Recommendation: 2007 Camry 3.5L V6

[AHampton]

Hello all! Am new to the site and after looking through tons of information, my head is spinning!

Basically, I am trying to figure out what is the best oil to maximize fuel economy and minimize wear. I plan to have the car for 200K miles plus so longterm wear is a big deal to me. I am looking at 0w30 M1, 0w30 PP, or possibly a 0w20 of those two. However, I am somewhat concerned that the 0w20 won't cut it in the engine since it is a v6 (but that is why I am here for advice

).

I drive 90% highway and about 20k+ miles a year. I live in Indiana so the summers can be warm (90F+) and winters get cold (20F-). Also, my Camry has 60k miles on it.

Any advice is appreciated!

 

[bepperb]

Despite Toyota's problems with the 3.0 and 3.3, the 3.5 is a pretty stout mill. In Indiana any 20 or 30 weight will really be fine. a 0w-20 would in theory provide the best fuel economy, but I doubt you would notice any difference. It's probably easier to find 5-20 in 5qt jugs and at a low price, so that is what I would (and do) use.

Probably more important is the change interval, but 7500 miles (and possibly even more) should be no problem in that engine with M1 or PP in any of the weights you listed.

Once at operating temp, a 0w-20 and 5w-20 are the same viscosity, so don't waste time trying to find one over the other unless you do a lot of short trips, which 90% highway would lead me to believe is not the case.

 

[5sfe91]

Castrol Syntec "euro formula" 0w-30 (known around here as GC) with a purolator or toyota oil filter would be a good choice for a 5-7.5k OCI

 

[blue94]

This is one of those situations where it probably doesn't matter what you do. You have a good car and you're putting on a lot of highway miles. As long as you stick to a reasonable change interval for the given oil that you choose, your engine will outlast everything else. I'd be far more worried about the salt on the road than the oil in the engine.

I assume the car specs a 5w-20. If so, you don't need a 30wt. The fact that it's a V6 means nothing.

So, you can pretty much use anything you want but given your driving style and high highway mileage, I think you'd be a good candidate for trying an extending drain oil. Just don't jump to extended drains right away. Ease into it and get have an analysis done.

 

[AHampton]

Thanks for the info guys!

Originally Posted By: bepperb
Probably more important is the change interval, but 7500 miles (and possibly even more) should be no problem in that engine with M1 or PP in any of the weights you listed.

I am hoping to get around a 10K change interval eventually once I figure out which one works best.

Originally Posted By: 5sfe91
Castrol Syntec "euro formula" 0w-30 (known around here as GC) with a purolator or toyota oil filter would be a good choice for a 5-7.5k OCI

I will look it up and see how it compares. A friend of mine mentioned the German version saying it is much better then the US version.

Originally Posted By: blue94
I assume the car specs a 5w-20. If so, you don't need a 30wt. The fact that it's a V6 means nothing.

The manual specs 5w30 but Toyota released a TSB saying it is ok to use 5w20 for fuel economy reasons. I guess that is why it makes me a bit nervous.



In any case, I am planning to send in my current oil for analysis on the next change to make sure everything is good. Will probably try the 0w20 unless I find something scary concerning the 2GR-FE and 20wt oil.

Thanks again!

 

[blue94]

Originally Posted By: AHampton

I am hoping to get around a 10K change interval eventually once I figure out which one works best.


There's really not much to "figure out" here. All the big name oils will do equally well - as will all the small name oils too. Highway cruising is easy on oil. Assuming your engine is currently clean and in good working order, 10k with any name brand syn should not be a problem. Heck, under these conditions, you might even be able to do it with dino. Though I would go syn for piece of mind.

 

[addyguy]

If the manual specs 5W-30, I'd run M1 0W-30 in it.

Lot of memebers here having really good luck with that oil - it's a winner in XOM's product line.

 

[moto94536]

don't worry. Your camry v6 will reach 200k miles easy. Just do normal oil change, and maintenance.

I have 2006 toyota camry v6 3.0. 196,000 miles, engine is like brand new strong. I have been using Chevron gas all the time. I do 99% highway driving. I use cruise control. my mpg is like 30 - 32. my best was 33.9 mpg.

I start with regular dino, High Mileage, and synthetic oil.

I recommend Castrol motor oil. Toyota v6 engine love it.