New Owner of 04 350z track few questions about oil, sparkplugs ect.
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New Owner of 04 350z track few questions about oil, sparkplugs ect.
Hello my name is George
I'm new to this forum and a proud owner of a 2004 nissan 350z track edition with around 105k miles. Need to know what the best oil to use is also what kind of spark plugs should i get? Also in need for new brakes so if u know of a good deal on those or the best place to go. Thx in advance. All tips are welcome
I'm new to this forum and a proud owner of a 2004 nissan 350z track edition with around 105k miles. Need to know what the best oil to use is also what kind of spark plugs should i get? Also in need for new brakes so if u know of a good deal on those or the best place to go. Thx in advance. All tips are welcome
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Hello my name is George
I'm new to this forum and a proud owner of a 2004 nissan 350z track edition with around 105k miles. Need to know what the best oil to use is also what kind of spark plugs should i get? Also in need for new brakes so if u know of a good deal on those or the best place to go. Thx in advance. All tips are welcome
I'm new to this forum and a proud owner of a 2004 nissan 350z track edition with around 105k miles. Need to know what the best oil to use is also what kind of spark plugs should i get? Also in need for new brakes so if u know of a good deal on those or the best place to go. Thx in advance. All tips are welcome
The car is going to continue to depreciate and we're going to see more and more of these sort of threads. But honestly, everyone is migrating over to Facebook. Sad because you have way more 'quality' over here on the forums. I wish I was a part of this site when it was in it's prime...
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OP, you're likely to get as many answers on the "best oil" question as there are people on the forum.
But I'll venture out and agree with what's been said here. Pretty much any name brand synthetic in the proper weight works just fine. Only way to really tell how well your oil is working is through an oil analysis but frankly, I tend to think that's overkill. Just use recommended, name brand oils and change on a timely basis and you'll be fine.
I use Mobil 1, 0-40 because that's what the local Z experts in my part of the world say and while the car is on the lift for service or other work, they just go ahead and change it. Trust is key here.
Gasoline: Premium Unleaded ONLY. This is a performance oriented, high compression engine. Anything less will "run" in the car but the ECU will down-compensate for the lower octane and the car won't run worth beans.
------------------------------------
Note: The rest below is side information - not directly related to OP - so most can skip this.
While on topic, the "best" (and most often used and recommended fluids front to rear (that's "arguably", guys, so hold down the flames please) are:
Engine - any synth (Mobil 1, Redline, Royal, Castrol, pick your own poison, etc.) 5W-30 (factory recommended with deviations for extreme environmental conditions, race usage, etc).
Manual Transmission - Redline MT-85 or Nissan OEM spec'd API GL-4 75w-85 - Redline is highly recommended because it is the only "aftermarket" gear oil that contains the necessary friction modifiers that work well inside a CD001-CD009 transmission. (Especially key with the earlier models and their touchy synchros)
Note: There will wildly dissenting views on this but as a personal user of MT-85, I'm good with it. Just be ready for it. Heh heh.
Automatic Trans Fluid - Nissan Matic S (formerly designated "J") - not recommended to use garden variety OTC fluids. Won't necessarily hurt it but dollar-per-dollar being equal, stick with the good stuff.
Rear Differential - Nissan OEM Synthetic Diff Fluid, spec'd API GL-5 75w-140 (Other name brand synth fluids with same specs work OK too but you don't need to use the high priced stuff.)
Brake Fluid - MINIMUM is DOT 3 - in an emergency when DOT 4 is not available - but Nissan specs DOT 4 and it's highly recommended to flush the system of your new-to-you vehicle and replace with DOT 4 given the higher boiling temperature. Recommended only so that you KNOW what's in there. Just a good baselining tip.
Sidenote: Don't be fooled by the DOT numbering though, DOT 5 (silicone synthetic) is NOT recommended as a replacement fluid for street cars due to possible seal damage and while it is hydrophobic (and intuitively, would seem to be better, particularly for cars that sit for a long time, it's not a good idea and is not generally compatible with ABS.)
Engine Coolant - You can use pretty much any good coolant, Prestone, Zerex, etc. BUT highly recommend Nissan OEM Long Life Green (concentrate, requires 50/50 mixing with distilled H20. It's what the car came with (or possibly the Nissan OEM Long Life Blue, which is compatible with the Green and is pre-diluted to 50/50 so it's best for topping off the cooling system.)
Sidenote: Don't worry about coolant being "Dexos" compliant. I was at a NISSAN dealership and overhear a service advisor (unnamed) telling another customer you have to use Dexos-compliant fluids in a Nissan. PURE, UNADULTERED, BULLS**T! Dexos is a GM spec fluid.... and more marketing hype than anything I've ever heard. Using a coolant that IS Dexos compliant, however, won't hurt your engine. Birth of an urban automotive legend. Psh.
Driver Fluid - Peet's Major Dickason (or Gordon Biersch Marzen when not going near the car). 'Nuff said.
Hope that helps.
Mic
But I'll venture out and agree with what's been said here. Pretty much any name brand synthetic in the proper weight works just fine. Only way to really tell how well your oil is working is through an oil analysis but frankly, I tend to think that's overkill. Just use recommended, name brand oils and change on a timely basis and you'll be fine.
I use Mobil 1, 0-40 because that's what the local Z experts in my part of the world say and while the car is on the lift for service or other work, they just go ahead and change it. Trust is key here.
Gasoline: Premium Unleaded ONLY. This is a performance oriented, high compression engine. Anything less will "run" in the car but the ECU will down-compensate for the lower octane and the car won't run worth beans.
------------------------------------
Note: The rest below is side information - not directly related to OP - so most can skip this.
While on topic, the "best" (and most often used and recommended fluids front to rear (that's "arguably", guys, so hold down the flames please) are:
Engine - any synth (Mobil 1, Redline, Royal, Castrol, pick your own poison, etc.) 5W-30 (factory recommended with deviations for extreme environmental conditions, race usage, etc).
Manual Transmission - Redline MT-85 or Nissan OEM spec'd API GL-4 75w-85 - Redline is highly recommended because it is the only "aftermarket" gear oil that contains the necessary friction modifiers that work well inside a CD001-CD009 transmission. (Especially key with the earlier models and their touchy synchros)
Note: There will wildly dissenting views on this but as a personal user of MT-85, I'm good with it. Just be ready for it. Heh heh.
Automatic Trans Fluid - Nissan Matic S (formerly designated "J") - not recommended to use garden variety OTC fluids. Won't necessarily hurt it but dollar-per-dollar being equal, stick with the good stuff.
Rear Differential - Nissan OEM Synthetic Diff Fluid, spec'd API GL-5 75w-140 (Other name brand synth fluids with same specs work OK too but you don't need to use the high priced stuff.)
Brake Fluid - MINIMUM is DOT 3 - in an emergency when DOT 4 is not available - but Nissan specs DOT 4 and it's highly recommended to flush the system of your new-to-you vehicle and replace with DOT 4 given the higher boiling temperature. Recommended only so that you KNOW what's in there. Just a good baselining tip.
Sidenote: Don't be fooled by the DOT numbering though, DOT 5 (silicone synthetic) is NOT recommended as a replacement fluid for street cars due to possible seal damage and while it is hydrophobic (and intuitively, would seem to be better, particularly for cars that sit for a long time, it's not a good idea and is not generally compatible with ABS.)
Engine Coolant - You can use pretty much any good coolant, Prestone, Zerex, etc. BUT highly recommend Nissan OEM Long Life Green (concentrate, requires 50/50 mixing with distilled H20. It's what the car came with (or possibly the Nissan OEM Long Life Blue, which is compatible with the Green and is pre-diluted to 50/50 so it's best for topping off the cooling system.)
Sidenote: Don't worry about coolant being "Dexos" compliant. I was at a NISSAN dealership and overhear a service advisor (unnamed) telling another customer you have to use Dexos-compliant fluids in a Nissan. PURE, UNADULTERED, BULLS**T! Dexos is a GM spec fluid.... and more marketing hype than anything I've ever heard. Using a coolant that IS Dexos compliant, however, won't hurt your engine. Birth of an urban automotive legend. Psh.
Driver Fluid - Peet's Major Dickason (or Gordon Biersch Marzen when not going near the car). 'Nuff said.
Hope that helps.
Mic
Last edited by MicVelo; Nov 6, 2015 at 11:35 AM. Reason: speling errur