Oil for a 2016 Nissan Versa?

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Nov 14, 2017
Messages
45
Location
Richmond VA, Washington DC
Hello everyone! I would like some maintenance recommendations for my car.

I have a 2016 Nissan Versa S+ with CVT bought from new. The owner manual suggests 5W-30 or 10W30 conventional oil with API SN or ILFAC GF-5 for the car. The oil change interval would be 3750 miles as the car occasionally falls into severe service. I drive around 20000-30000 miles a year and the current mileage for the car is 40000 miles.

Is there any downside switching to a high mileage oil? Reading through the PDS I notice that high mileage oil tends to have a higher value of kinematic viscosity @ 100C (usually between 11-12) compared to normal oil (10-11). My understanding is that as long as the oil carries the API/ILFAC mark, it will do the job of protecting the engine but I am not sure if I miss something.

I have been using 10W-30 synthetic/conventional oil along with a Fram Ultra for the past oil changes. I am curious if I need to switch to 5W-30 in winter? I am driving the car around Washington DC and Richmond in VA. The car is very important to me as I commute to school and work. I want to take good care of it but also spend the right money and not wasting stuff doing harm to the environment.

Thank you in advance.

John
 
You can. Note that it, like my G37, lists ILSAC as optional, not required. So, an HDEO that's SN and E6 in 5w-30, like Rotella T6 Multi-Vehicle 5w-30, would be perfectly acceptable if you wanted a thicker option but remain within the actual specifications.
 
If you choose to do the shorter drain intervals and still use a Fram Ultra filter, I would stretch the interval to 4-5K miles, use the Ultra for TWO intervals and use just about any SN rated synthetic blend 5w-30 year round. No need for a high mileage oil yet and no need for 10w-30 for the Northern VA area.

Welcome to da forum.
 
Nice car.

I would personally recommend a 5w-30 oil, especially with the cold temperatures you'll see. I'd run 5w-30 year round for simplicity. I do not see any advantage of using a 10w oil. Plus, your manual states it's only an acceptable alternative. In other words, you can use it if that's all you have, for example.

Regarding the Fram Ultra run for 2X OCIs as recommenced above, I would absolutely agree with this if you were out of warranty. If you're still in warranty, I'd avoid doing that. Purchasing a Fram Ultra for a single ~4K OCI seems wasteful to me.

As much as we love geeking out on oil, the reality is it doesn't really matter what you use. Find any 5W-30 API SN oil and you'll be fully protected for ~4K OCI intervals. Sorry if that ruins some of the fun
smile.gif


My personal opinion? Run a Fram Tough Guard and whatever synthetic or conventional you can find on sale. AutoZone generally has oil clearances that start around the holidays, so stay tuned.
 
Originally Posted By: sir1900
I didn't know they still recommend 3750 OCIs.....


My 2013 Nissan does 3750 for "severe" and 7,500 for "normal", whatever that even means.

Some of the Nissan engines do a great job of shearing oil, so Nissan's recommendation is actually very realistic.
 
Last edited:
Run any oil you want in it. The engine I'm sure will outlast the CVT even with the least expensive oil you can find that meets the spec. Especially if you are doing it every 3750 miles.
 
Last edited:
I'm running Harvest King synthetic 5W-30 in my '15 Versa ($2.19/qt. or $9.99/5-qt. jug here in Kentucky) with a Purolator L14612 filter. I change it every 5K. Seems to be working well so far.
 
For an OCI that short, even cheap Smitty's from Kmart will work. It often goes on sale for $7-8 for the 5qt jug. I'd use that along with a Napa Silver or Proselect
 
Originally Posted By: TheOilWizard
Nice car.

I would personally recommend a 5w-30 oil, especially with the cold temperatures you'll see. I'd run 5w-30 year round for simplicity. I do not see any advantage of using a 10w oil. Plus, your manual states it's only an acceptable alternative. In other words, you can use it if that's all you have, for example.

Regarding the Fram Ultra run for 2X OCIs as recommenced above, I would absolutely agree with this if you were out of warranty. If you're still in warranty, I'd avoid doing that. Purchasing a Fram Ultra for a single ~4K OCI seems wasteful to me.

As much as we love geeking out on oil, the reality is it doesn't really matter what you use. Find any 5W-30 API SN oil and you'll be fully protected for ~4K OCI intervals. Sorry if that ruins some of the fun
smile.gif


My personal opinion? Run a Fram Tough Guard and whatever synthetic or conventional you can find on sale. AutoZone generally has oil clearances that start around the holidays, so stay tuned.



Yes it is a decent compart car! I got 45 mpg! And Thanks everyone for your suggestions I think I am going for a 5W30 on sale in Walmart. I thought about using the Fram Ultra for two oil changes but I am not sure if the old oil in the filter would be affecting the filtration. I pick the Ultra because it got the highest efficiency within the price range plus its build quality is really good.
 
Yes your are right! My printed manual states for an oil change every 5000 miles thought it mentions that more frequent change is required if the car is driven under demanding conditions but no specific interval is provided. So I check the owner manuals of every single year and found out that the 2013 version suggests 3750 miles. Haha!
 
Change the fluid regularly and use only Nissan or some other high quality fluid like Amsoil that is rated for your specific CVT and be kind to it and it should last.
 
Thanks for your reply! I changed the CVT fluid at the dealer at 30000 miles as the owner manual suggested. Cost me 200 dollars though. What do you think about Castrol Magnatec 5W-30? It is on sale in Walmart now at the same price of Supertech full synthetic. And how about Chevron Supreme 5W-30? Thanks in advance.
 
Originally Posted By: johnchui1984
I thought about using the Fram Ultra for two oil changes but I am not sure if the old oil in the filter would be affecting the filtration.


No, there would be no negative impact from having a small amount of old oil in the filter. In fact, it is impossible to drain 100% of the old oil even with a filter change.
 
Originally Posted By: johnchui1984
Thanks for your reply! I changed the CVT fluid at the dealer at 30000 miles as the owner manual suggested. Cost me 200 dollars though. What do you think about Castrol Magnatec 5W-30? It is on sale in Walmart now at the same price of Supertech full synthetic. And how about Chevron Supreme 5W-30? Thanks in advance.


The Castrol Magnatec seems to be a good oil from the UOA's and experiences posted here. If you are going to run a short OCI then go ahead and run any of these oils listed.
smile.gif
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top