I am a new Xterra owner......just curious what brand of oil and filter do you guys recommend to use in my Xterra.....it is a 2001 3.3L 4x4....thanks guys!

The synthetic oils are the way to go, I like Mobil1 for example.

For oil filters, The Purolater PureOne, The Mobil1, and the Royal Purple oil filters are good.

The Purolater and Mobil1 are very close, the Royal Purple filter is a smidge better....but, the Purolater filter is ~ $5, the Mobil1 filter is ~ $10, and the Royal Purple filter is ~ $15.

I change every 5k miles.

Any of the above can do that.

Some of the others, like Fram, etc...go to bypass mode too quick, and the oil goes around the filter media instead of through it after very few miles compared to the change interval.

There are other choices of course, but these are ones that are easy to find.

I'm with TJ on this one. I use Castrol Syntec, as I have had great luck with that oil in many vehicles, including a 2000 Xterra. I stick with the Nissan filter rather than going aftermarket, partly cause I get a nice discound on over the counter parts at the local dealership.

I am using Mobile1 synthetic oil and the appropriate Purolater filter. Even though the oil is supposed to be good for 5,000 miles I am changing oil every 3,000 miles. I figure it is cheap insurance.

What do you think of the K&N oil filter TJ?

I have never used/cut open a k&n oil filter....so I don't know anything about them.

I do know that when I put a particle counter in the air filter flow...a lot of particles go through.

(Good airflow, poor filtration....)

Oil filtration for them I have no experience though.

I've used both (oil & Air) and they seem fine, but then again I've never conducted any tests or analyzed either.

If they have good airflow, but poor filtration for air filters, what do you use?

You should probably use the Nissan OEM oil filter or a Purolator One oil filter.

The brand of oil is up to you.

A great value is to buy a 10-pack of OEM filters from xterraparts.com for $55.

I did that years ago and I still have a couple left

Plus they taped a new crush washer to the top of each filter for me. I get Mobile 1 at Costco whenever it comes on sale, but honestly it's probably overkill - any ASE certified oil should be fine, especially as much as enthusiasts like us tend to overchange oil. I just changed it since I'm getting ready to go on a 500 mile trip to Ohio Tuesday. After changing oil on the Miata's the last several oil changes, the Xterra is a breeze - I don't even have to jack it up! Pop a 10mm socket on my drill driver and the skid is off in minutes and the oil filter is hanging right out there and in the open. Sure some oil drips on the sway, but it wipes up in nothing flat.

Heck, changing the oil was almost fun! I'm trying to decide if I want to tackle the antifreeze or not tomorrow. I seem to remember something about some people getting air pockets and having to "burp" the system. I certainly don't want to overheat while on the road! Oh well, off to search some more. Where's Brent when you really need him?