2008 Toyota Yaris - Can I go down from 5W30 to 5W20?

[GreasyG]

Greetings...

My Subject Line pretty much covers all I'd like to learn a bit about:

2008 Toyota Yaris - 152.000 miles, runs well (no smoke, no leaks, no noise), hoping I can squeeze a hair more MPG's out of her... so can I safely go down from 5W30 to 5W20?

Thanks in advance,
g

 

[ZeeOSix]

Does the owner's manual give that option? Even if not, I'd think that car should be fine with a good 5W-20.

 

[JLTD]

Maybe. Going thinner isn't always a good idea....looks like Toyota still says 5w30 is the oil to use.

Switching to a 20 will probably not cause a noticeable change in mpg, and if you do it, I'd recommend getting a UOA with the 30 first, then test it again with the 20 to see if there's any accelerated wear.

 

[bbhero]

A port injected hamster powered car that you will not be running those hamsters has hard as possible??? No mashing the "accelerator" right after start up, and no "racing" the hamsters cold or even after bring warmed up??

Then a 5w20 should be just fine.

I know a thing or two about hamster powered vehicles

Had a few in my day for sure.

 

[kr_bitog]

The car will not give noticeable better mpg with 5w20, I would say you put Liquimoly MoS2 will give additional MPG you are looking for.
Other easy ways is just put more air on tyre until you can not stand the harshness, will definitely give better handling and mpg.

If your car is using manual gearbox, going for synthetic gearbox oil like Redline also will give better MPG.
I would think the current age of engine may not the best period to go thinner oil

 

[mehullica]

I have a 2009 3-door hatchback automatic. ran 5w20 Toyota conventional (free from work) & 0w20 TGMO(also free). 3 years of 140 mile commute a day. Best MPG for me was using 0w20 TGMO, 40 psi in the tires, & 67 MPH. 44 MPG using 0w20, 42 MPG on Toyota conventional. 39 MPG on 5w30 of Quaker state & Valvoline conventional. I worked at a dealership that let us use oil for free on our cars. I did an oil change every month. Have 160,000 miles on it now & still runs like new.

 

[GreasyG]

Wow much great info from you all here -- thank you very much for your time, but now another question has sprung to mind:

Q: Even if I don't see an increase in MPG, wouldn't a 5W20 be a hair better in not breaking-down as quickly (wouldn't I get a bit more "life" out of the 5W20 ratio as opposed to the 5W20)? My understanding has long been that the greater the distance between the first and second numbers of multi-vis oils, the faster the breakdown of the formula occurs. Is this not (still) true? Though I'm not interested in spending extra for synthetics (or other costly additives), I am forever seeking ideas to help extend drain intervals...

Otherwise, as I am now approaching the age of 60, and even though I retain most of the skills acquired in nearly 3 decades of professional driving (chauffeur & other) work, my days of 'running the hamsters has hard as possible, mashing the accelerator right after startup (which I never did anyway), and "racing" the hamsters cold or even after being warmed up' are long gone ............ for the most part anyway

 

[FCD]

You will not notice any difference in fuel economy.
Just keep using 5W-30, and no it won't really break down or lose viscosity any faster than 5W-20.

 

[JohnnyJohnson]

Seriously I'll tell what I've found. I have never found a thinner oil that gained me any measurable MPG gain. Look someplace else for it. But winter is coming and you just may stumble across a good sale and a rebate on some oil.

 

[bullwinkle]

A word of warning-my '05 xB sheared M1 0W30 AFE HARD in only 7K. It has the same engine as your Yaris (although hopefully yours isn't turning 4000 RPM at 70 MPH), and while the newer 1NZFE engines were approved for 5W20 I would proceed with caution. As in getting a UOA after 5K (on the 2nd oil change after 5K) to see if the oil can take it!

 

[aquariuscsm]

Stick with 30.

 

[TiredTrucker]

Originally Posted By: kr_bitog
The car will not give noticeable better mpg with 5w20, I would say you put Liquimoly MoS2 will give additional MPG you are looking for.
Other easy ways is just put more air on tyre until you can not stand the harshness, will definitely give better handling and mpg.

If your car is using manual gearbox, going for synthetic gearbox oil like Redline also will give better MPG.
I would think the current age of engine may not the best period to go thinner oil



Better yet, just use a oil that already has a boat load of moly in the mix. Simpler and more cost effective.

 

[CT8]

Drive slower to get better Mpgs the drop in grade will never give you a noticeable MPG increase.

 

[chainblu]

For the past 2 years I've been doing an experiment in my DD '92 Saturn. I do 6 month OCIs and have been alternating between 5w30 and 5w20. The car is only driven to and from work... about a 20 mile round trip. On 5w30 I average 36 mpg, on 5w20 I average 38 mpg consistently.

Keep in mind this is an under-powered Saturn. If I drove a Hemi Ram, I'm not sure I would see as much, if any, difference.

 

[Triple_Se7en]

Mileage nearly cut in half driving a rear-wheel Hemi Ram

 

[SilverFusion2010]

A 20 grade will give adequate protection but the difference in MPG is very slight and it’s doubtful you’ll be able to measure a difference.
Try M1 0w-20 AFE

 

[147_Grain]

Stick with the 5W-30 in the summer and perhaps a 0/5W-20 in the winter.

Consider the High Mileage version.