I need to get a windows laptop or netbook to do some extended datalogging to see what exactly happens when the lag hits.
It does feel like the timing is being pulled because the sensation is the same as when i used to get extreme heatsoak.

I am running 5w40 oil at the moment. Here in Australia, Nissan sells their own oil and i've used it for most of the time i've had my car (about 3 oil changes). I've used Castrol Edge 5w30 (with titanium fluid strength tech - we don't have any other Castrol Edge on the retail shelves here) and i noticed the oil temps were generally cooler by 6*c compared to the Nissan oil.
My most recent change i used Nulon 5w40 and it actually takes effort to get the oil temps up to 90 and beyond. Oil temps are cooler than with Castrol Edge. Most of you guys haven't heard of Nulon before as it's an Australian brand but i'm unsure if they export it.

I dont have any datalogs to prove a difference but i was getting hesitation around 3500-4000rpm (felt unwilling to go beyond unless the pedal was pressed further). Now i get a seamless pull all the way to redline. It felt like the CVTC system wasnt getting enough oil pressure with the Nissan oil so it wasn't functioning properly. Below 3500rpm the car ran fine. I'm very happy with the Nulon oil. I might try their Euro formula 5w30 to see if running the correct viscosity oil will still keep it happy. It does amaze me that Nissan specs 5w30 worldwide. I feel for all those folks who live in the hotter regions of the world like the UAE etc.

Thanks for all your replies guys :) Really appreciate your input! I wonder if there is any function in Uprev to disable the oil temp related lag......

:tup:

One other thing to consider: There is actually a coating on the valves that appears to work especially well with Ester based oils -- strictly from a mechanical standpoint, we've seen no clear evidence of better power or less wear using non-ester oils, though the system does tend to be a good bit more chattery with non-ester oils. Arguably, less chatter could be indicative of better lubrication (allegedly the coating reduces friction by being more slippery at the molecular level when lubed with Ester based oil).

All of this is a bit controversial, hotly debated, etc., but if nothing else, the system is clearly tuned to err on the side of self-preservation, so little things like that might manifest in small hiccups like that here and there.

Beyond that -- the OEM throttle maps are notorious for being rather laggy -- check out the smooth throttle for uprev thread for discussion on this issue.

As a final note, I ran a (0 weight) Castrol oil at one point and thought temps tended to run a bit cooler -- buuut much more chattery and some evidence of extra engine wear in UOA's relative to what I found using Redline 5W30 (an Ester blend, BTW), which what I have switched to and stuck with (see further the "Oil Nerd's thread").

I've read heaps about the DLC and it's relationship with ester based oils. It must be a Nissan USA thing to mandate ester oil for the earlier model 370z (up until 2010 model iirc). In Australia, you will get a wtf response from the guy at the parts counter if you asked to buy Nissan ester oil. The stuff doesnt exist here. We have no idea which company makes the genuine oils but based on the bottle design i concluded it most resembled a Shell Helix oil bottle. There doesn't seem to be much noise being made here about noisy valvetrains in cars filled with non-ester based oil, even in the 09 models - but i might be wrong and just not read much about them on the Aussie forums. The TSB that Nissan USA issued about a software update to hush the valvetrain does not exist here.

Dealers here use whatever oil is most profitable and suitable for most models. I have an unused bottle of the Aussie Nissan oil which i might send for a virgin oil analysis for curiosity's sake. I do agree that less noise and less heat would indicate less friction. Less noise could also indicate a thicker oil film acting as a cushion. Some virgin oil samples did show a high moly content in the Nissan ester oil.

It's interesting that you got worse wear using an 0w30 vs 5w30 because there's heaps of positive results from folks running Mobil 1 0w40 in their G37 and 370z so the viscosity itself probably isnt the determining factor but the unique chemistry of each brand that makes the difference. Then there's debate about Brand A 5w30 being lighter/heavier than Brand B 5w30. But just like oil every other oil debate, let's not turn this into one of those threads.

I just did the smooth throttle table last night. The car does seem more peppy from 2000rpm upwards. i did have a bizarre issue tonight just then where i got almost zero throttle response in 1st and 2nd gear as i pulled into a parking lot. The issue didnt reappear on the drive home.

How many Toyota Camrys or Honda Civics come with an oil temp gauge? These cars can and do overheat their oil when driving under severe conditions (city driving, spirited driving, etc). The only difference is they don't know they are doing it, ignorance is bliss.

Please don't start gluing computer heatsinks to the car.

:iagree:

In my opinion, the high oil temps don't bother me, it's the fact the car could go into limp mode due to the inability to control temps while being run hard. While the minority, this is a sports car and there will be people that track it and/or just drive it hard. That's where I feel Nissan missed the ball. I'm sure many cars run high oil temps, and the drivers have no idea, but they aren't going into limp mode otherwise you'd hear about it. They also aren't driven as hard as a 370z.

And as a side note, My 2008 Altima with the VQ35DE had an oil cooler. Same one Nissan probably threw on the 2012+ 370z

why they put an oil cooler in an altima.... because racecar!

350z had the same one. Why not the 370z? Because Nissan cost cutting.

you can blame the government for raping japan for the unfair yen exchange rate at the time...

:icon17:

That and poor Nissan engineering :tup:

:rofl2:

you go play with your toyota's. :tup:

Hey man....I've owned Nissan for the past 12 years!

But yes....yes I will :)

At least Nissan remembered to install a power steering cooler (which my Altima also had).... :tup:

I was pretty surprised as well, but even taking normal wear into account, the 0W30 just didn't seem to fare as well as the Redline -- but all of your points are certainly well taken, and,of course, I can only speak on the results I was getting.

The ester-oil chatter suppression thing seems to be common tho'; not sure what exactly was changed in the VVEL tune for the TSB or how effective it was, but I think even later model VQ37HR's tend to be a little noisier with non-ester oil (someone else may chime in here -- maybe I'm overstating the effect).

Anyway, as to ideal 370Z engine lubing, the fate of that particular motor remains unknown; I wrecked that 370 and just stuck with Redline when I got the new one :D

There's a couple of different versions of that map in the thread to play with, and a lot of it is personal feel, so you might want to tweak it more.

Not sure whether those maps interact with target AFR's and fuel trims, but they probably do (assuming correction on tip-in), so some of that might have been the ECU gradually adjusting to the changes you made too -- the data log should help clarify.

For anyone who wanted to see the ugly but functional use of the ARC coolfins...

http://www.the370z.com/members/jordo...40606-0000.jpg

I also have two stuck on my diff cover :tup:

highest mine has got in traffic was about 240-245 once.. usually it's about 180-200 mark. i always watch it thinking something is going to happen -_-

Jordo! Good demonstration of how the undertray does not need to be removed for an oil change! I only discovered this at my last oil change & it saves many minutes messing around with the million screws and the flappy cover.

I had the sudden severe throttle lag thing again tonight. It felt like the CVTC system was stuck in the high rpm mode so below 4000rpm there was a very flaccid response. Foot to the floor in 1st got me nowhere quick but once about 3-4k the motor came to life although not as healthily as it does normally. i had to restart the motor to remedy the problem.

Prior to changing to Nulon oil, it felt like the CVTC system was stuck in the low RPM mode so above 4k felt reeeeeally flat. Like as if a piece of wood was wedged under the pedal.

Anyway, my 25 row Setrab core has arrived and i will be putting together a custom oil cooler set up as the commercially made kits all won't fit my car due to my ram air scoops

Hey even the new z/28 gets hot. I'm not sure if it had a limp mode though. But latest road and track says "3 hard laps with air temps barely in 80s, the camaro oil temp was 300 plus, which is unacceptable in any high performance street car."

but the problem is that our cars could be considered to be in the same league yet power output tapers off at reasonably mild temperatures while the other cars are still happily pounding away, not reducing power output until later.

Hm. And VDC was off? I've only ever encountered any major lag if I floored it and the VDC was on -- this is even on OEM throttle map :confused:

i usually drive with VDC on and on both instances the VDC light was not blinking. Nor was there a loss of traction but i guess the sensation is similar but i wouldn't say it's the same because usually when VDC kills the party, the gas pedal literally stops responding.

Right -- VDC (brain fart on my end).

Slip light or not, VDC could still be affecting things. Try it with VDC off?

when it happens again i'll turn off VDC and see what happens.

It also feels like what Digitonium described he felt when his brake switch was defective and i think one other chap had a dud brake switch on his twin turbo Z which caused constant throttle lag. What i don't get is why the problem ceased this time after a restart

So are we saying that the water to oil cooler is only on the newer Z's and it does not work? Or has it mostly solved the issue?

i've never tracked my car but my car is my daily and it's been thru 2 blazing Aussie summers already. Oil temps i've seen go up to 110*c/230*F with the factory oil to water cooler.

From my experience with it, for most people it will keep them out of trouble but if you do track the car or drive with a heavy right foot then an oil to air cooler is a worthy investment.

But for me and my quest for moar cool, i will be ditching the factory cooler for a 25 row oil to air cooler. I have the core, just need to fab the brackets and get the hoses made up.

Oil choice does play a big role in how much pleasure you'll get before things get flaccid though. Some oils take longer to heat up whether it be just characteristic or a sign of a better oil being that less engine heat must be due to less friction. I wasn't happy with the Nissan 5w30 we get here so now i'm using one of the local brands and it's the best i've used so far!

unless its different in oz, 11's don't have the factory oil cooler, only 12+.

Oil cooler, worth every penny.

oil coolers were fitted to 2011 models onwards here, afaik

2012 Onward were fitted with an oil to coolant heat exchanger. Not as effective as a dedicated oil cooler but better than nothing. People are really overreacting about this whole oil temp thing chances are their previous cars ran much hotter and had no effect. I'd rather have an oil pressure gauge then a temp one, low oil pressure will kill an engine much faster than oil at 280F ever would.

My main issue with a 25 row cooler is getting the oil *up* to temp during cooler weather. my gauge sits at 140 (all the way cold) all the way to work (one hour drive) all winter. Hence I keep the rpms below 3500 all winter waiting for my temps to at least hit 150. If you run a cooler, fab up a blocker plate to shroud the cooler.

And yes I have a thermostatic plate on my cooler (from Z1) it just never fully closes.

I'm considering running a lighter oil in the winter, but that seems a bit scary as I don't really know how to safely chose one.

i guess there are several perspectives of concern surrounding 'high' oil temps.

- performance degradation (and at what temp it occurs and why it occurs)
- engine longevity/protection
- scary gauge syndrome
- bandwagon followers

Yes, a lot of modern cars probably get their oil way hotter than our cars under similar conditions but do they noticeably reduce performance? I dont think most folks are overreacting. Most of us just want the car to behave as a sports car should and tolerate the extra strain. But when your throttle response lags in normal city driving then something isn't right. Nissan could've engineered the motor to be more tolerant to oil temps but we cant change that. So the only thing we can do is prolong the pleasure with oil coolers, software tweaks and oil choice!

i agree that a loss of oil pressure would kill an engine quicker but the damage would usually be done by the time someone notices a catastrophic loss of oil pressure.

Surfdog - lots of folks have good experience with Mobil 1 0w40

i've got a 2012 and this factor cooler doesn't do ****. i drive around with some friends and it went to 260 in about 5 minutes. i have the stillen 25 row now and with the same kind of driving i was barely over 220.

15,000 miles between oil changes can not be right.

What this all boils down to is 370Z "Sports Car" does not equal, "Race Car" or "Drag Car". Although I agree that Nissan got off on the wrong foot hiding that cooler in the Auto review car fender long ago. Even the new Stingray Corvette falls into this category. My neighbor has a new Stingray, he takes it to the track, and after a few laps....guess what......wait for it.....Clutch Pedal Sticks to the FLOOR! This on a 60+ thousand dollar car....even the Stingray is NOT a race/drag car.

PS Even in blazing FL temps driving all conditions my Z (2009) never gets above say 210/220.

S-Dog,

I have a nice plate fashioned via the DIY section here. In Germany I have it on 8 months a year. It might come off next week. With it on I see 190+ in the winter and now its about 200-220 for very short periods of time. Problem is it might be 10C cooler next week so I keep it on. At night when things cool off it needs to be on. On the Autobahn at speed on a nice but not hot day the oil is about 200 w cover on. Perfect.
I use 5-30 year round. You dont need a lighter oil at all. The dealers here use 5-30 Castrol year round.

I was cruising on Skyline Drive last week through the winding roads and it went up to 240 at one point. I'm running Royal Purple right now.

I did start to feel a little sluggish at that point. Usually the temp sits around 220F if I'm doing 80 for a while, 200-210 if I'm just rolling at highway speed. At night it drops down to about 180-190.

I need a better oil cooler...

Odd. I used to spend all day at 220°F and above 280° when heavy on the throttle. With a 34 row oil cooler, I no longer have issues. I run Nissan's recommended oil.

As said here before, I'm not certain that 220F is "damaging" our engine or our oil.
Also someone said probably most cars get that hot on a daily basis but no one ever notices because they're commuting, nothing in a normal commute would ever be noticeable (RPM's around a max of 3K).
I recall reading that the OCI of 3750 is due to our high oil temps? (Assuming Dino oil OCI).

that sounds about right for a late model BMW. They don't go by mileage or time intervals but a Condition Based Service scheme. Basically the onboard computer tells the driver what it needs so depending on your driving style, 15k miles might be possible but it is at the high end of the mileage range for CBS. When the driver presents the key at the BMW dealer, the dealer scans the key and retrieves the service data and that determines what maintenance is required at that point. At least our cars have a dipstick! ;)
Also, of all the 135's, 335's and 535's i've driven, i'm yet to drive one that behaves differently when the oil/water/air is 'hot'. This is with a/c on too

Without sparking another oil debate, i'd say if the oil you use meets the extended service interval requirements of a major OEM then it should be good enough to serve in our car. eg. BMW LL01 (LL04 is for the diesels)

Wow, it seems I need an oil cooler just to drive this Z.

I purchased my Z with 10k miles, had it hit 270 on the way home. Figured they did a **** oil change. Switched to Castrol Edge 5w30 and lowered my normal driving temps to 220ish. Which is this Zs normal 60-70mph temp. I can do one maybe two interstate pulls then have to shut it down ,frown, and go home.

A local guy who has a 135i, heavily modded, runs a consistent 260 @70mph, no idea what it ran stock. same tt v6 as the 335.

Hi Anti,

What's a "Pull" on the interstate, do you mean sustained high speeds, or downshifts to high RPM gears below/close to speed limit? Trying to understand your conditions. NOLA isn't hotter than FL, and mine's an 09, so my temps in FL on a 90+ degree day aren't hitting above 220, either in hellish stop and go for miles on interstate with AC cranking, or high speeds on interstate, or stop and go driving on days with 95+ heat.