Duke, No there are no nano carbon friction modifiers in the Motul
or Redline. They are however full ester synthetics. The Nissan
Ester is conventional oil with ester added to it.

Like I said in my last post....Is ester oil required by Nissan?....no
it is is not. Will your VQ37 run on non-ester oil?....yes it will
Will your VQ37 benefit from ester oil?....Yes, absolutely it will.
Would I use non-ester oil in my VQ37?....absolutely not. I already
know that the manufacturer recommends ester oil and I know
why they do.

Please note: I am not recommending any specific type or brand of
oil for anyone other than myself. I am a VQ37 owner who "WAS"
confused by Nissan's oil recommendation and requirements for
this motor until I spent many hours researching the subject
in order to better understand it. I gladly share what I have learned
with other Nissan enthusiasts on this and other forums. Thanks

 

Motul FTMFGDW.

 

Sorry, I don't understand. What's your point? Thanks

 

I thought the reason for the ester based Nissan oil was the nano friction particles, not the ester. If Motul and Redline don't have the nanoparticles then they aren't the best for our engine?

When I sit and wait for my oil to be changed there is advertising all over the Infiniti dealership for everything from paint chip repair to freaking hydrogen to fill up your tires with. Why would they not advertise the oil? doesn't make sense that they would spend the time and money to develop an oil specifically for our engine and not advertise it?

 

Duke, do you own a VQ37? If you do look at section 9, Technical and
consumer information in your owners manual. It says "Nissan recommends
genuine Nissan Ester Engine Oil available at your Nissan dealer"
I would say that's the most persuasive advertising I've seen without
having to spend a fortune. Why spend money advertising when
you already recommend it in writing for a specific application in
the owners manual?

In regards to the developmemt of Nissan Ester oil being based on
the Nano friction modifiers, I disagree. If what you are saying
is so, wouldn't they have called it "Nissan Nano" or "Nissan
Reduced Friction", or something like that? ....No, they named
it Nissan Ester, and from what I've read it's because they
know that ester provides superior lubrication to the VQ37 top
end. That's where the problem is and that's why they
created the oil in my opinion.
In short, ester molecules are "polar" and the molecules
are attracted to the metal and stick to it in a very different
way than non-ester oil. BUT, yes the nano carbon works
particularly well to reduce friction with the Nissan cylinder
and piston coatings. Nissan essentially "killed two birds with
one stone" when they developed this oil. The friction
modifers helped them get that little extra MPG they
needed to compete with Acura and BMW mileage...
which are both substantially better.

I'm not claiming Redline or Motul are better for the VQ37
than the Nissan Ester. But I can tell you they are
much cheaper, full synthetic esther oils that should
provide the lubrication to the VVel actuator and
motor in the valve train that is causing alot of
problems. I also believe Nissan created this oil
as a solution to the unique needs/problems with
this engine.

I think we do agree that Nissan has botched
the information they have provided to dealers
and customers in regards to this engine and
their oil recommendations. True Nissan
loyalists and enthusiasts want to know
more than they are telling us.

 

Yes I do, I'll take a look at the manual.

This is the first I've heard of increased gas mileage from using it as well. I'm not cheap and if the oil makes a difference for sure than I would use it. But paying that much more money for oil that may not make a big difference is a waste of money IMHO. It's crazy that they are charging that much for conventional oil with ester added when you can get Motul and Redline synthetic with ester cheaper...

For now I'm using Pennzoil Platinum.

 

That is no different from "Nissan recommends regularly changing your oil at 3750 mile intervals" or "Nissan recommends your nearest Nissan dealership for all services"

It is a recommendation, and only that. It is not a statement of fact.

The only fact here, is that the ester oil can make the "VVEL tick" go away. That is the only PROVEN specific application of the oil.

The notion that the Ester lubricates is correct. It is poler enough to be attracted to other polar molecules, and accept hydrogen bonds, but it is not polar enough to self-associate.

The VQ has always been a gas guzzler. The BMW attains better MPG by better volumetric efficiency, e.g. turbos and direct injection. The Acura/Honda inherantly has better MPG at a similar output via a simpler engine. The SOHC J35 by Honda nearly matches the hp/liter output of the VQ35HR, on regular fuel. A redline as high as the VQ's would close that HP gap. Also, it features cylinder deactivation, which Nissan still has not developed. Neither engine features Direct Injection, would would either give a significant fuel economy increase, slightly increased power, or a combination of.

 

Duke, I agree that what they are charging for Nissan Ester is crazy.
That's why I going with Redline. PP would be my first choice
non-ester. I'm still very anxious for folks to start posting some
UOAs so we can figure out what works well and is reasonably
priced.

 

Mike, I have a couple of questions for you based on your above
post.

What do you think causes the VVel "tick"? Where in the engine
do you think the noise comes from and what in your opinion
causes it?

What is it about the Nissan Ester oil that causes the tick to go away?

Why do you think Nissan developed an oil with their own label
and distribution and application and only distribute it by the
quart and only to their own dealer network and no external
retailers or wholesalers? It sure isn't making them any money,
they can't sell enough to get economy of scale and they
make, handle and sell so little that they are probably
losing money on it even at $11.95/quart...so why?

 

Valve-lash would be my guess, and given the nature of the system, I'm not sure if a valve adjustment is possible on this car (although I'm sure it SHOULD be possible). I'll have to look at a service manual.

This is purely speculation on my part, based on my past experiences. Subarus (STis in my experience) all 'click' at idle, and so do the vast majority of Hondas (pretty much with an actual VTEC implementation, not i-VTEC on a base civic). I do not yet know of a single person who has measured the clearance....

I do know people go to the dealer for the 'fix', but i've heard hundreds of VQ37s, and no two sound quite the same. E.G. Gamedog (admin here) has a particularly whiny car, while g37rider's has no whine at all. They're both 6MT, and both had Eunos in their car when I heard them. Go figure...

 

I'm suprised only 1 person in the poll is using Redline. I may switch to it since it has ester in the future. But for now Penz Plat. seems to be working just fine in my engine.

 

Got my first oil change yesterday at dealer with the Nissan Ester.
The Service manager says they are using mostly Mobil 1 at
customer request, but have noticed more request for PP.
I've been following the forums and UOAs on "bob" site
for sometime and have seen so many great results
from VQ35s using Penzoil Platinum, that it's hard to believe
they weren't made for each other. Mobil 1 changed their
formulas and the UOAs just aren't what they used to be
for some reason. I think the PP will do the job, but I'm
still slightly parinoid about the VVel actuator and motor
benefiting from the protection of an oil with "enough"
ester

Like Duke, I'm also suprised that only one person on the
poll is running Redline. I guess most people just can't
be bothered with getting it.....plus **** retentives like
me don't understand ....haha....It's Redline for me.

 

Since oil is a hot topic in another subforum, I thought I'd bump this back up to the top. BUMP!!

 

This will always be a hot topic as long as cars use internal combustion engines. On every type of car forum.

 

This discussion about the Nissan ester oil has left a sour taste in my mouth.
Why in the world I got into a car that has an engine which requires (recommended) an oil that only the manufacturer of that engine makes?

I mean, I didn't see that in any official paperwork prior to the sale. Did you?
If I knew, I would had thought twice.

Just random venting....nvm.