Interesting oil observation

Not a debate of what’s best, but my experience. I live in so cal, average temp in summer of 75-80 and winter of 55-70. So basically middle of the dang road, yes no seasons

I have no extremes really of heat or cold.

ive tried phases of 5w-30, which quiets the valvetrain a ton, however it just doesn’t feel the same in day to day driving. I can’t explain it, perhaps its my butt dyno, or the tuning, but the motor feels better on 0w-20 than 5w-30, yet it sounds like crap when idling.

so this current oil change i tried 5w-20 for the first time. Holy crap, im never going back. It sounds quieter at idle warm or cold, yet drives perfect. If you dont live in the cold, id consider it

 

I may try that since I'm in FL. There are days that the ticking is definitely noticeable. Doesn't the manual list alternate oil weights?

 

After doing some oil research I got away from Toyota's "Cafe Standard Friendly" and EPA Compliant 0W20 and started using 5W30 Amsoil instead. Bob The Oil Guy has quite a bit of info on why automakers push the lightest weight oil possible.

 

5w-20 is still within the “thin” concept of the 0w-20 recommendation, just not ultra thin at the cold range

 

Just switched to 5w30 pennzoil platinum from 0w20 pennzoil. I took videos idling before and after and didn’t really notice it being quieter with the 5w30, but I also didn’t think it was loud beforehand like some peoples trucks. No change really, but I do feel it’s probably better protected especially running rich under WOT with my tune. Less risk of washing the oil off the cylinder walls with fuel running a 10-10.5 AFR at WOT.

I am not an oil expert so maybe someone can explain. That said, I don’t see the benefit of running 5w20 over 0w20, cause once it’s hot it’s the same viscosity but it just takes longer to get moving when cold than the 0W.

 

I found TGMO to be the quietest 0w20 by far. I really like Mobil 1 but it’s noisy (0w20 green bottle) to say the least in Toyota and Honda applications.

I haven’t tried a 5w30 yet and not sure I will as long as there isn’t a major change to the TGMO formula. Mobil 1 EP (0w20) is fairly quiet.

 

Am I the only one who thought the 20 was the cold viscosity and the 0 or 5 was the hot viscosity? How could I have gotten this backwards for so long?

 

opposite

 

Haven't done comparison testing but just switched to TGMO 0w-20 from Valvoline synthetic and I feel like the engine is a bit quieter.

 

Oil isn't about what one "thinks is the best weight and viscosity".

The manufacturer chooses it based on their engine tolerances.

Putting 5w-30 in is definitely going to be a decision the consumer made, not Toyota. And it's going to create drag in the engine, which will make it less powerful.

And it's causing stress and loads that are not what the manufacturer wanted.

Use what the manufacturer says, they know better than a self opinion.

 

Sorry, but you're wrong. Toyota specifies a variety of viscosities for the same exact engine depending on the region you live in. The tolerance issue has been debated and debunked as well. O-20 is in your manual, and stamped on the oil fill cap to meet Cafe standards, and nothing more.

 

if 0w-20 is correct weight, then there is zero issue with 5w-20. At op temp they are the same. 5w is ok down to freezing temps. If you live in hot weather you dont need that

 

From what I have read in the owners manual the 0-20w spec is for fuel economy and starting in cold weather.

 

It says 0w-20 or 5w-20

If you want use something else that's up to you.

 

5w30 is perfectly acceptable as per the manual.

 

Same here. I’ve ran 0-20, 5-20, and 5-30 all in Pennzoil platinum and noticed no noise difference and no mpg difference.

 

Here's what my manual says
0w-20
5w-20

These are the two choices that Toyota has recommended for the USA tundra

I'll go with this.

 

Yep. Been runnin’ Amsoil 0w-30 for 210k miles. Spotless under valve covers. No noise/ticks/slaps. No leaks. Doesn’t burn a drop.

Not sayin’ a 20w isn’t capable of the same but 30w works perfect (and flat out protects better the harder you are on it).

 

And that’s fine, there’s nothing wrong with following the manual. It’s worth noting though that the US written manual is as influenced by incompetent boob beaurocrats in Washington with a political agenda as it is the engineers. The manual also recommends 10,000 mile oil change intervals, but you would be a fool to do so. The 3UR in other countries is not different than the US 3UR.

 

I might be smoking my sock here, but I thought I read on another forum where an oil expert was saying that 0W-20 actually protects better in hot weather than 5W-30. It is because of how the thinner oil better coats the cylinder walls?

I live in AZ where the low s are in the 30's and summer highs are 110+. I switched to Mobile 1 5W-30 last Fall and it quieted the valve train right down. I am not 100% sold on it and am always looking for a possible better viscosity.

BTW the Tundra manual for Mexico and other countries calls for 5W-30. The 0W-20 is a US thing to try to help meet EPA/USDA/FMI/ETF/XYZ whatever standards.

 

I’m in VA and have been running Mobil 1 10W-30 in all my cars no matter what the manual says for the last 30+ years. Have never had one oil related issue i.e. leaks, sludge, etc ever. iMO, I think as long as you change it when you’re supposed to, you won’t have any problems no matter what oil you use.

 

Most over think this crap waaaaayyyy too much. Put synthetic oil in it. Change it. It's pretty simple. There's bigger issues in the world.