philter25

iTrader: (4)

We dont have an Eneos VOA with TBN or a UOA with TBN..... which I commented on in the Eneos thread and I believe Ucla Bruin sent in his samples and should be getting them back shortly.

As for the Ultra viscosity, no need for the caps, but there isnt a problem with mild shearing. As I stated above however, its always a good idea to get more sample datas before coming to a conclusion. One person might drive much harsher or milder than another person and the oil might be subjected to different conditions. For all we know, the above UOA comes from someone who drove 95% highway miles and the oil sheared down to a 20 weight. Someone might come on and post another UOA who drives in stop and go traffic and does some spirited weekend driving which shows that the oil shears down to a thin 20 weight over the same timeframe and mileage. Shearing happens and should be expected, but its good to know the point at which it will shear too much and how many miles you should leave it in for.

But based on the very low wear metals and the TBN, even if the shearing continued at its same rate over mileage, this oil would be suitable for 7500 mile schedule 2 OCI's. And based on the handful of UOAs verifying the shearing in the Nissan Ester Oil, I would use this over the Nissan Ester Oil.

.....now, wether I would choose this over Redline or Eneos or Schaeffers or some other high end synthetics remains to be seen. (and thats ignoring the cost factor which Im sure Ultra is cheaper than any of them) People are always going to want to compare one oil to the other, so cross-discussion to some mild extent is to be expected..... and thats where you might get the nit-pickyness with comparing viscosities and TBN and additives and API certification etc.

Overall though, this looks like a good oil and a good choice, although a few more UOA's will verify where it will fall on the "best oil for our car" list.

Mike

iTrader: (1)

TBN is a measurement of how much protection is left in terms of protecting vs acidity. Engine oil picks up contaminants from combustion, which is acidic. The TBN (total base number) is a measurement of the Base left to counteract that. (HS chemistry... acid + base = neutral).

Weight is a measurement of how viscous (how well it flows). When it breaks down, the viscosity drops, and it becomes too thin (flows too easily). This means that instead of sticking to the metal surface it's supposed to protect, it will "slide off", leaving the surface with less protection, or possibly even none.

Yes, there is less friction from less surface tension, but high performance engines require oil that can withstand more.

You're not driving a Prius or Civic. Don't run a 20 weight. Even the Civic Si uses a 30 weight, again, due to the performance nature of the engine.

In the case of the ultra, it is already on the low end, and falls off the acceptable range.

philter25

iTrader: (4)

I agree with the above except:

I wouldnt say that just yet. At 54.8 after 5k miles, its just slightly low considering it started at 57.5, which I agree is on the low end. Hypothetically, say it continued shearing at the same rate over mileage, after 7500 miles you are probably in the 53.5 to 54 range..... which is probably the max it should go.

But a UOA going 7500 miles will verify that....... so I think we need to see more data points before coming to that conclusion.

Now the Nissan Ester shears to 53 after 4k miles, so yea IMO thats definately well below the accepted range for running 7500 mile intervals..... although Nissan recommends it!

CougarRed

There are two Ultra 5W-30s. Domestic and "Euro L"

The domestic starts at

100V - 10.3
40V - 57.5
VIndex - 169
Flash - 224C
NOACK - 11.9
HTHS - 3.1
TBN - ?

The Euro L starts at

100V - 12.1
40V - 67.1
VIndex - ?
Flash - 420F
NOACK - 11
HTHS - 3.5
TBN - 11.4

Perhaps the Euro L formulation would work better in our engine for those concerned about shearing.

Mike

iTrader: (1)

The big concern that I have is that the measurement is at 210 degrees, while the VQ37 typically will run closer to 220-230, even under normal street driving. I'm playing the "better safe than sorry" game here, albeit without hard evidence.

Need4Spd

Don't like PU, here's my UOA. Called blackstone and they told me to drain it out.

CougarRed

Thanks for sharing. Interesting comments from Blackstone. Please post on BITOG!

BTW - this is the first Ultra UOA I've seen that's high on lead (yours is the 12th report I've looked at), and that includes a 5000 mile UOA on another G37.

Staples

iTrader: (9)

It's all jibber-jabber unless it's ester based.

KLB

I'm really curious to see what mine will look like now. Hopefully it will be processed soon.

philter25

iTrader: (4)

Somethings not adding up...... l2awin posted a UOA with Ultra 5w30.... and after 5k miles its viscosity was 54.8.

The UOA posted by Need4Spd was also ultra 5w30, but after 4173 miles its viscosity was 59.

The VOA viscosity was 57.5 to start with........

Need4spd, did you use 5w30 Ultra on your previous oil change at 32,900 miles? Did you put any other additives or anything in your car?

philter25

iTrader: (4)

Of those 12 UOAs, how many were on the G37 or 370Z?

As Mobil 1 proved and Blackstone commented at, these engines show different results than other engines on different oils. Just because an oil looks good in a Dodge Neon doesnt mean its going to perform well in our car.

SM_Shadowman

The impreza posted in the OP word doc also had a 59 viscosity after about 4K. Do you have a link to that VOA? I can't find it now.

CougarRed

Just 1. This was the 2nd.

Need4Spd

I used Mobile 1 on previous and never use additives. Sent them a follow-up email, here is there response:

Rick,
Thanks for the email. There's a lot of confusion right now about Nissan's new 3.7L engine and the oil type needed. We are aware of Nissan's recommendation, and you can't go wrong by sticking with that, but it is expensive. For now, try going back to the Mobil 1 since bearing wear looked a lot better then. Also, I amended the report to include the TBN information. We would probably stick with 3,000-4,0000 miles on the oil next time to see how the bearings react. If lead is still high, try Nissan's oil once and see how things look. For now, the jury's still out on the type of oil this engine needs. Hopefully, we'll get a better idea as more samples come in.

philter25

iTrader: (4)

I got it from a chart in this thread..... but I cant find the info on where it came from.

https://www.myg37.com/forums/engine-...-analyses.html

If its initial viscosity is higher, around 61-62, then I retract my statement about the VOA for l2awin's ultra UOA and what I said to Mike. I was commenting on the shearing assuming a starting viscosity of 57.5. If it started at 60-61 and then sheared down to 54, then it shears the same amount that the Nissan Ester Oil does.

Someone with 5w30 Ultra needs to send in a VOA on it!

Ehhhhh..... Im 50/50 on this one. Although I agree with them that the jury's still out.