Oil viscosity

I tried to pin down Toyota about this and didn't get much satisfaction. Here's what I asked:

I own a 2020 4Runner TRD Offroad. I am wondering about the oil viscosity for this vehicle.
The owners manual specifies 0W20 but the manual also contains the phrase "The 20 in 0W-20 indicates the viscosity characteristic of the oil when the oil is at high temperature. An oil with a higher viscosity (one with a higher value) may be better suited if the vehicle is operated at high speeds, or under extreme load conditions."
I live in Texas where we often drive long distances at 80mph in very hot weather. Does the manual phrasing imply that I might use 5W30 in these conditions? If I use 5W30 will it void my warranty?

Here's what they replied:

 

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Sounds like a pretty generic response.

 

They won't respond with an answer that varies from the owner's manual. Nobody would do that.

 

Once again they are hedging to keep their agreements with EPA. And to keep the public guessing to scare them into using 0W-20.

hedging:

1. an intentionally noncommittal or ambiguous statement

 

right. reminds me of the time i contacted infiniti, asking about their transmission that came with "lifetime" fluid. so i asked them how long this transmission was supposed to last? got a very generic type of answer that prevented them from being held accountable for transmission failure.

long story short i decided to start doing drain and fills despite the "lifetime" claim.

 

kinematic viscosity at 212 degrees. Why use weird numbers nobody is used to.
Like octane, you want research octane or motor Octane?
Marketing..

 

20 and 30 weight are just names for different grades of motor oil.
The numbers 9 and 11 are actual kinematic viscosity measurements reported in units called centistokes (cSt). There’s more to viscosity testing. You can read about it here:
https://www.machinerylubrication.com/Read/411/oil-viscosity

 

It's all about looking good for CAFE numbers as several have already stated. I've used 5w-30 in the following with no issues:
2022 4Runner
2018 4Runner
2017 Tacoma
2017 Camry

For inquiring minds, I used Amsoil Signature Series 5w-30 with TRD or Amsoil oil filters.

To the ones mentioning lifetime transmission fluids, my theory is that it's so they can advertise almost zero maintenance cost as most customers won't keep a vehicle past 60k-100k miles or so. I myself would never trust a lifetime fluid as they don't exist. I drain & refill every 30k miles with Amsoil Signature Series transmission fluid.

 

Looks like you won't have to buy another car or truck for the next 30 years or 1 million miles.
Out of all the 4 vehicles you mentioned, the only weak link is the Tacoma if it's the V6, which is more complicated design.

 

yup. i concur. its mostly to cover their butts during the original warranty period. the oil will break down, and heat is probably a transmission's worst enemy.

 

The Atkinson isn't bad IMO, the transmission hunting gears for days is the worst part of it.

 

Correct, once the fluid looses the ability to pull heat and lubricate, end of story.

 

Use the oil viscosity, type, and capacity recommended by Toyota. If you're nervous about it, send an oil sample to Blackstone for analysis, it's like $20.

 

Blackstone is very good. I mentioned them in post 68. Its worth it, especially if nervous or you do extreme use in your vehicle, ie towing, racing, etc

 

Alrighty guys, I'm bumping this thread. So yes, I read on page 527 of the manual for my 23 ORP.

It does state that higher viscosity is for higher speeds and heavy loads. I live in NJ and travel to upstate NY and PA quite often which means a lot of interstate travel with a lot of weight in the truck... and in the summer I plan to get a utility trailer to carry kayaks/canoes. I might get Wildpeaks AT4W but they're way too heavy imo so I might do Terra Grappler G2 since they should be more than enough. I will also get rock sliders which should add approximately 100 lbs to my 4R. So in theory, it will have more load. Over here the temps vary from low 20s to upper 90s with humidity (in the summer)... colder in PA and even colder in upstate NY. I am heavily considering switching to 5W-30 or 0W-30.

 

I've been running M1 FS 0w40 in mine and will continue to do so. Great oil. And I don't haul anything.

 

Any less performance on highway since it's thicker?

 

OP here. After my original post, I did some online research. The following is from different sources.
0W-20 is optimal at abou67* “ambient temperature”, and works well up to about 87* “ambient temps”.
According to oil temperature charts, which Toyota no longer publishes in their manual, for each 10 weight of oil increase, optimal temps go up about 10*.
Some Toyota publications suggest going to a heavier oil for “severe duty”. Some sources use the term, “severe duty”, for certain Toyota engines, though the 4Runner engine is not listed. Severe duty is defined as 80% of the max speed, for extended periods, in extreme heat. 80% of the max speed of a 4Runner is about 90mph.
While Toyota may say that under certain conditions one may need a different oil, they don’t really say what those conditions are, or what oil can be used.
So, if you live in a region with very high summer temperatures, as I do, and drive fast on the freeway, 0W-20 is probably not a good choice.

 

I use 5w 30 in an engine that runs up to 225 degree oil temp.. I am not sure what the 4runner temps are here in the summer, South Carolina.
But a 5000 pound truck, v6, stop and go, and only a mechanical fan, I am sure its pretty much around 220 to 230 in town.
Anyone ever check temp?

 

Yeah I think I'll definitely do 0W-30 or 5W-30 next oil change. Thanks for this.

We do a lot of long drives and very loaded too with outdoor gear and cameras and my dog and such. So I wanna make sure the 1GR-FE is safe in all conditions. My Hyundai Tucson burns 5W-20 in long distance drives like there's no tomorrow... although that is a theta II engine issue and it doesn't like being driven hard.

 

FYI the single-VVTi 1GR in the 4th gen 4R and 2nd gen Tacoma runs too hot for 0W20, so it's always been spec'd with 5W30. The dual-VVTi 1GR in the 5th gen was able to use 0W20 because of changes in the water jacket that resulted in more uniform temps around the cylinders: https://australiancar.reviews/1GR-FE-engine.php

 

^You're just a shill for big oil!

 

Believe it or not, the Kirkland full synthetic I've been using in my 4Runner and Tundra have been getting great reports from Blackstone.

 

I have yet to see a bad report from BlackStone if the correct sae and weight is used.

 

I used it for two intervals without issues.

 

Just use what the manual recommends it's not that difficult lol

 

No negative impacts at all. Just smoother and quieter engine. And more protected.
That said, I may go back to M1 EP 5w30 or Valvoline EP 5w30 just because they're easier to get in my area.

 

This is very good info. Thanks!

In Texas I see temps above 105-110f every year. I will be swapping to 5w-30 before summer. Might consider a 5w-40 oil better suited based on this graph. Especially considering the fact that I commonly load up a ton of gear and drive 80+ mph for 5-6 hours...

This graph makes me regret running 0W-20 for so long!



Braced for the this comment stirs up.

 

^I'm hesitant to use 0W40 because it's two viscosity grades higher than the 0W20 specified in our engines at operating temperature. This may cause higher oil pressure and force the oil filter bypass valve to open more often in high rpm conditions. I buy 0W30 when on sale and use them in everything (5th gen 4R, 3rd gen Tacoma, father's Subaru, lawn mower), going through ~34 qts or 7 jugs per year. So far so good.

 

I think all of the generic oils are made by major oil distributors. I've used Super-tech for years and it's been good.

Kirkland is made by Warren. They also make Amazon oil, and Meijer store brand among many others.

https://engineoil.api.org/Directory/EolcsResultsDetail?accountId=-1&companyId=10297

True! But, the manual recommends higher viscosity in some circumstances. For regular use, 0W-20 is certainly fine.