Oil Recommendations for two vehicles / 0w20/5w30

[MisterBen]

I'm looking for some recommendations for our two vehicles.

I have a 2012 4Runner Limited with about 46k miles on it. It has the 1GR-FE V6 motor in it. Currently I have M1 0w20 AFE (Toyota filter), and just realized I have over 8k miles and 9 months on the oil. I actually wasn't planning on running it that long, because with my wife's current job the vehicle has a lot of short trips. It came with the two years of maintenance when we bought it, so the previous oil changes have all been completed at the dealer--presumably with Toyota 0w20, and run for a year each.

The manual has the vague "if the vehicle is operated under load or at high speeds, a higher viscosity may be appropriate." In the next few months it will be taking a few long trips over the mountains, a couple of those trips while towing a trailer (one of them near the vehicle's limit probably)--we are in the process of relocating to a new state.

We just bought a new 2016 Mazda3 S Grand Touring with the 6-speed and 2.5L Skyactiv motor. Fantastic car so far, I can't recommend Mazda enough. We used to have a 2010 3 and it was outstanding as well. I am not ready to change the oil yet, but will probably be doing a couple early oil changes. The vehicle recommends 0w20 for the US, Canada & Puerto Rico... but says for everywhere else use 5w30. It has basically 3 maintenance intervals: standard is 6 months, severe service is 4 months, or you can use the OLM for up to 12mo/10k (US only). Our current driving meets their severe service definition, but I really don't want to change the oil every 4 months if I don't have to. I'm going to experiment a little with cost/oil benefit of premium fuel, as the engine has a 13:1 compression ratio.

My previous Toyota was a 2009 Tacoma with the 1GR-FE, which required 5w30. I ran it on Chevron dino oil on 6 month intervals from Costco, seemed to work just fine. Since these two vehicles require 11.4 qts of oil (per the manual) in an oil change, I have been kind of thinking of just switching back to the Chevron and buying a case when it's on sale and sticking to 6 month oil changes. We're also moving some place that is fairly hot in the summer. It sounds like the Mazda might end up dumping a lot of fuel in the oil, so I am a little hesitant to go to 1 year oil changes. I've never done a UOA on either vehicle, so I guess I probably should. They sell Mobil 1 at Costco as well, but I think it's only in 5w30.

I guess I am looking at:

-Switch to a 5w30, either dino or synthetic but probably dino
-Move to a 0w30, as it will probably also have fairly cold winters
-Stick with 0w20, but stay with M1 AFE or move to the EP version, and try to stay with 1 year OCIs (?)

We plan on driving these vehicles into the ground. I want at least 20 years out of them, if not more... barring any major catasrophe. If the wheels fall off, I'll staple them back on and keep going.

 

[Oregoonian]

M-1 0w30.....would be my choice.

 

[gallydif]

Havoline 5w-30 dino. 5 qt jug on sale at walmart and amazon for $11.77 and also has a $5 rebate running.

 

[Dyusik]

Where are you in Washington? East side 5w30/0w30, for west/coast just plain ole 10w30 will do good. If you are prone to the 'just realized how many mile are on it" type cases, I'd go synthetic. A3/B4 while you're at it.

 

[MisterBen]

Originally Posted By: Oregoonian
M-1 0w30.....would be my choice.


That is what I was thinking if I go with 0w30.


Originally Posted By: gallydif
Havoline 5w-30 dino. 5 qt jug on sale at walmart and amazon for $11.77 and also has a $5 rebate running.


That's cheap... I seem to recall that's the same as the Chevron stuff I ran in my Tacoma?


Originally Posted By: Dyusik
Where are you in Washington? East side 5w30/0w30, for west/coast just plain ole 10w30 will do good. If you are prone to the 'just realized how many mile are on it" type cases, I'd go synthetic. A3/B4 while you're at it.


I haven't updated my profile. We were in WA, we've been on the front range in CO the past couple of years. Now we're moving to Utah. The 4Runner started out in WA. We were from the wet side, but currently climate is more like the east side. I'll be making a few trips back and forth over the Rockies.

I'm not typically prone to realizing the oil was further along than I wanted, I've just been used to the dealer doing the maintenance for a couple years, and never put a reminder in the vehicle.

Part of me wants to go synthetic regardless in case we run over or due to potential fuel dilution, but it seems like a waste for short intervals.

 

[NH73]

I would go synthetic for either 0w20 or 0w30. I would go longer OCI than too. Since your manual don't call for 5w30, except the Mazda for out of the US, I wouldn't use a 5w30 dino.

 

[Nick1994]

5w30 in the 4Runner, 0w20 in the Mazda

 

[demarpaint]

PU 5W30 in the 4Runner, and AFE 0W20 in the Mazda.

 

[gallydif]

MisterBen: Yes, pretty much. Quality at a good price. Chevron makes Havoline and Chevron oil like Shell makes Pennzoil and Shell oil.

 

[BrocLuno]

Chevron Supreme dino is as good as it gets in conventional oils. If you are going with anything up 7,500 miles, it's fine to use and easy to get.

Utah gets cold in winter, so the 5W-30 (world spec) would be my choice - Havoline is also excellent oil.

You want to go the full OLM, I'd prolly go PUP 5W-30 (world spec) and bite the bullet on cost. You could nickle and dime it if that makes you feel better... But a few $$ here or there, not really big for me. Cars lasting to 250,000+ is big to me.

 

[hofcat]

I also have a 2016 Mazda 3 S Grand Touring. In regards to this car my recommendation would be to stick with the recommended 0W-20 viscosity oil. Because of medical treatments I have had a lot of free time on my hands the last couple of weeks and have been reading a lot about the Sky Active engines and the service manuals. I know a lot of people feel 0W-20 oil is too thin and is forced upon us by the EPA for fuel conservation at the expense of engine wear and life. I do believe the push for 20 weight oil is for fuel savings but not necessarily at the expense of engine life. Mazda is very clear that the Sky Active engine was designed to optimize fuel efficiently. From my readings though it seems Mazda really designed this engine for 0W-20 oil and it is not some compromise over using a 30 weight oil. This engine has an oil solenoid valve controlled by the engine PCM to regulate the oil pump output pressure and flow to supply only the amount of oil needed to reduce pumping loses. It also has “optimized” oil and coolant passages. In most cars the oil pump output is simply a function of engine RPM. I suspect these systems and the oil passages and engine clearances work best with a 20 weight oil as recommended by the manufacture.

For my oil changes I have bought Pennzoil Ultra 0W-20 single quarts from Walmart over the internet and picked up in store. This oil is hard to find and Walmart raised the price recently.

 

[bigt61]

Originally Posted By: Nick1994
5w30 in the 4Runner, 0w20 in the Mazda

Yup. Costco here sells both in M1.

 

[MisterBen]

Thanks everyone for the great input. I think I am going to change the 4Runner over to 5w30, though I'm not sure if I want to go to the 6month dino or just stick with 1 year/10k with full synthetic. The newer Toyotas have so many skid plates it's a pain in the rear, but I also want to make sure I'm giving it the best protection... and it takes a lot of oil. I definitely want these to last a long time. So I guess 6 months on Chevron, or 1 year on M1, PP or maybe the Castrol stuff.

I'm leaning towards keeping the 0w20 in the Mazda, even tempted to go with a good synthetic and just switching on the OLM. I'm a little worried of a potential oil issue that would certainly be warranty-affected (see below). I don't want to needlessly over-maintain, but I also want it to last 20 years and as many miles as possible.

Originally Posted By: hofcat
I also have a 2016 Mazda 3 S Grand Touring. In regards to this car my recommendation would be to stick with the recommended 0W-20 viscosity oil. Because of medical treatments I have had a lot of free time on my hands the last couple of weeks and have been reading a lot about the Sky Active engines and the service manuals. I know a lot of people feel 0W-20 oil is too thin and is forced upon us by the EPA for fuel conservation at the expense of engine wear and life. I do believe the push for 20 weight oil is for fuel savings but not necessarily at the expense of engine life. Mazda is very clear that the Sky Active engine was designed to optimize fuel efficiently. From my readings though it seems Mazda really designed this engine for 0W-20 oil and it is not some compromise over using a 30 weight oil. This engine has an oil solenoid valve controlled by the engine PCM to regulate the oil pump output pressure and flow to supply only the amount of oil needed to reduce pumping loses. It also has “optimized” oil and coolant passages. In most cars the oil pump output is simply a function of engine RPM. I suspect these systems and the oil passages and engine clearances work best with a 20 weight oil as recommended by the manufacture.

For my oil changes I have bought Pennzoil Ultra 0W-20 single quarts from Walmart over the internet and picked up in store. This oil is hard to find and Walmart raised the price recently.


That's some really good information. Did your S come with headlights aimed too low? My wife doesn't really want to drive the car at night as they are really pointed down and they are severely limited.

I wouldn't be surprised if the engine was built around 0w20, but why would they suggest 5w30 (5w20 if 5w30 is not available) for the rest of the world, and the OLM not available outside of the US. Do you think the motor is different?

I also found a TSB for the 3 in both the 2.0 and 2.5L motors for a poorly designed oil screen. Apparently debris can get sucked up into the oil pickup and heavily restrict oil pressure. The check engine light comes on, and eventually the car runs poorly. The fix is to install a new design oil pickup. Never had an issue with our 2010, so I'm thinking maybe I just need to make sure and run a good filter and do a couple early changes.

Originally Posted By: bigt61
Originally Posted By: Nick1994
5w30 in the 4Runner, 0w20 in the Mazda

Yup. Costco here sells both in M1.


Didn't realize they had 0w20... I thought they only had 5w30 & 10w30. Might go this route, though 6 quarts is not enough for the Toyota.

 

[MisterBen]

Originally Posted By: BrocLuno
Chevron Supreme dino is as good as it gets in conventional oils. If you are going with anything up 7,500 miles, it's fine to use and easy to get.

Utah gets cold in winter, so the 5W-30 (world spec) would be my choice - Havoline is also excellent oil.

You want to go the full OLM, I'd prolly go PUP 5W-30 (world spec) and bite the bullet on cost. You could nickle and dime it if that makes you feel better... But a few $$ here or there, not really big for me. Cars lasting to 250,000+ is big to me.


Yep, cold in the winter, and hot in the summer.

If I switch to the OLM in the Mazda, I definitely would go with a good synthetic. I don't want to cheap out and risk the longevity of the car, but don't want to over-spend either.

ETA: My only hesitation about 0w20 in the car is that with lower octane (87) and the high compression direct injection, it sounds like this car might be prone to dumping a lot of fuel in the oil and I'm concerned that will lower the oil more. I'm sure that's taken into account though in the engine design.

 

[dew]

I am not an oil expert, but would highly recommend sticking with full synthetic based on your expectations for the vehicles.

I have an 01 Tacoma 4x4 with the 3.4 and over 270K miles. While under warranty, I ran the maximum OCI (7,500) on "dino" because I was too cheap to use synthetic until I could run 10k intervals without voiding the warranty. So, starting around 50k, I switched to M1 5w-30 and 10k intervals, with few exceptions since then.

The engine is apparently almost spotless under the valve covers and has never needed a valve adjustment. Also, I live in an urban area and generally over half my miles are city, some very short commutes.

I have always tried to drive gently until warm but never idle it to warm up. If it were me, I would also pick a particular synthetic and avoid switching around. I like M1 5w30 due to the relatively high starting TBN. I stock up at walmart when on rollback.

Also, amazingly, it still doesn't consume oil.


If it were me, I'd run 0w30 or 5w30 in the Toyota since some towing will be involved, and stick to 0w20 in the Mazda unless driven hard...

My $.02

 

[CELICA_XX]

I'm going to respond for tig1 so he doesnt have to!

"I have used M1 0w oils for several years, at 10K OCI's with very good results."



Joking aside, I would run a 5w30 in both

 

[Kuato]

Since both vehicles' manuals say a 30 is acceptable (or even recommended), and you'll be in the mountains all the time where the engines will be working hard, I completely agree with using a 0w30(or 5w30 if temps don't get below -10°F or so). I've been using the Amsoil version up here near the Canadian border for the last 4 years with good results, and the M1 and Castrol versions are also good.

If you were just putt-putting around town then the 0w20 would be adequate; but from your description that's not what type of driving you'll be doing.

And this caught my eye:

Originally Posted By: MisterBen

...The manual has the vague "if the vehicle is operated under load or at high speeds, a higher viscosity may be appropriate." In the next few months it will be taking a few long trips over the mountains, a couple of those trips while towing a trailer (one of them near the vehicle's limit probably)--we are in the process of relocating to a new state....


Clearly indicates a higher viscosity.

 

[hofcat]

Mr. Ben,
My headlights where not too low. I was surprised how much I liked them and they are far better than any other car I have owned. The cut of line is really sharp and distinct so maybe that gives the appearance they are aimed to low since the HID is so bright. Also the HID headlight are self-leveling, they are not fixed in place. If you feel they are to low take the care to the dealer to have them checked, if they self-leveling mechanism is not working it should be fixed under warranty.
From looking at the manuals on the sky active engine I have found the only difference I have seen between US engines and overseas is emissions equipment notably the evaporative canister which is not the engine. I saw the 5w-30 recommendation over 5w-20 as well and that confused me too. I have no explanation for that and it makes no since to me. I believe that is only for the rest of North America and not Europe. My best guess is it is an error or maybe something to do with the availability of 0W20 and 5W-20 outside of the US and Canada.

 

[Alex38]

I'd run M1 0w30 in both, change according to the OLM. This keeps it simple, and should give you a very high probability of those engines lasting longer than the rest of the vehicle.

 

[MisterBen]

Originally Posted By: hofcat
Mr. Ben,
My headlights where not too low. I was surprised how much I liked them and they are far better than any other car I have owned. The cut of line is really sharp and distinct so maybe that gives the appearance they are aimed to low since the HID is so bright. Also the HID headlight are self-leveling, they are not fixed in place. If you feel they are to low take the care to the dealer to have them checked, if they self-leveling mechanism is not working it should be fixed under warranty.
From looking at the manuals on the sky active engine I have found the only difference I have seen between US engines and overseas is emissions equipment notably the evaporative canister which is not the engine. I saw the 5w-30 recommendation over 5w-20 as well and that confused me too. I have no explanation for that and it makes no since to me. I believe that is only for the rest of North America and not Europe. My best guess is it is an error or maybe something to do with the availability of 0W20 and 5W-20 outside of the US and Canada.


Thanks for the info. I have to take the car into the dealer anyway to get a nasty paint chip fixed and have them look at the AC, so I'll have them look at the headlights.

They aim at the ground maybe 50 yards in front of the vehicle, which makes highway/interstate at night very difficult. For some reason the high beams on a deserted back road are absolutely fantastic. I haven't really noticed them auto-level, but I do notice them adjust when turning. Do they auto-level in response to oncoming light? I haven't really noticed any sensors, but haven't looked for them. My wife doesn't really even want to drive it at night because of the poor aim; the 4Runner's halogen low beams have much more distance on them. The Mazda HIDs are very bright though.

ETA: The 2010 Mazda3 we had came with halogen projectors in the low beams. They had a pretty sharp cutoff, and we had no problems with the headlights in that car.

5w30 vs 0w20 could certainly be due to oil availability. The OLM is a US-only feature, per the manual.

I checked Costco prices and availability tonight. All they had was Chevron 10w40 and Mobil in 5w30, 10w30, and I think a few 5w20. Price was standard though, and I think a little higher than Walmart.