best synthetic oil and m/t oil??

[doodoo]

I switched to mobil1 5w30 after my 2nd oil change since I had very good results with it with an older car. Runs good. Almost tried amsoil, but heard that it thickens too much as it gets older. Curious about what kind of synthetic m/t oil I should use. I'm not sure if I trust "off brands" like Amsoil and Red Line. Is mobil1 good m/t oil since they make the best motor oil? Whate are your recommendations? (BTW - I hate large predatory corporations like Exxon Mobil, but there is no denying that the best is the best with Mobil 1 synthetic motor oil)

[nsmitchell]

Mobil-1 is not bad at all, but neither is Amsoil. Amsoil epitomizes the "little guy" in the Synthetic Oil market. They do not advertise much and are only distributed by dealers. They are the closest thing to a "mom and pop" outfit you will find in sythetic oil. They definately claim to have the "best in synthetics" and I have not heard or read any different. I don't know where you got the "thickening" stuff from. It will suspend more contaminants in the oil, usually after switching from dino to Amsoil, but a good engine flush beforehand will clean that out first, and you oil should look nice and golden amber for quite a while with a good oil filter. Amsoil was the original "synthetic oil" as well. 18 Wheeler Truckers swear by it, because with a bypass oil filter, you can go 100,000 miles+ on an oil change, because the actual oil doesn't break down at all. All this said, I just switched to Mobil-1 5W-30 on Saturday with a Napa Gold filter because I was too lazy to hunt down Amsoil.

[static808]

i am so lucky to have an amsoil dealer 10 minutes away. i hate online ordering, with the shipping fees, wait time AND the possibility of ID theft (you never know!). if this dealer wasn't near me, i'm right there with you guys and running to costco to buy cases of mobil 1. previously used mobil 1 with my '97civic and didnt have any problems. then i got lazy (started working actually!!?!) and just "EZ-Lubed" my baby. that was the biggest mistake ever. lower mpg. engine not as smooth. we recently just put her back on synthetics (amsoil), and just changed to amsoil after 1K miles on our new van. cant wait to see how the oil looks after the next oil change!

--B

ps: the prices are very comparable too, so just get whatever is convenient for you. anything's better than dino...

[firefly1_0]

its not always good to switch to synthetic oil so soon, things like valve guides and seals need to be bathed in it for at least 20,000 Km to absorb oil to offer superior lubrication and seal funtionality

just don't switch back now that you are running it.

[07WYarisRS]

Amsoil, or redline are the best of the best.

Both are pure 100% group IV or V, poa or Ester based lubricants.
By FAR more stable over the oils lifetime then any other conventional or group III oil.

[tekmoe]

sounds like amsoil is good stuff. i know redline is good because my dad and i have been running it in our motorcycles for years.

[zyovka]

Well, I am very tempted to switch to Amsoil or Mobil 1, too, on my older (1994, 170k) 4runner, but, Guys, can anybody explain, pls, what the difference is between 5W-30 and 10W-30... it's getting very confusing, when you go to those websites "find the oil that best fits your car", you answer the questions what type of vehicle you own, the year and so on, and, finally, you get the answer like 5W-30 or 10W-30... I guess the question is how do you know for sure what do you need: 5W or 10W....

We used Penzoil for years and it seems like the car runs good, but I wish I could do something good for my old and lovable Toyota 4runner.... any input would be very appriciated

Final thought: when a car has 170k miles on it, is it really worth changing to synthetic oil?

[07WYarisRS]

Well first off Amsoil and Mobil1 are two completely different types of oils/lubricants.

Mobil 1 is just highly refined crude oil/mineral oil and a basic group III type oil.
Amsoil and Redline are both completely man made lubricants and contain no pertrolium/mineral oil Group IV-V oils

As for the difference between the 5w-30 and 10w-30
The 5w mean it has a lower cold pour point. The lower the W weight the better the oil will flow when cold.
Both a 5w-30 and 10w-30 are still a 30 weight oil or SAE 30 when hot but the lower W weight means it will flow better at colder temps.
For example
Mobil1 10w-30 has a pour point of -45 oC
Mobil1 5w-30 has a pourpoint of -54 oC

Amsoil 10w-30 5w-30 and 0w-30 have a pour point of - 50 ~ -54 oC

As for what one to use in your car... check the owners manual it will say in there.
All Yaris engine are designed to use a 5W-30 engine oil however if you live in a hot climate you can still safely run a 10w-30.

With new engines today the tolerances are much tighter then you fathers V8 from the 70's and a lighter oil is needed and the lower the pour point the better. It allows oil to flow easily through the engine to reach vital engine components quicker to help reduce start up damage.

FWIW I use Amsoil 2000 0w-30 oil in my Yaris and have used it in my truck as well as my laser with awesome results.
I build and rebuild regular and race engines for a living and have used every kind of oil out there. Amsoil and Redline lubricants are the best of the best.
Royal purple is a good runner up but they do suffer from some quality control issues.
As far as group III oils go Mobil 1 is one of the best along with Motul and many others. oils like Qstate synthetic, Castrol Syntec, Lucas are the amoung the lowest quality group III oils. But even these oils are far better then any conventional oil or synthetic blend (group I and II oils)

You can switch to synthetics anytime
What it will do is provide more HP from less friction and cooler engine temps and better mileage.
On the down side if you switch you should do an engine flush. Synthetic will clean your engine as you drive so if you have sludge build up it is possible in high mileage cars for oil leaks to develop as the sludge deposits that were blocking oil leaks are cleaned away.
If at any time you want to switch back you can with no problems.

[zyovka]

Thanks for a wonderful input. Now it makes things more clear.... I made some calculations here and.... well, the oil change with Amsoil synthetic oil somehow hits your pocket.... For my Toyota 4runner, that is, V6 3.0 engine, I may need 1.5 gallons of oil, right? The price for 1 gallon (according to the Amsoil web-site) is $27.15, so it winds up to $41.00, then +$17.00 Amsoil oil filter and the service price (approximately $30.00) for the oil change and then oil shipping if you order it on-line.... it comes to over $100.00 for the whole procedure.... right? Well, I have to think about it, I guess....

[static808]

Originally Posted by zyovka

Thanks for a wonderful input. Now it makes things more clear.... I made some calculations here and.... well, the oil change with Amsoil synthetic oil somehow hits your pocket.... For my Toyota 4runner, that is, V6 3.0 engine, I may need 1.5 gallons of oil, right? The price for 1 gallon (according to the Amsoil web-site) is $27.15, so it winds up to $41.00, then +$17.00 Amsoil oil filter and the service price (approximately $30.00) for the oil change and then oil shipping if you order it on-line.... it comes to over $100.00 for the whole procedure.... right? Well, I have to think about it, I guess....

find a local amsoil dealer, change it yourself, and do it once a year!! if you cant do it yourself, then a decent mom and pops shop shouldnt charge more than 20 bucks for the service if you supply all of the goods. it actually comes out cheaper than regular mobil 1 synthetic oil (needs more frequent changes), and is very comparable in price to mobil 1 extended service oil. it really does suck if you dont have a local dealer to work with.

--B

ps: i did a amsoil flush with my initial change, just becuase i didnt want any dino residue "dirtying" up my fresh synthetic oil...ahhhhh

[07WYarisRS]

Originally Posted by zyovka

Thanks for a wonderful input. Now it makes things more clear.... I made some calculations here and.... well, the oil change with Amsoil synthetic oil somehow hits your pocket.... For my Toyota 4runner, that is, V6 3.0 engine, I may need 1.5 gallons of oil, right? The price for 1 gallon (according to the Amsoil web-site) is $27.15, so it winds up to $41.00, then +$17.00 Amsoil oil filter and the service price (approximately $30.00) for the oil change and then oil shipping if you order it on-line.... it comes to over $100.00 for the whole procedure.... right? Well, I have to think about it, I guess....

Yeah but that's good for 35,000 miles or once a year

How many regular oil changes will you have to do running mobil 1 over 35,000 miles or once a year?

Amsoil is usually A LOT cheaper in the long run.

I change my oil every 6 months and it still saves me a lot of $$$
An amsoil dealer can get you better discounts by signing you up as a prefered customer.
If you want PM or email me and I'll give you the contact infor for my Amsoil distributer

[zyovka]

thanks, but.... the oil change still includes other services such as lubrication, changing the air filter, rotating the tires etc.... which has to be done every 3.000 or so miles regardless of the oil change and those services are approx. $30.00 without oil change, correct me if I'm wrong..... pls

[firefly1_0]

switching to synthetic oil on a new car is the g-hey.

wait four years, have a 100,000 Kms on it then make the switch unless you want to install new valve guides and seals.

you will be buring oil in no time if you switch.

[07WYarisRS]

Originally Posted by firefly1_0

switching to synthetic oil on a new car is the g-hey.

wait four years, have a 100,000 Kms on it then make the switch unless you want to install new valve guides and seals.

you will be buring oil in no time if you switch.

Who ever told you that is a complete jackass
I've never had one of my race engines smoke unless there was a major engine problem.
I've never had any oil related problems since switching to synthetic back in the early 90's.
I've been building and rebuilding engine since I worked at Yamaha over 15 years ago. Everything from bikes to cars to outboards and ATV 2 strokes and 4 strokes.
True an engine should be run in using a regular oil and run in hard to properly seat rings, but valve guides and valve seals do not need to be broken in. They are machined and cast to exact clearance specs and preserving these specs the best you can will prevent any wear or oil leaking.

[07WYarisRS]

Originally Posted by zyovka

thanks, but.... the oil change still includes other services such as lubrication, changing the air filter, rotating the tires etc.... which has to be done every 3.000 or so miles regardless of the oil change and those services are approx. $30.00 without oil change, correct me if I'm wrong..... pls

I highly doubt the dealership will rotate your tires every 3000 miles and no air filter needs to be changed that often. Tires should be rotated every 6 months. The cabin air filter should be changed a little more often but even that is an extra cost at the dealership and not part of any required warranty issue.

I don't think this car has grease zerks on the suspension/steering components so basically they just change the oil and check the other fluid levels.

If you have a torque wrench you can rotate the tires in 30 minutes yourself at home. All you need is a jack stand and 1/2 torque wrench (less then $15 at harbour freight) Jack up the rear and put a jack stand under it just up the front on the same side. Put the rear tire on the front and front on the rear. Do not put right tires on the left side or left on the right. Once a tire has been used it's best to keep the tires rotation the same, changing sides will change the tires rotation and that causes them to bulge out and belts to break etc. Use a torque wrench to evenly torque the lug nuts to the proper specs. Quick and simple.

NO dealership can void any warranty if you decide to do your own maintenance. Not even on a lease, Just be sure to keep records of What work was done, and when and akeep receipts for any products you buy like oil, air filters, spark plugs, etc etc.

Check with your local dealership. I know my local dealership uses Mobil 1 on request. It's not the best oil out there but it is better then using a conventional oil. At least this way you get the dealer care and synthetic oil.

[firefly1_0]

Originally Posted by 07WYarisRS

Who ever told you that is a complete jackass
I've never had one of my race engines smoke unless there was a major engine problem.
I've never had any oil related problems since switching to synthetic back in the early 90's.
I've been building and rebuilding engine since I worked at Yamaha over 15 years ago. Everything from bikes to cars to outboards and ATV 2 strokes and 4 strokes.
True an engine should be run in using a regular oil and run in hard to properly seat rings, but valve guides and valve seals do not need to be broken in. They are machined and cast to exact clearance specs and preserving these specs the best you can will prevent any wear or oil leaking.

if its designed to run with synthetic oil from the start then it works... AMG does it.

proper engine break in is at least 20,000 KM, no if's, and's or butt's.
the benifits that synthetic can provide are better cold winter starts, and better protection with an older engine.

we already get 5,000 miles between changes using regular oil in these cars, is that not enough?

if you are really that keen on running synthetic, i would check your warranty,and talk to a toyota mechanic, i can't be bothered to look, i talked the dealer into 5 years of free oil changes when i bought mine...

[nsmitchell]

Firefly, you are joking... right... I mean if not, you don't know the first thing about what a "synthetic" oil is. A synthetic oil is basically an oil with molecules of a specific size and shape. They also have a low burn off rate, so the oil stays oil and doesn't turn to sludge from heat.
I hope you are just pulling our leg here, but if not, please do some research on the subject. Toyota mechanics are not the people to talk to about oil, they want you to use Toyota OEM oil and filters only. duh...
My friend heard the EXACT same song and dance from the Acura dealership. He fell for it hook-line-and sinker, like someone else I know on this Yaris board.
"Designed to run with synthetic" That's a good one. It should be "requires oil that wont thicken up like dino in 1000 miles."

[firefly1_0]

ok then, if thats what you guys think then fine, the fact that syn oil offers double the heat capcity is a given, it says so right on the lable...

think of what kind of car you are driving, its not a high performance car, force fed, running nitrous oxide or fueled by LPG or LNG, the things that generate higher heat in the combustion chamber and high exhaust and head temps.

unless you're running with half the recomended amount of coolant you will never see this type of engine condition happen.

hell, its your money... do what ever you want.