oil.

Im probably gonna go w/ Mobil EP 5w-30 since jt uses it and he's close to the same area and has good results. I'll probably use a Fram filter b/c the closest Nissan Dealer is where I bought the truck...30 Miles away...Everything is F@cking 30 miles away from my town gesh.

The Fram is one of the poorest peforming filter for the Titan. You can buy the OEM filters on eBay. They are very good filters. Its not the can size that is important. Its quality of construction inside and how much filter area is in the filter. The OEM filter is small on the outside but has a lot of filter area.

The Fram is one of the poorest peforming filter for the Titan. You can buy the OEM filters on eBay. They are very good filters. Its not the can size that is important. Its quality of construction inside and how much filter area is in the filter. The OEM filter is small on the outside but has a lot of filter area.

I agree..I am a big believer in using OEM filters or a QUALITY aftermarket one..I am not a fan of Fram filters..

If oem is out of the question for you do you have access to a napa store? The napa gold filters are top notch as well that is what I am using. Sometimes I use M1 filter when I feel rich.LOL

If oem is out of the question for you do you have access to a napa store? The napa gold filters are top notch as well that is what I am using. Sometimes I use M1 filter when I feel rich.LOL Yeah, NAPA gold is a great filter also in my book..

My dealer is about 30 miles away too. I just buy the OEM 6 at a time when I'm there.

Oil viscocity doesn't matter that much with the type of driving you do. Most of us probably live in moderate climates, so 10w30 or 10w40 will work fine. The number before the "w" (which stand for winter not weight) is the actual viscocity of the oil. The lower the number the thinner the oil. Thin oils work best in cold climates since the flow more freely and can start working fater than a thicker oil. The number after the "w" describes the heat transfer proberties of the oil. Thicker oils can withstand higher temperatures than thinner oils. So multi viscocity oils are engineered to have the flow properties of thin oils and the heat tolerance of thicker oils.
5w30 flows like a 5 weight and tolerates heat like a 30 weight. It was common in the late 1980's and early 1990's for manufacturers to recommend 5w30 in high revving engines, I've notices lately that most manufacturers now recommend 10w30. When in doubt consult your owners manual. I beleive 10w30 is good down to something like 10 degrees below zero and 5w30 is good to about 30 below (however, I haven't consulted a chart recently, I could be way off). All I know is, unless I move to Canada, I probably don't have to use 5w30.
0w50 used to only be used in race cars for qualifiing only. They weren't even allowed to race with it. Now Corvettes recommend it, I don't know if any other cars do or not.
The most important thing to look for on your oil bottle is the API rating. Most current production vehicles require a rating of SL. As oils improve to meet newer specs the second letter will change. Back in 1990 SD was the latest rating so you can see how much oil has changed in 15 years. Some API labels will have a C rating also, like CC or CD. This is a deisel rating. Most oils are rated for gas and diesel.

As for filters, most after market filters meet or exceed oem specs. Filters like Fram and NAPA Gold and Wix's premium (sorry don't know what Wix calls their premium) all have more filtration media than oem filters. The cheaper filters like; Champ, pennzoil, Valvoline and most brands that speedy lube places use are single element filters but they usually at least meet oe specs (usually).

Damn....a history lesson in there and everything!! Can't say I didn't just learn something!! And why the hell do you know so much about oil...other then what most of us know...it's goes in the engine. And as for filters...I'll be honest...I don't know what is on mine...it's white.... :oops: My oil shop puts it on...now I'm curious...I'll have to look sometime.

As for filters, most after market filters meet or exceed oem specs. Filters like Fram and NAPA Gold and Wix's premium (sorry don't know what Wix calls their premium) all have more filtration media than oem filters. The cheaper filters like; Champ, pennzoil, Valvoline and most brands that speedy lube places use are single element filters but they usually at least meet oe specs (usually).

I agree with everything you just said BUT I would not include FRAM in with the WIX or Napa Gold, Fram USED to be a good filter, now they are just Cheap Junk that they make you pay a premium for. Fram has problems with the anti drainback valve, and it really is not a top quality filter any more....

Fram makes more than one grade of oil filter,
but not yet for the Titan the last time I checked.
Just the low price filter.

Yea but for what you pay for the extra duty guard or whatever it is that they call it, you can get a great wix or napa gold and still have money left over for a coffee.....

And why the hell do you know so much about oil....

fifteen years in auto parts biz.

Yea but for what you pay for the extra duty guard or whatever it is that they call it, you can get a great wix or napa gold and still have money left over for a coffee.....
*
only if you bought the DG version that contains
the teflon crap.

I have never heard of a wix or napa gold filter failing, or ripping, or turning to mush or what ever happens to frams. I'm sure there are some decent fram filters out there but you wont see one on my truck :wink:

Don't know about them now, but I lost all faith in Fram filters back in the early '90s when spin-on filters on Kawasaki motorcycles, and others, blew right off the bikes at speed. Yes these bikes were being raced, but nobody had problems with stock filters, or other makes. The can actually blew right off the base on some 8O
not a good thing at 130mph :?

I use Nissan oil filter. Cost is reasonable & if
something in the engine goes bad the dealer can't
bad mouth the oil filter.

I've always said, what ever makes you happy. That's what I tell my customers, if you're not happy with brand A, I'll get you a brand your happy with. Does anyone know who manufactures NAPA filters? I'm not sure but I thought it was Wix. Who manufactures Nissan's filters?

I have never used them but what about K & N oil filters?

I use Nissan oil filter. Cost is reasonable & if
something in the engine goes bad the dealer can't
bad mouth the oil filter.

I agree.

I have never used them but what about K & N oil filters?

They're expensive, but they do have a handy 1" nut on the end for easy removal.

Yup - Wix makes the NAPA filters. And both are good quality. Not sure about Nissan, but like every other car company, the parts are manufactured by a separate supplier. For instance, Volvo filters are manufactured by Mann. You can find aftermarket Mann filters for Volvo that are half the cost of the OEM Volvo (Mann) filters, but otherwise identical. I have not seen or heard of someone doing the same for Nissan - and with the reasonable price (<$5), it's really not an issue.

If my local parts stores were open after I left work on any given weekday, I'd probably use an aftermarket filter. But it's just too easy to find reasonably priced Nissan filters on-line and have them shipped to the house.

Look at the filter and see how small of particles (microns) it filters out. Mobil 1 filters recieved good reviews as did K&N and Bosch. The mobil 1 filters filter smaller particles, but the Bosch wasn't far behind. In my area the Bosch run about $6 and the Mobil 1 & K&N about $10-11. I usually use the Bosch unless I'm feeling expensive and get the M1. I used to use the Fram, until read several reports on their filters, now I won't even think about buying a Fram product. I'm even skeptical about the Air Hog filters that are susposedly comparable to the K&N air filters. Sure glad I used the fram in vehicle I didn't really care about.