5w20, My .02

[Turbo&Auto]

I really like it so far. The car is a bit peppier with the 5w20 over the 5w30. It drains a bit quicker at oil changes too.

I usually change my oil at 3K or when it turns nasty. With the 5w20 the car feels a lil sluggish right before the oil change is due, thats when I change it. Then it peps right back up.

I have not noticed a change in MPG's though after 2 oil changes with the thinner oil. Anyone else?

[PetersRedYaris]

Are you using synthetic? I'm debating switching to Mobil 1 5w-20 next oil change but am a little leary with the 100+ temperatures we've been having. I also was thinking of doing two oil changes a year as my driving has significantly decreased; in the fall go with 5W-20 synthetic for winter, then in the spring go with 5W-30 synthetic for summer driving. Any thoughts?

[Turbo&Auto]

I run Pennzoil conventional 5w20. I used to use Mobil1 in every car until 2 of them blew up from some sort of oil failure in each. I have not used it since and my cars have been lasting a lot longer.

[PetersRedYaris]

Really... Wha kind of car's, what kind of mods, and how many miles did they have?

[Turbo&Auto]

My Matrix died at 63K, just a TRD CAI. I ran Mobil1 synth in that car from the 1500 miles oil change on and I changed it at 3K instead of 5K. Still died and they wouldn't cover it. They said I didnt change the oil frequently enough. They also told me there was no sludge issue.....Funny thing was I took the car back (didnt like the 4500 price for a rebuilt engine from them) and removed the intake mani, TONS of sludge inside it....

The other was my 00 1.8t golf. It had a lot of mods but nothing too crazy. It died at 48K.......

[YarisTom73]

Are you using synthetic? I'm debating switching to Mobil 1 5w-20 next oil change but am a little leary with the 100+ temperatures we've been having. I also was thinking of doing two oil changes a year as my driving has significantly decreased; in the fall go with 5W-20 synthetic for winter, then in the spring go with 5W-30 synthetic for summer driving. Any thoughts?
That's precisely my plan as well: the heavier for protection during hot months, the thinner for quicker circulation during the cold winter. I'm a fan of Castrol Syntec, had great luck in the past with it, but brand talk is in every other thread on this site :biggrin: so I'll stop now. Good luck!

[dallas]

The car calls for 5w30 whay would you use a 5w20, and shorten the life of your engine. :iono:
Using a 10w thinner oil is only worth around a .02 mpg improvement. Car mfg are using a lighter oil to meet CAFE ( corporate average fuel economy ratings). A car manufacturer must get a average fuel milage rating for their entire auto line or they pay millions of dollars in penalties. As the engine gets hotter the oil thins, thinner oil has less internal friction, hence better mileage, but under fast driving and high rpm the thin oil layer can be spun away so you have metal to metal contact. More important than the brand of oil you use is the oils viscosity. If you really want a lighter oil find a 5w30 that is lighter at 100C, or a 5w20 that is heavier than others at 100c All oil spec sheets will show the visc at 40c and 100c compare brands and find the right oil but in my opinion a 0-20 or 5w20 is just too light if you plan on keeping the car beond the warrantee period.

[acdaazn]

The car calls for 5w30 whay would you use a 5w20, and shorten the life of your engine. :iono:
Using a 10w thinner oil is only worth around a .02 mpg improvement. Car mfg are using a lighter oil to meet CAFE ( corporate average fuel economy ratings). A car manufacturer must get a average fuel milage rating for their entire auto line or they pay millions of dollars in penalties. As the engine gets hotter the oil thins, thinner oil has less internal friction, hence better mileage, but under fast driving and high rpm the thin oil layer can be spun away so you have metal to metal contact. More important than the brand of oil you use is the oils viscosity. If you really want a lighter oil find a 5w30 that is lighter at 100C, or a 5w20 that is heavier than others at 100c All oil spec sheets will show the visc at 40c and 100c compare brands and find the right oil but in my opinion a 0-20 or 5w20 is just too light if you plan on keeping the car beond the warrantee period.

http://www.yarisworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5744

If they approve it, and it gives better MPG, why not? They "should" cover the engine with this grade of oil as well.

[Turbo&Auto]

I took my car to the dealer for the 1500 service and they filled it with 5w20. Then I read the TSB posted above and have been using it myself ever since then.

[dallas]

http://www.yarisworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5744
If they approve it, and it gives better MPG, why not? They "should" cover the engine with this grade of oil as well.


In 2000 Ford speced 5w30 for the focus next year it was 5w20 no change in engine clearances, its strictly for CAFE. having access to tribologists that blend and make motor oils I can tell you if you want less engine wear provable with oil analysis stay with 5w30 or 0w30. If you want to save .02 mpg go with the 5w20. Both oils will make it through the warrantee period.
I have not done oil analysis on this engine but I tride the 5w20 on one of my other cars and my metal content increased in the engine oil, indicating more wear was occuring.

[dallas]

Also someone mentioned it seemed to not perform as well toward the end of the oil change interval, it makes sense as your relying on the additive package for protection and additives depleat, specifically the ones designed to reduce friction to save gas, in cheaper oils the mileage increasing additives depleat after only a few 1000 kms. Yes your fine with 5w20 but if you drive aggressively, or live in a warm climate, and judging your on the forum you must like to mod the yaris, I would suggest you stick with 5w30.:smile:

[dallas]

As Toyota sells more Tundra's the new "gas hog" in their product line, they will need even more fuel saving strategies to meet CAFE Reqirements .Toyota is one of the better ones, I think it was Ford or Chev that pays millions every year in penalties because their cars dont get enough mileage. The O.E.M's pressure the oil companies to come up with better energy efficient oils all the time, but there are always trade offs.

[gonzo452001]

I did read somewhere that oil gets thicker as it gets older which would cause you to loose pep .I think it was on a tacoma forum My old 96 tacoma has 189,000 miles and still going strong on Mobil 1 5w30

[Black Yaris]

I have been doing a lil more research on synthetics and it seems the most popular viscosity it 0w-30 for all makes and modles that came with 5w-30 from the factory... I am switching to that on my next oil change

[dallas]

yes your right, but if your oil is thickening in 5000 miles you have a real problem, as oil get real old it will turn to thick sludge. The reason it feels less peppy is these new 5w20 have great fuel saving ( friction reducing additives that reduce friction between the oil molecules, these energy saving additives deplete after a few thousand miles so there is more internal friction in the oil at the change interval.


I did read somewhere that oil gets thicker as it gets older which would cause you to loose pep .I think it was on a tacoma forum My old 96 tacoma has 189,000 miles and still going strong on Mobil 1 5w30

[dallas]

0w30 is great ! much better in cold temp for start up, and the same viscosity as a 5w30 at operating temperature. On some oils like castrol syntec the 0W30 use a group 4 base oil thats better than the group 3 in their other weights look for the made in Germany tag on the bottle for the base 4 oil. Only thing to watch out for, check the visc at 100c as some 0w30's are actually heavier than most 5w30's at operating temperatures.

With Toyota suggesting using 5w20 and my oil cap saying use 5w30 I have gone to an 5w30 thats is very light and designed for fuel savings, its ELF EVOLUTION SXR. its a very light 5w30. European oil manufacturers cant call an oil syntetic unless it's using a group 4 or 5 base oil which in my opinion is much better than a group 3 used in most so called synthetic oils.


I have been doing a lil more research on synthetics and it seems the most popular viscosity it 0w-30 for all makes and modles that came with 5w-30 from the factory... I am switching to that on my next oil change

[derrick452]

FWIW, I work at a Toyota Dealership and even though nearly all the cars reccomend 5W-20, the service department only uses 5W-30.

[Black Yaris]

See I worked at a Chrysler dealer and I also had a couple buddys work at other dealers up here as well and they all use 5w20 in 99.9% of cars

[Toyota Technician]

FWIW, I work at a Toyota Dealership and even though nearly all the cars reccomend 5W-20, the service department only uses 5W-30.

Then u should know that their is a tsb stating it is safe to use 5-20 in any toyota veh using 5-30, the dealership i work at only stocks 5-20 in bulk and just keep quarts of other weights for older veh. personally i use amsoil 5-20

[dallas]

Some dealerships will use 5w30 over 5w20 because generally its cheaper in bulk. I have lubricants training and used to sell lubricants (9 years worth) and now run a performance tuner shop inside a Toyota dealership. I personally run a light viscosity 5w30. .02 mpg is not worth less life out of an engine.:eek:

[static808]

Some dealerships will use 5w30 over 5w20 because generally its cheaper in bulk. I have lubricants training and used to sell lubricants (9 years worth) and now run a performance tuner shop inside a Toyota dealership. I personally run a light viscosity 5w30. .02 mpg is not worth less life out of an engine.:eek:

i'm a little confused. i always thought the weights WERE the viscosity numbers. isnt a "light" 30 weight oil, by definition, NOT a 30 weight oil?? kinda like a 150 lb guy saying, "im a light 150 lbs." uhhh, you're either 150 or you're not. i would like it if you could further elaborate on "light" 30 weight oils, however, since if i CAN use a 30 weight oil that gives the efficiency benefits of a 20 weight oil, i'm all for it. currently using amsoil 0w-30, and planning on switching to 0w-20 as soon as i run out... thanks.

--B

[dallas]

Acording to oil manufacturers to call an oil SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) a 30 weight it must be betwwen 9.3 to 12.5 centistokes at 100 celcius. I use an 5w30 thats near 9.3 at 100c. Im making a compromise between what Toyota originally spec's for our engines and what they now say as people want more mileage and they sell more fuel sucking Tundras. A 20 weight on the other hand is any oil between 5.6 to 9.3 centistokes at 100c. why would you take the chance and rely on tha additives to prevent wear like in a 5w20 when in a 5w30 you will rely on hydrodynamic lubrication( the oil itself).



i'm a little confused. i always thought the weights WERE the viscosity numbers. isnt a "light" 30 weight oil, by definition, NOT a 30 weight oil?? kinda like a 150 lb guy saying, "im a light 150 lbs." uhhh, you're either 150 or you're not. i would like it if you could further elaborate on "light" 30 weight oils, however, since if i CAN use a 30 weight oil that gives the efficiency benefits of a 20 weight oil, i'm all for it. currently using amsoil 0w-30, and planning on switching to 0w-20 as soon as i run out... thanks.

--B

[static808]

Acording to oil manufacturers to call an oil SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) a 30 weight it must be betwwen 9.3 to 12.5 centistokes at 100 celcius. I use an 5w30 thats near 9.3 at 100c. Im making a compromise between what Toyota originally spec's for our engines and what they now say as people want more mileage and they sell more fuel sucking Tundras. A 20 weight on the other hand is any oil between 5.6 to 9.3 centistokes at 100c. why would you take the chance and rely on tha additives to prevent wear like in a 5w20 when in a 5w30 you will rely on hydrodynamic lubrication( the oil itself).

awesome info. after reading your stats, i looked up my current oil and saw that it ran 10.0 cSt @ 100C, so it must be of the "lighter" 30 weight oils. the oil i was looking at, 0w-20, runs 9.0 cSt @ 100C, so i'm still thinking about switching, since its at the "heavier" end of the 20 weight spectrum, so the protective capabilities should still be there. oh, and completely agree with using oils from group IV or V, unlike mobil 1 which uses group III bases. thanks for the info!

--B

[dallas]

Thanks. Is it Amsoil 5w20 thats 9 centistokes at 100c? if so go for it , its close enough, to what your happy with. The last time a ran Amsoil a few years back, their 5w30 was more like 12 centistokes? I cant remember which one it was! If you live in a warm climate I would go with a heavy weight 5w30. you won't see much milege improvement with only a 1 or 2 centistoke reduction, so go with the cheaper or more readily available one. I live in Canada and its not that hot so I feel safe running a lighter weight. If I lived in Texas for example I would find a 5w30 on the heavier side.