switching back to natural oil?

[bronsin]

If you are thinking you will get better gas mileage using synth think again. I drove 5200 miles to AK from NJ on regular motor oil and returned the same way using synthetic. There was no difference in gas mileage over 5200 miles.

Also you will void your warranty if you dont change your oil according to the owners manual.

Also see below.

[fnkngrv]

Originally Posted by bronsin

Also you will void your warranty if you dont change your oil according to the owners manual.

Also see below.

The warranty is only 3/36 anyway. Secondly they have to prove that you changing your interval was the direct cause for engine failure which they will not be able to do. Third speaking from experience from blowing up a 4E-FTE with conventional and also 1NZ with synthetic I can tell you that there is definitely a cleaner difference between them when you tear them down. It may not an apples to apples comparison, but from what I had occur both from over boosting there was a lot more damage on the 4E with conventional than the 1NZ with the synthetic. Lastly, the 1NZ is such a cheap motor to replace it wouldn't even be worth worrying about warranty IMHO. A Toyota motor for the most part will continue to run even after the vehicle that houses it has rusted away and is dust if you leave it stock.

This is a debate that can go round and round, but there has been plenty of independent studies out there showing that synthetic has several advantages over conventional oil one of which is the ability to move away from the reliance of fossil fuels.

[tooter]

Originally Posted by fnkngrv

This is a debate that can go round and round, but there has been plenty of independent studies out there showing that synthetic has several advantages over conventional oil one of which is the ability to move away from the reliance of fossil fuels.

I don't lose much sleep over a few quarts of fossil oil as long as I'm already putting gallons and gallons of fossil gasoline in my car.

[fnkngrv]

Originally Posted by tooter

I don't lose much sleep over a few quarts of fossil oil as long as I'm already putting gallons and gallons of fossil gasoline in my car.

So you are saying that you only bought the Yaris for its looks/handling and not the FE that it provides you over other subcompacts out there?

[tooter]

Originally Posted by fnkngrv

So you are saying that you only bought the Yaris for its looks/handling and not the FE that it provides you over other subcompacts out there?

Oh, not at all.
I'm a genuine cheapskate and take pride in buying the lowest priced new car on the lot. But not directly for the reason of trying to reduce dependence on fossil fuels. That's just a side effect of frugality.

[fnkngrv]

Originally Posted by tooter

Oh, not at all.
I'm a genuine cheapskate and take pride in buying the lowest priced new car on the lot. But not directly for the reason of trying to reduce dependence on fossil fuels. That's just a side effect of frugality.

touche

[Happy Little Pony]

Third speaking from experience from blowing up a 4E-FTE with conventional and also 1NZ with synthetic I can tell you that there is definitely a cleaner difference between them when you tear them down. It may not an apples to apples comparison, but from what I had occur both from over boosting there was a lot more damage on the 4E with conventional than the 1NZ with the synthetic.

No once during my thirty years of driving have I "blown up" an engine during my daily commute. The Yaris I drive is the tame little economy car with the decidedly non-high performance engine. If you've turbocharged your Yaris and are using it as a race car, then I'll agree that synthetic is a good idea in a hot rod engine. I just drive mine slowly around town.

Lastly, the 1NZ is such a cheap motor to replace it wouldn't even be worth worrying about warranty IMHO.

Hey, Mr. Moneybags, maybe in your world an engine is cheap, but in my world just the labor to install a new engine would be crippling. The original poster in this thread was worried about the few dollars difference between a synthetic and a conventional oil change. I won't speak for him, but I bought the Yaris because I can't afford to throw cash around.

This is a debate that can go round and round, but there has been plenty of independent studies out there showing that synthetic has several advantages over conventional oil one of which is the ability to move away from the reliance of fossil fuels.

I think what you mean here is that if we double our oil change interval with synthetics, we would use half as much motor oil, thus reducing our consumption of fossil fuels. True enough. I just bought a jug of Valvoline NextGen oil, free after rebate at Advance Auto Parts. And I've used G-Oil in the past and would consider doing it again in the future.

[bronsin]

Originally Posted by Happy Little Pony

I just bought a jug of Valvoline NextGen oil, free after rebate at Advance Auto Parts. And I've used G-Oil in the past and would consider doing it again in the future.

FREE really? That recycled motor oil is FREE? That is hysterical! When I saw recycled Valvoline motor oil I knew they were nuts. Who would buy that with all the play synthetic oil gets?

Its like the Chevy Volt and the Nissan Leaf. They were crazy to bring those cars to market at, what, $50,000.

I hope they crash and burn.

But if I see recycled oil for FREE Im there!

Hey maybe there'll be Volts for free!

[Happy Little Pony]

Originally Posted by bronsin

FREE really? That recycled motor oil is FREE? That is hysterical! When I saw recycled Valvoline motor oil I knew they were nuts. Who would buy that with all the play synthetic oil gets?

Your comparison to electric cars is about right. Why would I spend more to get an electric or hybrid when I'll most likely never make up the price difference with my fuel savings? These "green" oils are in the same boat. First, most people have already picked a kind of oil they like and don't really want to switch; and, second, why would they want to switch and pay more?

Why do we have these crazy rebates on G-Oil and the half-recycled Valvoline? Because they have to almost give it away to get people to even think about trying it.

Oh well, I guess it's the best of both worlds. I get a major rebate and I get to feel warm and fuzzy about my environmental friendliness.

[racerb]

I use synthetic oil not because I'm thinking about the environment, but because a car is a major investment. I have seen for myself the benefits of a pure synthetic engine, transmission, and rear differential oils (in my Tundra), and it's not just for mileage. Although increased fuel mileage has been a side effect, the biggest advantage has been reduced wear and tear. I do a lot of towing and by running the synthetic oils I'm protecting my engine, transmission and rear axel gears all while getting slightly better gas mileage. Another big plus is the extended drain intervals, say I left today for a race in Sebring Florida, towing my enclosed trailer with racecar and all my gear. By the time I returned home, with normal drain intervals, I'd be looking to change oil again, even though it was just changed days before I left. With synthetic oil I've got another 3,500 or more miles to go and oil still looks like new. Oils are like Radio Stations, everybodies got their favorite, if you don't like whats on, just change the channel. I'll keep using synthetic oil in all my Toyotas and please just use what you like, theres usually something different on sale every week!!

racerb

[fnkngrv]

Originally Posted by Happy Little Pony

No once during my thirty years of driving have I "blown up" an engine during my daily commute. The Yaris I drive is the tame little economy car with the decidedly non-high performance engine. If you've turbocharged your Yaris and are using it as a race car, then I'll agree that synthetic is a good idea in a hot rod engine. I just drive mine slowly around town.



Hey, Mr. Moneybags, maybe in your world an engine is cheap, but in my world just the labor to install a new engine would be crippling. The original poster in this thread was worried about the few dollars difference between a synthetic and a conventional oil change. I won't speak for him, but I bought the Yaris because I can't afford to throw cash around.



I think what you mean here is that if we double our oil change interval with synthetics, we would use half as much motor oil, thus reducing our consumption of fossil fuels. True enough. I just bought a jug of Valvoline NextGen oil, free after rebate at Advance Auto Parts. And I've used G-Oil in the past and would consider doing it again in the future.

The 4E-FTE was a factory boosted engine from the GT Starlet which was being operated at what Toyota had designed it to in my car. The wastegate stuck closed and boost spikes caused the failure. A very similar case of overboosting happened to my 1NZ. Both motors have been torn down and I can see more scarring on the 4E with much less boost being put to it and all I and I am pretty confident the original owner used in it was conventional oil.

As for being a "Mr. Moneybags" sure on my replacement motor that is going on right now I am throwing a guy some cash for assisting me, but all in all the bulk of the shops that I had talked to were quoting me between 400-600 for the installation and you can get a solid 1NZ from car-parts.com for as low as 300. If you do the work yourself or have someone you know pitch in that install can get a lot cheaper and you would learn much more about your car. The Yaris, Echo, and Tercel are some of the most simple modern era vehicles to learn about with exception to the intricacies that have become commonplace in the ECM/ECU. Thanks BTW for making it personal...that is outstanding. I agree a lot with racerb's statements actually.


My opinion when it comes to operating anything is that I don't believe in people just being "users" of something. If you are on a computer you had best be able to use the thing without having to constantly pay someone else to fix the problems that you create on it. I take the same approach with vehicles. Take control of the thing. It is an investment. If all you do is short driving jaunts or low speed driving then that is great because it serves the purpose that you have, but personally if you have a vehicle for sale and tried to tell me that "hey, I only drove it slow and short trips so what I dump in it for lubricants shouldn't matter" then I would walk away and purchase elsewhere. The main reason for this is that short trips are actually the most taxing on an internal combustion engine regardless of whether or not you baby it or drive it like you stole it. Folks traditionally like to ask a premium for their trade-ins or private sales because they babied it or didn't run it hard. You want to get a premium return then treat it like racerb said...like an investment. In the long run synthetics can save you money, time, and grief, but that is just my perspective I guess.

And oh yeah...I have been driving cars, trucks, motorcycles, and ATVs for 22 years so I am not too far behind you in the rearview.

[fnkngrv]

Originally Posted by bronsin

If you are thinking you will get better gas mileage using synth think again. I drove 5200 miles to AK from NJ on regular motor oil and returned the same way using synthetic. There was no difference in gas mileage over 5200 miles.

As racerb stated you should do an engine flush between the two types of oils to ensure that you have removed all of the contaminants. You should have seen the amount of garbage that came out with the flush of the motor that I just put into my car and that engine had only 23k on it with conventional oil. I totally believe that you didn't notice an improvement in FE on your trip. There is a reason why AMSOIL for example makes the claim that over time you should notice an improvement and not over the short haul.

[daf62757]

Originally Posted by bronsin

If you are thinking you will get better gas mileage using synth think again. I drove 5200 miles to AK from NJ on regular motor oil and returned the same way using synthetic. There was no difference in gas mileage over 5200 miles.

Also you will void your warranty if you dont change your oil according to the owners manual.

Also see below.

Nice to know that you are the center of the universe. Did you ever stop to ponder....and I am sure you haven't....that your test was not a true evaluation? And all of the people on this forum who do use synthetic oil and have gotten better gas mileage and longer protection might be right?

So some advice. You can qualify you opinion as just that.....in your opinion. When you come out and make these claims that synthetic oil doesn't do what we all have come to accept (through hundreds of thousands of miles of personal experience) as reality, it sort of brings us to the ultimate conclusion that you are playing solitaire with a deck of 51 and counting flowers on the wall!

Ease up on yourself!