Nannodrive Engine Oil

[deanmr2]

I have been reading a lot of reviews on this :- Millers Oils NANODRIVE CFS 5w-40 Fully Synthetic Engine Oil  I know it is not A40 ie Porsche approved, but a lot of people are singing it’s praises and I also know this is what Hartec recommend and use in their rebuilt motors, in fact they use 10w-50 viscosity. What do you guys think?

[bally4563]

12 minutes ago, deanmr2 said:

I have been reading a lot of reviews on this :- Millers Oils NANODRIVE CFS 5w-40 Fully Synthetic Engine Oil  I know it is not A40 ie Porsche approved, but a lot of people are singing it’s praises and I also know this is what Hartec recommend and use in their rebuilt motors, in fact they use 10w-50 viscosity. What do you guys think?

It’s exactly what I’ve just used for an oil change but 5 40

[deanmr2]

1 minute ago, bally4563 said:

It’s exactly what I’ve just used for an oil change but 5 40

What are your thoughts/observations have you noticed any difference compared with A40 approved synthetic oil

[bally4563]

3 minutes ago, deanmr2 said:

What are your thoughts/observations have you noticed any difference compared with A40 approved synthetic oil

Possibly Placebo effect , fresh oil and all that , but engine seems to idle much quieter

[deanmr2]

3 minutes ago, bally4563 said:

Possibly Placebo effect , fresh oil and all that , but engine seems to idle much quieter

Thanks for your reply why did you decide to use the Millers Nanno oil

[bally4563]

3 minutes ago, deanmr2 said:

Thanks for your reply why did you decide to use the Millers Nanno oil

Hartec endorsed and price point for a premium quality oil, mine worked out at £7.24 a lt

[½cwt]

Interesting @deanmr2, in 2019 the indy I used filled with Millers 5W-40 oil (invoice doesn't say whether nannodrive) and I was getting rattly tappets on start up with one sticking and tapping for a bit longer.  This year at a different indy filled with Mobil 1 New Life 0W-40 and hardly a tappet tick to be heard even when first starting and certainly no sticky ones.

I'll leave you to decide.

[deanmr2]

4 hours ago, ½cwt said:

Interesting @deanmr2, in 2019 the indy I used filled with Millers 5W-40 oil (invoice doesn't say whether nannodrive) and I was getting rattly tappets on start up with one sticking and tapping for a bit longer.  This year at a different indy filled with Mobil 1 New Life 0W-40 and hardly a tappet tick to be heard even when first starting and certainly no sticky ones.

I'll leave you to decide.

Bit of a minefield trying to find out which make,type and viscosity of oil is best for our Boxster engines.You were not happy with the Millers oil for the reason you have said but I have read on quite a few forums of people who were raving about how much better their engines sounded with Millers Nannodrive in the sump. It seems to me that if you were to ask 100 Boxster owners which oil is best you would get a hundred different answers!!! I just think if a company like Hartec recommend an oil they are worth listening to as they are renowned for being experts with the M96 and M97 engines but what do I know 😂😂

[Lennym1984]

J

7 minutes ago, deanmr2 said:

 It seems to me that if you were to ask 100 Boxster owners which oil is best you would get a hundred different answers!!!

I use Millers Nanodrive 10w/50 and my only complaint is that it is expensive. The engine runs smoothly on it and I have had no issue eiither on the track or the road.

OPC themselves now recommend a 5w/50 for the 986 and so I think Hartech's advice for running the heavier (50w) oil in an older engine has some traction...

[deanmr2]

1 minute ago, Lennym1984 said:

J

I use Millers Nanodrive 10w/50 and my only complaint is that it is expensive. The engine runs smoothly on it and I have had no issue eiither on the track or the road.

OPC themselves now recommend a 5w/50 for the 986 and so I think Hartech's advice for running the heavier (50w) oil in an older engine has some traction...

I was actually looking at Porsche’s classic oil for the 986 and as you say it is a 5W-50 oil so I would think they have a good reason for using that viscosity but I would imagine it will cost an arm and a leg but maybe I would be pleasantly surprised I think I will give my local OPC a call and ask the question I am on good terms with the parts department guys and they usually give me a good discount 

[Lennym1984]

1 minute ago, deanmr2 said:

I was actually looking at Porsche’s classic oil for the 986 and as you say it is a 5W-50 oil so I would think they have a good reason for using that viscosity but I would imagine it will cost an arm and a leg but maybe I would be pleasantly surprised I think I will give my local OPC a call and ask the question I am on good terms with the parts department guys and they usually give me a good discount 

I read something from Baz Hart where he explained the rationale for usiing the heavier oil and the long and short of it was that as the engine wears and tolerances increase, a heavier oil makes more sense.

[deanmr2]

12 minutes ago, Lennym1984 said:

I read something from Baz Hart where he explained the rationale for usiing the heavier oil and the long and short of it was that as the engine wears and tolerances increase, a heavier oil makes more sense.

That makes logical sense to me I just feel that choosing the best oil for our engines is a kind of insurance policy to protect the heart and most expensive  part of the 986. I would quite happily pay a premium for the best oil I could get my hands on I think it would give me a bit more piece of mind 

[Danncus]

I always read “oil x is better than oil y” threads with a bit of suspicion. I don’t think any difference can be measured on a road car at home. 
Noise and wear rates are impossible to judge. 
The only example I can bring to mind of a oil making a noticeable difference was with a Peugeot 205XS I had as a youth. It was burning through a lot of oil and my boss at the time suggested I changed to Morris Ringfree XHD diesel oil. He thought the rings were gummed up and the high detergent diesel oil would loosen the deposits and either cure or ruin the engine.  
After a fast 270 mile drive down to Cornwall @4500rpm restored it

[Cheddar Bob]

I've said many times before. Forget what you think you know, you certainly cannot measure an oils performance by the price you pay. Buy an A40 approved oil and be done with it. Just change it more frequently.

Anything else you are walking into the marketing department with your wallet open.

 

Put it this way, if you called me in a professional context you would take my advice. I cannot stress enough, you just need the correct oil for your engine and nothing more. Thats not to say other lubricants will be anything other than ok. Porsche A40. job done.

[Mark Shead]

Not a fan of it with the type of cars I do all high power the oil seems to degrade very quickly and the way they market it by slating all the other oils doesn’t sit well with me. 
My oil of choice in all the engines I do is Titan Pro S 5w40 and 10w50. 
 

Mark

[½cwt]

5 hours ago, deanmr2 said:

Bit of a minefield trying to find out which make,type and viscosity of oil is best for our Boxster engines.You were not happy with the Millers oil for the reason you have said but I have read on quite a few forums of people who were raving about how much better their engines sounded with Millers Nannodrive in the sump. It seems to me that if you were to ask 100 Boxster owners which oil is best you would get a hundred different answers!!! I just think if a company like Hartec recommend an oil they are worth listening to as they are renowned for being experts with the M96 and M97 engines but what do I know 😂😂

I wasn't unhappy per se, just happier when the ticking noises had gone and more a case of noticing they'd gone than sometimes noting they were there.  But then again the ticking is metal on metal which is what your engine oil is there to reduce/prevent.  If the engine runs quieter in all conditions there's a good chance the oil is working to the benefit of the engine.  Besides I note you say Hartech are putting the Millers in rebuilt engines i.e. zero miles of wear on many components not like a 98k mile 20 year old motor which each have different lubrication needs.  And as @Cheddar Bob (a professional in oil and lubricants) says Porsche say A40, Millers don't seem to have bothered with that detail.... do they not want to be put under the microscope of manufacturer scrutiny.  Could be like the many lubricant additives additives, sl*g off the mainstream to fire up enthusiasts but not go the extra mile of getting independent tests to prove ultimate effectiveness.

[PaulQ]

4 hours ago, ½cwt said:

I wasn't unhappy per se, just happier when the ticking noises had gone and more a case of noticing they'd gone than sometimes noting they were there.  But then again the ticking is metal on metal which is what your engine oil is there to reduce/prevent.  If the engine runs quieter in all conditions there's a good chance the oil is working to the benefit of the engine.  Besides I note you say Hartech are putting the Millers in rebuilt engines i.e. zero miles of wear on many components not like a 98k mile 20 year old motor which each have different lubrication needs.  And as @Cheddar Bob (a professional in oil and lubricants) says Porsche say A40, Millers don't seem to have bothered with that detail.... do they not want to be put under the microscope of manufacturer scrutiny.  Could be like the many lubricant additives additives, sl*g off the mainstream to fire up enthusiasts but not go the extra mile of getting independent tests to prove ultimate effectiveness.

Ironically, the Millers oil you used might well have had A40 approval. 

I'm sure Cheddar Bob will explain to you why race oils generally don't have approvals. 

[Cheddar Bob]

4 hours ago, PaulQ said:

Ironically, the Millers oil you used might well have had A40 approval. 

I'm sure Cheddar Bob will explain to you why race oils generally don't have approvals. 

We don't need any special lubricant for a road car. We also do not need the manufacturer approval. Within reason you can put almost any mainstream engine oil in your motor and as long as it is changed frequently you wont notice much. Small changes in fuel consumption and power output depending on viscosity, increased or decreased wear, but again with regular changes the oil integrity will remain. Race cars generally change their oil much more frequently than you would expect. 

 

There are so many manufacturers of lubricant who carry the Porsche A40 approval, and the prices are not inflated because of this, so you may as well just buy one of the major oil companies products and be done with it. That said, the approval is based on giving the manufacturer a wedge of cash and proving the product chemically passes certain tests. You can meet the spec by buying a base oil yourself, and an additive pack say from lubrizol, and mixing it in your sink.

 

you dont need a special lubricant, you just need the correct one. Performance level and viscosity are key. I really cannot say this enough.

When covid is over, come and visit me in Gloucester and ill show you first hand how this works.

[PaulQ]

15 minutes ago, Cheddar Bob said:

When covid is over, come and visit me in Gloucester and ill show you first hand how this works.

Thanks. I would like that. 

[That986]

I use Millers all through my cars, great stuff. 

[deanmr2]

2 hours ago, Cheddar Bob said:

We don't need any special lubricant for a road car. We also do not need the manufacturer approval. Within reason you can put almost any mainstream engine oil in your motor and as long as it is changed frequently you wont notice much. Small changes in fuel consumption and power output depending on viscosity, increased or decreased wear, but again with regular changes the oil integrity will remain. Race cars generally change their oil much more frequently than you would expect. 

 

There are so many manufacturers of lubricant who carry the Porsche A40 approval, and the prices are not inflated because of this, so you may as well just buy one of the major oil companies products and be done with it. That said, the approval is based on giving the manufacturer a wedge of cash and proving the product chemically passes certain tests. You can meet the spec by buying a base oil yourself, and an additive pack say from lubrizol, and mixing it in your sink.

 

you dont need a special lubricant, you just need the correct one. Performance level and viscosity are key. I really cannot say this enough.

When covid is over, come and visit me in Gloucester and ill show you first hand how this works.

That’s interesting what you have said and my brother who was a Mercedes mechanic for 30 years says pretty much the same to use correct spec and change it regularly. What is your take on Porsche now recommending 5W-50 viscosity for the 986 engines? My Boxster is now on 80K miles and I change the oil every 5K or 12 months whichever comes first 

[Lennym1984]

3 hours ago, Cheddar Bob said:

That said, the approval is based on giving the manufacturer a wedge of cash

Oh you big cynic

[Cheddar Bob]

4 hours ago, PaulQ said:

Thanks. I would like that. 

Just send me a PM and ill give you a tour. 

[Cheddar Bob]

2 hours ago, deanmr2 said:

That’s interesting what you have said and my brother who was a Mercedes mechanic for 30 years says pretty much the same to use correct spec and change it regularly. What is your take on Porsche now recommending 5W-50 viscosity for the 986 engines? My Boxster is now on 80K miles and I change the oil every 5K or 12 months whichever comes first 

Same thing. A manufacturer would not recommend a product without first being able to back it up. I will however point out, often manufacturers will do things for financial gain. There is nothing wrong with the original A40 spec of a W-40, however create a new product, create new revenue. The only thing I would watch for is if a dealer tells you that you must use their oil. I have seen main dealers use less than appropriate products, although this happens less.

 

[Cheddar Bob]

1 hour ago, Lennym1984 said:

Oh you big cynic

It is, the fee for the approval is in hundreds of thousands. They often come with huge testing requirements too, such as lab and real world road testing. however commonly, for a VW owned marque, a chunk of cash and laboratory proof is adequate