Why is Puerto Rico able to use 15W-40?

How?

The chart states that 0W-20, 5W-20, and 5W-30 can all be used at any temperature. So, how can the same motor require different viscosity oil depending on what country you're in?

Please note that I'm not suggesting that everyone should go out and run 15W-40 in their 4runners. And, I'm not suggesting that 0W-20 is bad for the engine. I'm just pointing out that the reason they ONLY want us to run 0W-20 in the US is because it might yield slightly better fuel economy.

Thank you. I could see myself using Amsoil if I were doing longer interval oil changes. I just can't justify it for 5K changes. No doubt it is a quality product.

 

Good reading.

 

I don’t use Amsoil motor oil either. But I am running 5W-30 QSUD this year. It seems to be quieter and no perceivable change in MPG.
But I do use Amsoil gear oil for the diffs. Love the squeezee bags.

 

I planned on doing my differentials and transfer case this spring. I will definitely keep Amsoil oil in mind for that. The Squeeze bag sounds pretty sweet.

 

I will tell you they all have a lot of dents in PR. No space and the streets are tight and everyone parks in each other’s bumper. At least in San Juan area. It’s beautiful place but I would buy a junker island car I had a place there.

 

I was kind of agreeing, with the only reason is fuel economy statement

 

Oh, I misunderstood then. Sorry.

 

Having read that, I'm definitely going with Amsoil for my next coronavirus vaccine.

 

How far will Toyota go to offer the best possible vehicle experience to their consumers?

Thought this 'just released' Scotty Kilmer clip fit this post rather well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBrSeCe1EcQ
.

 

Seems Kaizen was on holiday when Toyota designed the idiotic oil filter and it's cheap plastic housing on the 4Runner. Where's the "continuous improvement" for that thing, Toyota? Huh?

 

At least they could give us the aluminum housing.

 

IKR! I was also irritated to see that the metal housing is not plug and play. Ya gotta switch out the internal perforated tube and the drain cap. I'm still gonna do it though, once I start doing my own oil changes on this thing.

I've been religious about 5K change intervals on all my other cars. But given the hassle with the shields and this filter location and design, I might just convince myself that 10K intervals are just dandy

 

It depends how you drive it. My last 4runner never went off-roading. It was mostly highway travel and camping. I did 10K changes and it was fine. This one goes off-road every chance I get, so 5K it is.

 

Your use of your prior 4Runner is likely to match my use. I did take it on some long road trips after initial break in, one of which included it loaded up, and there were quite extended periods over 80 MPH. So I thought that more or less qualified it for 5K. And so I did change the oil then. But with most of my expected upcoming use, yes, 10K should be fine.

 

I'm curious, why is the oil weight debate so popular?

 

One variable not discussed yet... and maybe it makes no difference. But is the gasoline different in PR and could that be a reason for the difference in spec’d oils?

 

In my case, I plan on keeping this thing forever. I just wonder; if the only reason for 0W-20 being spec'ed is CAFE stuff, then would I be better off running 5W-30? I hope it wouldn't make a difference. But, I would hate for the motor to wear out at 250K instead of 400-500K and find out I should have used 5W-30.

I'm probably overthinking it, though.

Just something to talk about.

 

The wording below the picture in photo #2 of the OP's original post says it all.

"Temperature range anticipated before the next oil change"

It's a great guide once understood and used accordingly.

Of course....that's just this guys opinion

 

Because people really love...

 

I agree that the main driver for low viscosity oil is fuel economy. If you've ever seen an engineering fuel economy analysis it has amazing detail around every source of drag/friction so even if the oil viscosity effect is small there are many much smaller effects that manufacturers go after because all the little bits add up and if your competition is better at every detail they kill you with the bottom line.

I used to be a powertrain engineer and and I remember that years ago Ford used Mobil 1 5W-30 in their prototype engines to protect them. I used to review torn down engines that had basically no signs of wear so I've been a Mobil 1 fan for a long time. Here's a painfully long thread from a Miata forum on oil.
I've never seen anything bad said about Mobil 1 (except that perhaps it could have some viscosity breakdown over time) and although there may be "better" oils that meet the toughest European requirements as well as the US requirements Mobil 1 is good enough for me. Mobil 1 has always been highly and broadly recommended...but I'm not claiming it's "the best".

The Amsoil article seems to have some good points. But when they say something like "engines are designed for 30 weight oil" it loses credibility in my mind because a newly-designed engine will never see 30 weight oil, the manufacturer will do all testing and development with the oil that they ultimately plan to recommend.

I think it's always good to have the lowest weight possible on cold start (so the oil gets to the parts asap) since some wear may occur on cold start. So we see some experts recommending a "0W-xx full synthetic". Makes sense to me. I honestly don't think anyone will see a practical difference in engine wear with small changes in viscosity...but if someone wants a higher vsiscosity to feel good about operating in high temps then Mobil 1 makes a 0W-40 that some of the Miata folks like...or go with a 0W-30 if the 0W-40 makes you uncomfortable. In our 3 cars I just use Mobil 1 in the recommended viscosity and change it around every 5000 miles.

Just my two cents

 

I had my oil changed last week, i was going to have Schaeffers 5w-30 put in but they were out of that, so i went with Mobile 1 5w-30. In my area the temp. Ranges from low 30’s to 115+, so i wanted to give it a shot, i do notice that it has quieted down the chatter from startup and through warm up. I’m pretty sure it is not just my hearing aids.

 

In a nutshell

 

Thank you all for the explanations. You guys make some good points.

I've just been hard wired to use the manufacturers recommended oil and what's printed on the fill cap.

 

"Toyota" oil is Mobil 1 oil, Mobil manufactures oil for Toyota, puts it in a "Toyota" labeled bottle and hence "Toyota" oil is born. One other consideration for using high viscosity oil is "bearing erosion", everything turns harder when the viscosity is raised above a certain point. Example; top fuel engines use a straight 70 weight oil, engine life is not in question, they are torn down and new bearings replaced every run, other race engines use high viscosity oils, run dry sump oil systems, and are built to withstand a 750-1000 mile life, the oil is pre heated to aid in a controlled oil viscosity break down, but these "thick' oils still maintain the upper end of the range for bearing protection, like a 20w-50w oil. Fuel economy and longevity of a engine is why the low viscosity oils are used, less warm up time + bearing life are BIG for car manufacturers. Synthetic oils are a good thing, they provide good lubricity and last a long time, with a bunch of additives. I'll stick to the Mobil 1, I'm sure there was a little "research" done by Toyota to come up with this selection. Maybe a engine oil additive is a choice, maybe it's "snake oil", a bottle of Lucas oil treatment might not hurt....

 

I’ve been hearing that “Toyota is really Mobil 1” for years. But I don’t believe it. Maybe Mobil makes it for Toyota, but it’s not the same formula, as far as I can tell.
For example, there at least 7 versions of Mobil 1. Which one is Toyota oil? Where’s the data?

Here are oil analysis reports from PQIA. You can see there are differences between Toyota oil and Mobil 1 AFE. One significant difference is the amount of molybdenum.

http://pqiadata.org/Toyota_0W20.html

http://www.pqiadata.org/Mobil1_0W20_dexos.html

 

This is probably the safest bet. I'm doing the same.

 

The second part of your post is correct, Toyota oil is manufactured by Mobil, believe I said that in the second sentence of my post. Anyway, there are several Mobil oils to pick from, the data charts should be able to help pick one out. We will put in what the fill cap and owners manual suggest. Since we are changing oil at home, Mobil 1 full synthetic is what we'll use, as for the formulation of that oil, we'll have to pick a formula that fits our application, maybe more moly, or less something else.

 

US 48 states coverage from as cold as winter in Wisconsin to hot Summer in Arizona desert. Puerto Rico has more constant temp year around. So lower viscosity oil is more suitable there.

 

I think the “Toyota” oil is a high moly version. I probably read that here on the forum somewhere, so...

 

Look at the chart. It says that 0W-20, 5W-20, and 5W-30 are acceptable in any temperature range. Then, it says that 10W-30 is fine above 0° Fahrenheit, and 15W-40 is fine above 10° Fahrenheit. So, that really only means that people in the northern states shouldn't use 10W-30 or 15W-40 in the winter. It doesn't explain why they recommend 0W-20 everywhere in the US all of the time.

And, I think you meant "higher" viscosity oil is more suitable in Puerto Rico.