Mobil1 0w40 question for 2GR-FE Toyota

So the question is which countries manual are you speaking of? 2GRFE engines sold in other countries have different manuals with heavier oil specified.
 
I have a 4Runner with the 1GR Any reason to not just go with what Toyota specs in the manual? Sure it says if you are under extreme conditions to go heavier but for the vast majority of people that doesn’t apply. So while I acknowledge this truck and the motor are generally so stout that you could probably use anything, given that Toyota sells these things based largely on their bulletproof reputation (most reliable truck as listed in CR- they had to admit it even though the socialists who run CR hate heavy BOF SUVs), why not do what they tell you on the manual? That probably doesn’t lead to as interesting a discussion, but that is probably the most supportable answer.
Oldwolf already said it: "which manual?"

If you take a manual from Europe or South America, your engine will have a broad range of recommended oil weights recommended based upon ambient temperature and use case. Most people are much closer to "severe use" than they realize. I.e. most American commutes entail "extended idling" and this is a typically listed condition for "severe service".

The "one size fits all" oil recommendations are curiously restricted to US and Canada.
 
my 08 Highlander has 200,000 plus miles w me and all ive done is change the oil, decided to change the radiator (had zero issues). water pump because of age, not because it was showing issues, just preventive. all preventive was done this year. the highest viscosity i've used in the highlander is 15W-40.
No plugs, injectors, coils?
 
Oldwolf already said it: "which manual?"

If you take a manual from Europe or South America, your engine will have a broad range of recommended oil weights recommended based upon ambient temperature and use case. Most people are much closer to "severe use" than they realize. I.e. most American commutes entail "extended idling" and this is a typically listed condition for "severe service".

The "one size fits all" oil recommendations are curiously restricted to US and Canada.
USA. 4Runner is not sold in Europe. Not sure about South America, but IIRC is a US only vehicle. Landcruiser 150s (the Lexus GX basically here at home) are sold world wide. Obviously Toyota may make a different spec for a different market with different regulatory environment and a different climate and typical use case.

All that being said, it is much more likely that rust will kill any Toyota BOF truck long before engine failure or serious engine problems when using Toyota recommended viscosity oil changed at reasonable intervals. Looking to extend 4Runner engine longevity via tweaking oil choice is probably constitutes a high mental effort with little in the way of benefit. Particularly if under warranty, I would stick to the factory recommendation and not over think it. Outside of warranty it is the owner’s nickel, but I would ask myself if I really know enough - more than Toyota - to think that such a change will materially and positively impact engine longevity.

Merry Christmas everyone.
 
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USA. 4Runner is not sold in Europe. Not sure about South America, but IIRC is a US only vehicle. Landcruiser 150s (the Lexus GX basically here at home) are sold world wide. Obviously Toyota may make a different spec for a different market with different regulatory environment and a different climate and typical use case.

All that being said, it is much more likely that rust will kill any Toyota BOF truck long before engine failure or serious engine problems when using Toyota recommended viscosity oil changed at reasonable intervals. Looking to extend 4Runner engine longevity via tweaking oil choice is probably constitutes a high mental effort with little in the way of benefit. Particularly if under warranty, I would stick to the factory recommendation and not over think it. Outside of warranty it is the owner’s nickel, but I would ask myself if I really know enough - more than Toyota - to think that such a change will materially and positively impact engine longevity.

Merry Christmas everyone.
You keep taking your direction for vehicle service from the lawyers, and I'll keep taking mine from the Toyota Engineers. No need to litigate this any further. 👍
 
You keep taking your direction for vehicle service from the lawyers, and I'll keep taking mine from the Toyota Engineers. No need to litigate this any further. 👍
Respectfully, I am taking my direction from the vehicle owner’s manual. If there is a different authority from Toyota’s engineers, then I am happy to change my view.
 
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Respectfully, I am taking my direction from the vehicle owner’s manual. If there is a different authority from Toyota’s engineers, then I am happy to change my view.
Your manual was written by lawyers, not engineers. That is what I keep trying to explain. If you are comfortable with the homogenization of oil viscosity recommendations across a temperature delta of 140F moving from a range of 3 to 5 different oil viscosities, down to a single viscosity of TGMO, then you absolutely keep doing what makes you comfortable.

There's just no sense in establishing that as a pretense for being the most mechanically optimal. Full stop.

US and CA oil recommendations are absolutely hamstrung by government regulations. We see this across nearly every Toyota motor that is sold both inside and outside the US. When the ability of Toyota engineers is seen, to make wide-ranging, situationally dependent use case recommendations, THEY DO SO.

Your vehicle uses the 1GR-FE. I bet you a trillion dollars that the vehicles listed below, when tendered for sale outside CONUS, will recommend in their manuals a wide-range of oil viscosities based on a variety of environmental and use-case based criteria. Mind you, things Toyota is NOT doing: making different bottom-ends, main bearings, cam lobes, etc for the CONUS market vs ROW. Toyota certainly does not list different main bearing part numbers, for example.


The list of vehicles that use or used your exact motor:

"Applications with VVT-i (calendar years):

Applications with Dual VVT-i (calendar years):

 
And you are making the claim, repeatedly, that the oil viscosity Toyota makes for this US vehicle is inappropriate or severely compromised, without any basis other than bald assertion. What you are failing to acknowledge, using the lawyer analogy you seem to be fond of, is that in a situation like this the burden of showing that the 0w20 specification is inappropriate (not that others are also appropriate) is on you. Toyota builds and sells millions of vehicles in the U.S., largely based upon its reputation for reliability and durability. To assert that the manual is wrong is doing people a disservice.

Now, does this mean that using a higher viscosity is wrong in a case where, for example, you are towing? Not at all. But it does mean you are over thinking it, and making assertions that are not warranted by the facts, when you take the position that the oil viscosity recommendation in the owner’s manual is inappropriate. That is where our disagreement lies.

And if you are correct, where are all the engine failures due to inadequate oil viscosity? Consumer Reports just named the 4Runner, along with about 6 other Toyotas, as being in the top 10 for reliability. Another example where Toyota blows everyone else out of the water on reliability, and yet somehow we are to believe that the viscosity recommendation in the manual is a scam or is seriously compromised. Again, you lack facts for your position and quoting Wikipedia entries ad nauseum adds nothing to the reality that you deem yourself more knowledgeable than Toyota.

The final thing I will say is that you will be surprised to hear that I am very sympathetic to the policy point you are making, despite our disagreement here. I understand very well the role that CAFE has plays here, and I think the government has meddled far too much in this area. And as someone who has done a good amount of amateur racing, autocross, etc., I am very well aware of the relationships between main bearing clearances, operating temperature in the sump, and oil viscosity recommendation. And I am one of the people who takes issue with, for example, using. 0w or 5w oil in a car that was originally sold and specified for a 15w or even 20w oil, based on that experience. So I get what you are saying. But the reality here is we are dealing with Toyota. If we were talking about, for example, a German manufacturer, I would candidly have far less confidence that they appropriately managed the balance between regulation and engineering, and their spotty reliability record would, in my mind, feed those fears. But Toyota’s bread and butter is reliability and durability, and they have the track record to back it up. To say that my 4.0 V6 is going to have a short or shorter service life because I use what Toyota recommends? There is just no data in the real world to support it.

That is all I am going to say here. Take care.
 
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And you are making the claim, repeatedly, that the oil viscosity Toyota makes for this US vehicle is inappropriate or severely compromised, without any basis other than bald assertion. What you are failing to acknowledge, using the lawyer analogy you seem to be fond of, is that in a situation like this the burden of showing that the 0w20 specification is inappropriate (not that others are also appropriate) is on you. Toyota builds and sells millions of vehicles in the U.S., largely based upon its reputation for reliability and durability. To assert that the manual is wrong is doing people a disservice.

Now, does this mean that using a higher viscosity is wrong in a case where, for example, you are towing? Not at all. But it does mean you are over thinking it, and making assertions that are not warranted by the facts, when you take the position that the oil viscosity recommendation in the owner’s manual is inappropriate. That is where our disagreement lies.

And if you are correct, where are all the engine failures due to inadequate oil viscosity? Consumer Reports just named the 4Runner, along with about 6 other Toyotas, as being in the top 10 for reliability. Another example where Toyota blows everyone else out of the water on reliability, and yet somehow we are to believe that the viscosity recommendation in the manual is a scam or is seriously compromised. Again, you lack facts for your position and quoting Wikipedia entries ad nauseum adds nothing to the reality that you deem yourself more knowledgeable than Toyota.

The final thing I will say is that you will be surprised to hear that I am very sympathetic to the policy point you are making, despite our disagreement here. I understand very well the role that CAFE has plays here, and I think the government has meddled far too much in this area. And as someone who has done a good amount of amateur racing, autocross, etc., I am very well aware of the relationships between main bearing clearances, operating temperature in the sump, and oil viscosity recommendation. And I am one of the people who takes issue with, for example, using. 0w or 5w oil in a car that was originally sold and specified for a 15w or even 20w oil, based on that experience. So I get what you are saying. But the reality here is we are dealing with Toyota. If we were talking about, for example, a German manufacturer, I would candidly have far less confidence that they appropriately managed the balance between regulation and engineering, and their spotty reliability record would, in my mind, feed those fears. But Toyota’s bread and butter is reliability and durability, and they have the track record to back it up. To say that my 4.0 V6 is going to have a short or shorter service life because I use what Toyota recommends? There is just no data in the real world to support it.

That is all I am going to say here. Take care.
You're putting words in my mouth. Welcome to the block (ignore) party.
 
It’s always easier to ignore arguments than to address them. Nothing nasty in my post, just a good debate. Happy new year and take care.
 
I am not sure which Mobil1 0w40 (FS, ESP, Supercar) would be best suited for my 2015 2GR-FE.
This engine has VVTi, two cam timing chains, and roller-follower rocker arms with low friction roller bearings.
I think it is would be the FS version of the oil, but am not quite sure.
Has had a steady diet of 0W-20 up until the last change which was M1 0w30. Next change I would like to try 0w40.
Currently have 105k miles on the odometer.
Thanks in advance for your advice.
It’s fine. Just use it and don’t overthink it. I take care of one like one you posted. Always gets DELCAC 1 ESP and zero issues.
 
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