Best Oil For The Pulsar GTiR
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User gallery (46)The manufacturers stock recommendation based on regular service intervals and "normal" driving is as follows:
API SG/SH
Temp Range -20 degC to 0+
10w-40 Semi or Fully Synthetic
10w-50 Fully Synthetic
15w-50 Fully Synthetic
10w-60 No recommendation
There are always options to consider with regards to "special requirements" if you have modded or re-mapped your car or are using it for trackdays and spirited driving.
So...........
Specs have moved on now and most oils sold today are API SJ/SL which is not a problem, in fact the API tests are more rigorous nowadays.
As mentioned above, there are reasons for using different oils but you should never stray too far from the recommended grades as they are the most suitable for your car. For example 0w would not be good here nor would 60, it's just a step too far.
So, what are the reasons for choosing a different grade?
There are advantages to going thicker or thinner so long as you don't overstep the mark.
5w-40 instead of 10w-40
5w offers better cold start and short journey protection as it's thinner than 10w and remember this is when 70+ percent of the engine wear occurs.
This is a good choice if you are doing a lot of short journeys and cold starts and don't do regular track days or competitive driving. (unless you choose an ester which I'll explain later)
10w-50 instead of 10w-40 - 15w-50 instead of 10w-40
50 offers better protection than 40 when the engine is running hot so if you're doing track days or hard driving you may want to consider this option. The best one for your cars would be a good "shear stable" 10w-50 which would give good cold start 10w and sae 50 protection when running hot.
A word of warning about 60 grade
Modern engines do not need a 60 grade, it's really too thick and, even hot-running engines do not need SAE 60 oil these days. (by ‘hot’ I mean 120-130C). SAE 60 is heavier than most SAE 90 gear oils. If an oil is too thick, it de-aerates slowly, leading to cavitation in the oil pump, or the bearings being fed slugs of air along with the oil. Also, in normal driving it's harder for the engine to circulate and causes poorer fuel economy and power deliver. Thinner oils deliver more BHP. (oil drag)
Synthetic Oils instead of Mineral Oils.
It is a fact that Semi and Fully synthetic oils are better for your car, they flow better when cold and give a greater level of protection when the engine is hot.
It is a fact, not myth that complex engines such as DOHC, Turbocharged, and Supercharged when driven hard will always have a greater degree of protection from a synthetic oil.
A synthetic oil is more robust and will last longer (that's why they cost more) mineral oils need much more frequent oil changes but they are cheaper. Semi-synthetic is to some extent the "middle ground" for pennies more than a good mineral oil.
Ester Synthetic Oils against Normal Synthetic Oils
The oils that give true benefits are ester synthetics (pretty hard to come by as they are expensive to make). The reasons for their application in motorsport and the aviation sector are clear:
They assist the additive pack in a motor oil formulation because they are surface-active (electrostatically attracted to metal surfaces), so they help to reduce wear and friction.
They are fluid at very low temperatures and at high temperatures they are very chemically stable and have low volatility (don’t evaporate away).
They also help to prevent hardening and cracking of oil seals at high temperatures.
It should be said that there are three types of synthetic oils on the market and they vary in quality and price the lowest being MC/HC (Molecularly Converted/Hydrocracked) mineral oil, POA's Poly Alpha Olefins and Esters.
So, there you have it, some advantages and disadvantages to consider.
What would be my recommendation?
Well, putting brands aside as this is personal choice and they're not always as good as the marketing "blurb" will have you believe I would say that applying the following rules would be the best advice.
Low Cost Option
Good quality 10w-40 Semi Synthetic which has a good VI Index and is shear stable
Middle Cost Option
Good quality 10w-40 Fully Synthetic which will be shear stable
High Cost Option (but belt and braces protection)
PAO 15w-50 Fully Synthetic
Ester 15w-50 Fully Synthetic
Ester 10w-50 Fully Synthetic
At the end of a day it's a minefield out there and generally, you will always get what you pay for as good oils are expensive to make.
i use Mobil 1 0w40 from walmart in the usa. the same oil recommended for porsche 911's.
5w30 is too thin and burns off, and 5w50 is just too thick, i noticed significant power loss and less free revving with 5w50.
0w40 was a good compromise. All 0w oils are PAO based.
i use royal purple, not the cheapest oil, but i buy it by the case, use the coolant as well
BOTTLES ARE FOR BABIES.. REAL MEN GET BLOWN
i have been using mobil 1 5W 50 but i am wondering if that is too thick. Maybe i should just use a 5W 40 or something is it means that i am goign to get better gas milage. any thoughts?
Ur not JDM till ur RHD
i was thinking about changing to royal purple and am wondering if it has the advantages that i hear about....
Ur not JDM till ur RHD
Rich, there's an old article about synthetic oils. It's been around a few forums showing the effects of different oils. The Royal Purple had the best protection against startup.
RP is the oil I use in my GTiR. The only other kind I would think of is Motul, but that is really expensive.
RNN14
yea i hear ya..and i have seen that article. i am just wondering if the best combo would be 5w 40??? do you change the oil that u are using in the winter or do you run the same stuff year round?
Ur not JDM till ur RHD
What about Redline Oil?
heard redline isnt too bad either, but ive never seen it sold here, unless is a special order thingy.
I have a little trick my buddy showed me, hes a cert mechanic so i thought why not. if you really wanna scrub out your engine internals without stripping it down, before you change the oil pour in some tranny fluid, run the car for about 10 minutes, dump the old stuff change the filter and put in the new oil.tranny fluid has alot cleaning properties apparantly. worked on my engine, runs amazing
BOTTLES ARE FOR BABIES.. REAL MEN GET BLOWN
do you fill the engine with tranny fluid? and how longdo you run it for? my oil is always gross but the car doesnt burn any oil...not smoking or anything..so im not sure why the oil is always so black..i change it at regular intervals of about 2000km
Ur not JDM till ur RHD
you dont have to fill it will the tranny fluid about a half litre, well thats all i usually put in. i usually take it a good rid down the road, let it warm up fully have a little fun and them go back and change out the old stuff.
even when i had the built type r in my crx, the oil was gross, but never burnt any... lol
BOTTLES ARE FOR BABIES.. REAL MEN GET BLOWN
wow ur oil pump must freak out if you only have half a liter in there..
Ur not JDM till ur RHD
i meant add a half litre to existing oil, not in total. if you put pure tranny fluid in by by engine. even though the old oil is manky the fluid still works.
BOTTLES ARE FOR BABIES.. REAL MEN GET BLOWN
hey rich if u add a oil cooler like i got on mine ur oil will last longer. i still change every 3k b ut it still looks good. not all black and nasty.
hmm might be a good idea...im just not sure if i have the room like you do...maybe i could do a top mount oil cooler...
Ur not JDM till ur RHD
plenty of space for a top mount....
BOTTLES ARE FOR BABIES.. REAL MEN GET BLOWN
yea i hear ya..and i have seen that article. i am just wondering if the best combo would be 5w 40??? do you change the oil that u are using in the winter or do you run the same stuff year round?
I've been using 10w40 in the summer. I'd say that 5w40 in the winter would be perfect as well. my car didnt put many kms on this winter since I've been in Australia.
RNN14
well i have been using mobil 1 5w 50 for ages...i am now going to try some royal purple 5w 30 and see if there is any difference...ill let ya guys know what i find out.
Ur not JDM till ur RHD
Hi guys! When I first got my R I used Motul 300v 15W50 but found that it was too thick for my use. Instead I've downgraded to 10W40 and it feels much better now.
So my current (and probably only) choice is: Motul 300v Chrono (10W40). It is double Ester and unshearable.
As for the filter, I always use K&N HP-1003. The best on the market, and I don't wanna see anyone saying "hey a filter is a filter" or "why you pay so much for an oil filter, get a Fram for 4$" because this is so wrong :)
oddly enough i use to use the expensive filters and found that the AC delco ones perform better. they are even a little less expensive that the fram ones...lol...ah well to each his own...i change my oil every 2000km's anyway just to be safe.
Ur not JDM till ur RHD
i found 5w30 too thin, i'd slowly burn it off.
i personally like mobil1's 0w40.. no burn off and free revving like the 5w30. plus its a porsche certified oil.
I use the Castrol Syntec 5w-50 full syntec oil in my car.
I'd look at the higher temp cst ratings on the oil rather than just the oil weight rating. The 100 deg C rating will show u the viscosity of the oil at 100 centigrade.
I personally use a 0w40 or 5w40 , and currently i use shell rotella t synthetic 5w40. It doesn't break down or shear to a lighter weight oil like the mobil or other oils. It's the best oil used to date for me. I've tried a lot of different oils as well. Anyways, I find a 50w oil way too thick for a daily driver in Canada even in summer. If you're on the track a lot, then I can understand. But you'll notice major engine wear at start up and a few hp and response lost. It's pretty thick stuff.
for example
oil, weight, 40 deg C Cst, 100 deg C cst
Mobil1, 0w40, 78.3, 14 <-- previously used, available at lordco or walmart usa
Shell Rotella T Synthetic, 5w40, 95, 15.5 <-- my current oil, this oil doesn't seem to break down as quick as the mobil, walmart usa and lordco
Esso XD-3, 0w40, 87, 15.2 <-- i like this oil too and available at walmart
I have compiled a long list of numbers but I don't know how its going to turn out when I cut and paste it from excel onto here.
oil, weight rating, 40 deg c CST, 100 deg c CST
Shell Rotella T Synthetic 5w40 95 15.5
Shell Rotella T Synthetic 15w40 120 15.5
Mobil1 0w40 78.3 14
Mobil1 10w30 62 10
Mobil1 5w30 64.8 11.3
Mobil1 5w50 105 17.3
Mobil1 Advanced Fuel Economy 0w30 63.1 11
Amsoil 0w30 56.6 10.3
Amsoil 0w20 49.1 9
Amsoil 5w30 60.7 10.8
Amsoil euro 5w40 79.7 13.7
Motul 300V Power 5w40 80.8 13.8
Motul 300V Chrono 10w40 89.5 14
Motul 300V Power Racing 5w30 65 11
Esso XD-3 0w40 87 15.2
Esso XD-3 0w30 69 12.2
Elf Excellium 10w50 119.7 17.9
Elf Excellium 5w50 115 18.2
Elf Excellium GM 5w30 70 11.8
Elf Excellium XLL 5w40 83.93 13.82
Elf Excellium Full Tech 0w30 68.45 12.18
Elf Sport TXI 5w40 85.11 14.05
Elf Excellium NF 5w40 85.11 14.05
Castrol doesnt list the 40 degreee C Cst value, only the 100
Castrol Syntec 0w20 8.8
Castrol Syntec 0w30 12.1
Castrol Syntec 5w20 9
Castrol Syntec 5w30 9.7
Castrol Syntec 5w40 14
Castrol Syntec 5w50 17.4
Castrol Syntec 10w30 10.1
Castrol Syntec 10w40 13.2
Castrol Syntec 20w50 19.7
because I run my cars in winter in temperature of -40 celcius
because i have an oil cooler that doesn't allow my oil to go over 75 degree F ( 90F is the hotter it ever went)
I run 5W30 castrol syntec /mobil1 or quaker state fully synthetic. wich ever is in special at wal-mart. and never had any problem of burning it or anything.
Yeah I agree with you on that one. I live in Saskatchewan, Canada and I've seen temperatures hit -45 C so I run 5W30 in the witer and 10W40 in the summer. Hell if we ran 10W40 in the summer our cars wouldn't have a chance in hell to start. I've tipped over a bottle of 10W40 when it was -35 C outside and it took about 20 seconds to start pooring out...Now imagine that trying to run through all your little oil galleries in your block :S. It all depends on what type of climate you live in but if it doesn't get down to minus-stupid like here I'd say 10W40. Cheers
i been using castrol syntec blend 5-30 it been working well here in the usa. texas
i been using castrol syntic blend 5-30 it been working good. usa. texas
Here's my story! I hope this message will prevent this problem to happen to any of you brothers and sisters,
yesterday was the first time i did an oil change, I went to a garage (first time i go cos no one would know how to make an oil change for a pulsar, but now I know how to), and the guy gave me some syntethic Royal purple oil and fitted replaced my oil filter whith what he thought was right, Then i went to work and as i was rolling on the high way, i started giving a little gas, was going arround 130-140kmh and suddenly the oil sensor went off, i looked in my middle mirror and the car was smoking HARD , white smoke, so i stopped and realised that allll my oil was dripping on the ground, so I towed it balblabla, then the guy realised that since i had an oil cooling system with the kind of intercooler to it he had to install a different oil filter, he said he put an corrola oil filter and that it worked just fine, he said that the oil filter *slipped?* and that caused the oil to leak, SO NEXT TIME YOU MAKE AN OIL CHANGE, and that its your first time, make sure to let the guy know about all the details in your car! BTW the car is fine now :)
sorry confused- we all have oil coolers that come in our cars? or is your aftermarket- even that shouldnt make any difference to the filter unless you relocated it- i use a nx2000 or any sr20det filter fram, royal purple etc
BOTTLES ARE FOR BABIES.. REAL MEN GET BLOWN
Mine is aftermarket and if it's relocated or not, I don't know, honestly that's all the guy told me,but thanks :)
I just put Redline 5w30. Will let you know what I think.
Sorry about the formating.
It took freakin FOREVER to tab and delete this so it was readable. Specs are 5 yrs old
Not my work.
Msg me if you want the file and I'll email.
Viscosity Index: Rate of change in viscosity of an oil within a given temperature range. Higher numbers indicate a low change, lower numbers indicate a relatively large change. The higher the number the better.
Flash point: the temperature at which an oil gives off vapors that can be ignited with a flame held over the oil. Can be an indicator of the quality of the base stock used. 400 F is the minimum to prevent possible high consumption.The higher the flash point the better.
Pour point: 5 degrees F above the point at which a chilled oil shows no movement at the surface for 5 seconds when inclined. The lower the pour point the better.
% sulfated ash: How much solid material is left when the oil burns. Low ash content also seems to promote long valve life.
% zinc: used as an extreme pressure, anti-wear additive. Gives you longer protection if the rate of metal to metal contact is abnormally high. High zinc content can lead to deposit formation and plug fouling.
20W-50
brand vi flash pour %ash %zinc
exxon high performance 119 419 -13 0.7 0.11
pennzoil gt performance 120 460 -10 0.9 ---
unocal 121 432 -11 0.74 0.12
Castrol gtx 122 440 -15 0.85 0.12
havoline formula 3 125 465 -30 1 ---
valvoline all climate 125 430 -10 1 0.11
kendall gt-1 129 390 -25 1 0.16
shell truck guard 130 450 -15 1 0.15
amsoil (old) 136 482 -38 <.5 ---
valvoline race 140 425 -10 1.2 0.2
valvoline synthetic 146 465 -40 <1.5 0.12
red line 150 503 -49 --- ---
quaker state deluxe 155 430 -25 0.9 ---
amsoil (new) 157 507 -44 --- ---
spectro golden 4 174 440 -35 --- 0.15
spectro golden m.g. 174 440 -35 --- 0.13
20W-40
brand vi flash pour %ash %zinc
Castrol multi-grade 110 440 -15 0.85 0.12
quaker state 121 415 -15 0.9 ---
amsoil 124 500 -49 --- ---
15W-40
brand vi flash pour %ash %zinc
Castrol 134 415 -15 1.3 0.14
amsoil (old) 135 460 -38 <.5 ---
exxon xd3 extra 135 399 -11 0.95 0.13
kendall gt-1 135 410 -25 1 0.16
chevron delo 400 136 421 -27 1 ---
valvoline all fleet 140 --- -10 1 0.15
valvoline turbo 140 420 -10 0.99 0.13
mystic jt8 142 440 -20 1.7 0.15
shell rotella W/XLA 146 410 -25 1 0.13
red line 149 495 -40 --- ---
amsoil (new) 164 462 -49 --- ---
exxon xd3 --- 417 -11 0.9 0.14
20W-50
brand
vi flash pour %ash %zinc
valvoline all climate 130 410 -26 1 0.11
valvoline race 130 410 -26 1.2 0.2
EXXON SUPERFLO SUPREME 133 400 -31 0.85 0.13
exxon SUPERFLO hI perF. 135 392 -22 0.7 0.11
valvoline turbo 135 410 -26 0.99 0.13
havoline formula 3 139 430 -30 1 ---
kendall gt-1 139 390 -25 1 0.16
red line 139 475 -40 --- ---
Castrol gtx 140 415 -33 0.85 0.12
pennzoil PLZ TURBO 140 410 -27 1 ---
valvoline synthetic 140 450 -40 <1.5 0.12
amsoil (old) 142 480 -70 <.5 ---
CHEVRON SUPREME 150 401 -26 0.96 0.11
unocal SUPER 153 428 -33 0.92 0.12
shell FIRE AND ICE 155 410 -35 0.9 0.12
SHELL SUPER 2000 155 410 -35 1 0.13
SHELL TRUCK GUARD 155 405 -35 1 0.15
quaker state 156 410 -30 0.9 ---
MOBIL 1 160 450 -65 --- ---
amsoil (new) 162 520 -76 --- ---
spectro golden m.g. 175 405 -40 --- ---
5W-30
brand vi flash pour %ash %zinc
VALVOLINE ALL CLIMATE 135 405 -40 1 0.11
exxon SUPERFLOW HP 148 392 -22 0.7 0.11
RED LINE 151 455 -49 --- ---
UNOCAL 151 414 -33 0.81 0.12
Castrol GTX 156 400 -35 0.8 0.12
HAVOLINE FORMULA 3 158 420 -40 1 ---
VALVOLINE TURBO 158 405 -40 0.99 0.13
VALVOLINE SYNTHETIC 160 435 -40 <1.5 0.12
MYSTIC JT8 161 390 -25 0.95 0.1
CHEVRON SUPREME SYNT. 165 446 -72 1.1 0.12
MOBIL 1 165 445 -65 --- ---
QUAKER STATE 165 405 -35 0.9 ---
SHELL FIRE AND ICE 167 405 -35 0.9 0.12
amsoil (old) 168 480 -76 <.5 ---
amsoil (new) 186 464 -76 --- ---
chevron SUPREME 202? 354 -46 0.96 0.11