Oil change advice for interval and type

[ilnot1]

I have a 2010 3-Door Liftback and I just reached 105,000 miles. Up to this point I've been doing conventional oil changes at the manual prescribed 5,000 miles. So I live in the Northeast (Philadelphia) and probably do 60/40 city/hwy. I don't think I am a serve driver, maybe the high end of normal on the highway. I am making a job change so I'm only going to be doing 3-5 thousand miles a year going forward.

Questions:

1) When, if ever, should I start thinking about high-mileage oil?

2) What is the best viscosity level for my area and driving type?

3) I understand good synthetic is slightly better in terms of deposits and fuel efficiency than dino. If got a 10-15 thousand mile synth it seems like a bad idea to only change my oil once every 3-4 years. What is the maximum time interval between oil changes for both synth and conventional no matter the millage driven?

Thanks

[alanwagen]

I'm thinking everyone has an opinion about this but this is what I do.

I use Mobil 1 extended synthetic 5-30 and go 10K miles. Just because I'm lazy and so far no problems. The less oil changes makes up for the extra cost of the oil. I do use a OEM Toyota oil filter though.

[NYC-SE]

I'm thinking everyone has an opinion about this but this is what I do.

I use Mobil 1 extended synthetic 5-30 and go 10K miles. Just because I'm lazy and so far no problems. The less oil changes makes up for the extra cost of the oil. I do use a OEM Toyota oil filter though.

I plan to do the same as soon as my free Toyota Care oil changes run out. It is unlikely I will do 10,000 miles a year though, once a year OCI should be OK.

[Exiwolfman]

Mobil 1 synthetic 5-30 and go 5000km

[tmontague]

Mobil 1 Syn 0w30 and I go 13,000km between OCI's, that is based on a full used oil analysis and with very spirited driving.

I believe most oil manufacturers recommend an OCI at least once a year. If your new driving routine doesn't have you going on the highway very often then a least once per week drive on the highway above the speed limit for 20mins minimum. Especially in the winter.

Due to your climate where you live i'd run an inexpensive grade III Syn oil and go with 5k mile OCI's, this will help with wear and tear on the engine during winter starts.

[MadMax]

I'm thinking everyone has an opinion about this but this is what I do.

I use Mobil 1 extended synthetic 5-30 and go 10K miles. Just because I'm lazy and so far no problems. The less oil changes makes up for the extra cost of the oil. I do use a OEM Toyota oil filter though.

Ditto, except that I use a Mobile 1 filter as well; and for the same reasons (being lazy).

Cheers! M2

[ex-x-fire]

I use Q-state dino oil & filter, change every 5,000 miles. I expect to get 300,000 miles out of mine. Oil changes costs me around $11.

[ilnot1]

Thx all! Quite helpful.

I guess my only unanswered question is, if I'm using Mobil 1 Syn, what if it takes me 18 months or 2 years to do 5k miles. Does anyone know if there is a maximum length of time that this oil can be used before it needs to be changed? Like the 6-month max for dino. Thanks.

[tmontague]

I believe most oil manufacturers recommend an OCI at least once a year regardless of mileage

^

[ilnot1]

Thx, I wasn't sure if you were referring to syn or conventional.