Newbie 1st Post : 5w30 vs 10w30

[Va Runner]

Just purchased a new 2006 4 cylinder Toyota & the owners' manual recommends the use of 5w30 oil. In fact, Toyota discourages the use of 10w30 oils.

I have never used "5W" oils as I viewed them as being too light and not necessary in the mild Virginia climate.

I've read in numerous forum posts about members preference for the "5W" oils over "10W" oils. Can someone explain why the 5W oils are preferred and how the viscosity compares to 10W oils?

I will be changing my Toyota;s oil for the first time at 500 miles and need to select the oil soon.
If I utilize dino oil, which brands are preferred and why?

Thanks in advance for your explanations and suggestions.

 

[Steve S]

Toyota may be recommending 05w20.

 

[G-MAN]

Either 5w30 or 10w30 would be fine. The 5w or 10w only matters in colder temps where the 5w would flow better and make cold starts somewhat easier. At operating temp (and all things being equal), a 5w30 and 10w30 are the same viscosity.

 

[schwartr88]

If you want a good oil you could use: valvoline, pennzoil, castrol, mobil 1, quaker state, top artic, delo, shell, supertec, havoline, chevron, citgo, exxon, motorcraft, texaco, or any of the 40 others I forgot.

I use and love valvoline, but the fact is each oil has served someone well, and dissapointed another. There is no such thing as "the best oil" it all comes down to what YOU like.

 

[vronline]

Use the weight your owner's manual calls for.

 

[Rodbuckler]

The various oil manufacturers seem to use two different combinations of formulations for 5W-30's and 10W-30's.

The first is a formulation such that the hot viscosity is similar for each, but the 5W-30 is thinner when cold than the 10W-30. In the high temp extreme the 10W-30 ends up with a higher HTHS viscosity than the 5W-30.

The second combination of formulations gives a 10W-30 that is just a thicker 30 weight overall than the 5W-30 offering.

Look up the specs to be sure. They are on-line.

 

[surfstar]

Many times a 5w30 will be thicker at 100* compared to a 10w30 from the same manufacturer. May be related to my next comment.

10w30 can be more shear-stable, although I think SM 5w30s have solved most shearing problems.

IMO if you don't have a cold climate, 10w30. If you have some cold starts below 40*F, go for a 5w30 for that better flow at startup.

 

[Ray H]

In a mild or warm climate, 10W-30 motor oil will be fine in that engine. Whether you ultimately decide on 5W-30 or 10W-30 motor oil is largely irrelevant. Just change the oil and filter every 5,000 miles or less and the car will fall apart before the engine tanks. My personal choice is now TropArtic 10W-30 Synthetic Blend (~$1.50/qt at WalMart). In either 5W-30 or 10W-30 that brand's product data sheet states a cSt @ 100 deg C. viscosity of 10.9.

 

[Triple_Se7en]

Most 5W-30 s are thicker than 10W-30 in viscosity. Even thicker than those is 0W-30 in most cases.

 

[Alan]

Use 5W30.

10W30 is basically an obsolete grade for most applications.

 

[Bill in Utah]

Which 2006 Toyota did you buy?

I've done quite a few UOAs on a 1.8l Corolla engine.

It's only seen 5w-30 and in temps above 110f and -15f below.

Runs like a top all the time. 46k miles so far in 18 months.

The best UOA to date was with Pennzoil Dino 5w-30. Castrol is very good also.

I have not used Havoline (I have some in the stash) or Chevron (same) yet as I have quite a bit of Castrol I'm going to use.

Really, any good Conventional oil will be great!

Take care, bill

PS:

 

[IslaVistaMan]

Va Runner, your post makes me think you might be considering a synthetic oil down the line.

I switched to a synthetic at 1,000 miles after several oil changes using dino. Your 500 mile plan is excellent. Personally, I would run the OEM oil filter during this time as insurance.

During break-in, keep the engine RPMs varied, run some hills up and down, and do a few warm-up / cool-down cycles. You don't have to run the motor hard, but you'll want to vary the loads it sees, both through throttle position and temperatures. I dedicated several days to running my Toyota in this manner, and the results have been excellent.

There isn't much to break in on a new motor, but break in it will -- most engines show elevated wear metals for at least the first 15,000 miles, and my own first used-oil analysis confirmed this.

The most important things are to get the rings seated and expose the motor to thermal cycles relatively soon. Doing that will set the stage for moving to a synthetic down the road with excellent results.

 

[Va Runner]

Thanks for the wealth of information. What a great forum....I've learned so much in a week's time!

I'll be using a 5w30 oil and the Toyota OEM filters as i break my 2006 Corolla in....500 miles / 1500 miles / 3000 miles thereafter.....

Hopefully, this 1.8L engine will match my old 1991 Subaru's 270,000 mile run before being sold to a coworker as a good commuter car....all on QS 10 W 40 !!!!

 

[hominid7]

I like your initial oil change intervals. I agree chaning the oil early and often in the first few thousand miles is an excellent start.

If you look around on the internet you can also find decent deals on Denso filters if you buy a case of them. You can also look around at some of the independant Japanese/import auto part stores as some of them may stock Denso filters as well as other parts for your car.

Enjoy your new ride!

 

[mechtech]

va runner - If you consider 5 weight oils too light, everyone here would agree.
But there is no 5 weight engine oil made, that I know of.
However, when an oil is labeled 5-30, it basically performs like a thinner oil only when cold. Remember, that when cold this 'thinner' oil is still 5 times THICKER than 30 when hot.
Use 5-20 or 5-30.

 

[Bill in Utah]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Va Runner:
Thanks for the wealth of information. What a great forum....I've learned so much in a week's time!

I'll be using a 5w30 oil and the Toyota OEM filters as i break my 2006 Corolla in....500 miles / 1500 miles / 3000 miles thereafter.....

Hopefully, this 1.8L engine will match my old 1991 Subaru's 270,000 mile run before being sold to a coworker as a good commuter car....all on QS 10 W 40 !!!!

---

You have the same car I have and I've done quite a bit of UOAs with my car.

Changed out the factory fill at 1000 miles and did a UOA.

Went 2k miles on Pennzoil 5w-30 and changed out.

Went 5k on Castrol Syn Blend and did a UOA.

Went 5k on a blend of Syntec and Syntec blend did a UOA.

Went 3k on Mobil Drive clean did a UOA.

Went 5k on Mobil 1 Syn and did a UOA.

Went for a couple of oil changes without a UOA and did a Castrol GTX UOA.

Then went a few without UOAs and just got done with a 5k run of Pennzoil 5w-30 with a no wear UOA. The best of the bunch so far.

I've also cut open quite a few different filters for our engines and posted photos in the Oil filter area!

I'm going for 300k with my car and will make it with ease.

I've got still in the family my 1986 VW jetta that just passed 275k with nothing ever done to it except normal stuff (timing belts, plugs, fluids)..

Good to have another Corolla/Matrix/Vibe owner here!

Take care, Bill

 

[GROUCHO MARX]

"Runs like a top all the time. 46k miles so far in 18 months"
=============================================================

Did you go for an extended warranty?

 

[Bill in Utah]

quote:

---

Originally posted by GROUCHO MARX:
"Runs like a top all the time. 46k miles so far in 18 months"
=============================================================

Did you go for an extended warranty?

---

Nope.

Never do.

My 2000 Silverado has never been to the dealer since I drove it off the lot. (It does have a few recalls that I need to get done

)

I just have never thought that the extended warranty was worth anything.

If I have a problem, I could prob get it fixed cheaper than what the warranty cost. (and for the many new cars I've bought in the last 30 years, I've been correct in not buying one!

)

Take care, Bill

 

[hominid7]

5w30 is the new 10w30.

With DOHC engines, narrow oil passages, newly designed oil pumps to accomodate thinner oils, not to mention gas savings, it just makes sense to use 5w30 or 5w20 in cars that call for it.

If you read the Used Oil reports elsewhere on this board, the 10w30's do not appear to be any more shear resistant than the 5w30's and sometimes the thicker oils are less shear resistant than the 5w20's are.

Having said that, i dont think 10w30 will hurt your Toyota. Todays 10w30 and 5w30 are very similar, but there will be some difference especially in cold weather with the 5w30 pumping a tad bit faster.

If you are still concerned though, you can always choose one of the "thicker" 5w30's available. Havoline, Motorcraft/TropArtic, and Pennzoil are three 5w30's that come to mind that are both very well respected on this board as well as on the "thicker" side at 40*C.

I've tried both 5w30 and 10w30 in my Mazda and it just seems to like 5w30 better. Motorcraft 5w30 semi-synthetic oil (made by TropArtic) is one specific oil that just really seems to fit my engine well.

 

[Bill in Utah]

quote:

---

Originally posted by GROUCHO MARX:
"Runs like a top all the time. 46k miles so far in 18 months"
=============================================================

Did you go for an extended warranty?

---

Nope.

Never do.

My 2000 Silverado has never been to the dealer since I drove it off the lot. (It does have a few recalls that I need to get done

)

I just have never thought that the extended warranty was worth anything.

If I have a problem, I could prob get it fixed cheaper than what the warranty cost. (and for the many new cars I've bought in the last 30 years, I've been correct in not buying one!

)

Take care, Bill