What Oil weight should i use in the winter and summer time?

[vltnolia]

I have a 97 toyota 4runner v6 (6 quarts) with 145,000 miles on it. I live in california where the weather gets up to 100 degrees in the summer and get to 50 to 60 degrees in the winter time. I do Alot of stop and go's and alot of freeway miles. I just wanted to know what weight i should be using in the winter and summer time in theses conditions. I am using 10-40w as of rite now becuase some guy in autozone reccommened to me. I really want ultimate protections for my car,

Thanks guys

[ August 13, 2005, 02:25 PM: Message edited by: vltnolia ]

 

[Gary Allan]

You didn't state how much mileage that you put on it a year. I don't know your engine, so I won't comment on weight or brand. Depending on how much you drive, you may be better served with a synth. It also depends on how long you intend to leave it in there. Are you a 3k/3m type of oiler ..or are you a bit more frisky when it comes to OCI??

 

[haley10]

Chevron 10W-30.

 

[dave1251]

vltnolia Gary has a good point how much do u drive and how often you change your oil? But u should be ok with a 10W-40 at changes 5k miles or less since your temps dont go near 32 or below. U might want to try a 10W-30 and chevoron or havoline would be a excellent choice.

 

[vltnolia]

I get prolly around 10000 more or less a year Iam not really sure. I change my oil every 3k.

 

[dave1251]

vltnolia u might also want to try Chevron Delo 15W-40. It has a more robust additive package if your 4runner likes the 10W-40.

 

[wavinwayne]

If I were you, I would use whatever weight your owners manual calls for & change it as prescribed in your owners manual.

In the abscence of an owners manual, I would use a recognizeable name brand conventional 10w30, & change it every 5k miles. As far as oil filters are concerned, I would use just about anything except Fram.

 

[BlazerLT]

5w30 all year round

 

[vltnolia]

Iam getting kinda confused. What iam leaning towards are 10-40, and 10-30 oils. which would be a better choice for all year round in california.

 

[dave1251]

both r good because 10W-40 will shear down to a 10W-30 and 10w-30 will more or less stay a 30 weight oil. If u take care of your 4runner it will outlast your desire to keep it.

 

[Drew99GT]

quote:

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Originally posted by vltnolia:
Iam getting kinda confused. What iam leaning towards are 10-40, and 10-30 oils. which would be a better choice for all year round in california.

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For that kind of temperature range, 10w-30 would be the best.

 

[blmqzjc]

quote:

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Originally posted by vltnolia:
Iam getting kinda confused. What iam leaning towards are 10-40, and 10-30 oils. which would be a better choice for all year round in california.

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Dont think it makes any difference. The OCI is the big thing, and yours is excellent.

Here in Georgia, it can get into the teens occasionally in the winter and push 100F in the summer. In my newer cars, I generally ran 5w30 cause that's what the manual called for. My newest car, a 4cyl Elantra, can use 5W30, but also go up to W40 or even W50 if desired. In the distant past (pre-1995), I ran some 20W50 in 4 bangers and 10W40 or 15W40 in six cylinders, and never had any car consume or burn oil. My 1979 used straight SAE30 and Slick50, for god's sake. I only drove it for 22 years on that combination. (Please note I wouldn't put Slick50 in any newer car today).

Bottom Line: IMHO, I'd rather have a good OCI and a not-so-perfect oil weight, than a perfect oil weight with a lousy OCI. Experiment with a couple of different weights over the next few OCI's. Listen to what your engine tells you. It may say nothing. Then again, it may tell you what it likes, and doesn't like.

 

[427Z06]

I suspect the owner's manual recommends 5w30, so I would say any SM/GF-4 5w30 would do wonderfully with 3K mile OCIs. Chevron, Havoline, Trop-Artic, Conoco, Motorcraft, Penzoil, etc...they're all goooooood! Use a quality filter, i.e., anything but Fram, and the continents will rearrange themselves before your engine wears out.