0W-20 vs 5W-20 - Can we run both?

[Texas_Ranger]

My question is, have you guys noticed a difference in price between 0W-20 and 5W-20 oil in general? I find the the 0w-20 is always at a higher price. Why is that? Being down here in Texas I would think that I could run the 5W-20, save some money without any issues. What say you?

 

[mteolus]

Always run what the manufacturer recommends.

 

[Charlievee]

And here we, Go!

 

[LandCruiser]

0 protects your engine better in the cold than 5.

Not sure if that'd ever be a problem in Tejas.

 

[Decipher]

Toyota says to use 0W20

Toyota makes a product that lasts 400,000+miles

Toyota says don’t be a cheap f***


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Texas_Ranger]

0 protects your engine better in the cold than 5.

Not sure if that'd ever be a problem in Tejas.

Yeah and there's where I was going with this. Especially now during the summer. I don't want this to get into a huge oil discussion but just a situational discussion based on my environment.

 

[eelliiss]

Ow20 is actually pretty hard to find in other areas outside of the US. For those areas, they suggest 5w20. Pretty sure you'd be fine, although I've only ever run 0w20.

 

[CavPro]

They recommend that oil in Puerto Rico but you are nowhere near the tropic of cancer let alone Belize. Do what you want though.

 

[LandCruiser]

Yeah and there's where I was going with this. Especially now during the summer. I don't want this to get into a huge oil discussion but just a situational discussion based on my environment.

Repeated COLD starts over a very long period, think a truck that lives in the Midwest, outside, and is cranked in negative temperatures.

Texas doesn't sustain the cold necessary for the differences, even if you happen to run into a few mornings when it gets into the 20s. And that's moot if you garage it.

 

[mrblah]

To answer the question:

You shouldn't have a problem running 5w-20 unless you live in cold climates. However, this is against what toyota recommends, which to some is consider gospel.


I run what toyota recommends, but I would run 5w-20 if thats all i can get in a pinch, since I live in san diego where if the temperature dropped below 60 degrees, people would think the world is coming to an end.

 

[eelliiss]

I also think that the gas mileage decrease, however slight, over the 10k mile interval would negate the savings on oil by far.

Also, sign up for Pennzoil and Mobil 1 notifications. They regularly offer $10 and $12 off five quart jugs. You can also go to their websites and see what they offer now.

 

[Toffees]

Repeated COLD starts over a very long period, think a truck that lives in the Midwest, outside, and is cranked in negative temperatures.

Texas doesn't sustain the cold necessary for the differences, even if you happen to run into a few mornings when it gets into the 20s. And that's moot if you garage it.

Generally agree, but McKinney is much colder than San Antonio, for instance. But there's little likelihood of damage for summer use. Very few 4R owners are going to burn out their engine rings.

 

[bsa70]

Dude, spend the coin and get the right stuff...seeeesh

 

[IanB]

When we bought our 5th gen used the dealer had changed the oil, I drove it like that for about 5000kms and found the performance underwhelming.

I changed the oil early for this reason, used 0w20 and the difference was very noticeable right away, engine was more eager to rev, and had way more power in the upper revs, my theory is whatever weight bulk oil they used wasn't allowing the vvti to work properly, and made the truck a real dog, hopefully no damage was caused (I strongly doubt it), but it really drove home how picky these engines are about oil.

Use the right stuff, buy a case when it comes on sale, the oil change interval is LONG on these trucks so it's not like you'll have to do it every 3 months or anything.

 

[badattitude]

I totally agree, glad someone mentioned the Dual VVT aspect. I bought my 5th gen used with a fresh "oil change". I was concerned the truck was so slow. After a couple months I changed the oil with 0w-20 and found improved performance. I think 0w-20 makes the VVT work better. I have noticeably better low-end pick up with the 0w-20. Especially around 3000 rpms coming from a stop.

 

[Rapid_Amble]

Toyota 0w20 is really runny at low temperature compared to other 0w20s from Mobil 1, Amsoil and Redline.

Properties for Toyota are here Genuine Toyota Synthetic SAE 0W-20 API SN

properties for others are available elsewhere but they all have much higher viscosities at low temps - as temperatures decrease, the difference in viscosity of the other oils vs Toyota increases. Their viscosities at 0 deg. C are ~70-90% higher than Toyota oil.

You see this when using viscosity calculators such as this one Calculate viscosity at given temperature | Nimac Great Britain

I haven’t heard of any engine failures due to using Mobile 1 or any other 0w20 brand of oil over the long term. So, I suspect there’s decent tolerance in these engines for such tomfooolery as using after market 0w20 or even 5w20.

Also per the link to Toyota oil spec above, the back of the Toyota bottle shows it’s good for gas engines requiring 0w20/5w20. Maybe that’s a typo?

 

[Tuco S.]

I also think that the gas mileage decrease, however slight, over the 10k mile interval would negate the savings on oil by far.

Also, sign up for Pennzoil and Mobil 1 notifications. They regularly offer $10 and $12 off five quart jugs. You can also go to their websites and see what they offer now.

^ This.

I recently ordered two 5-quart bottles of Pennzoil 0W-20 to try out. The rebate period just closed, but they have one every year. $10 off any 5-quart bottle up to $20 off (full price is @ $23 on amazon, so nearly half off). Submitted the rebate form online for the two bottles, and received a check for $20 the same week.

Also, Havoline Pro DS 0W-20 comes in a 6-quart box for about $20 through Walmart (online). At that price, a DIY oil change with oem parts costs less than $30. Cheap enough?

 

[83Mule]

Stop!.....too much BS. Mobil makes Toyota's 0/20 and it has minor tweaks to the add-package...it is not magical. 5/20 is fine....and this same exact motor in other parts of the world is allowed to run up to 10/30 with a full warranty. No....it won't blow up...no the VVT doesn't care. It comes down to CAFE requirements and using the most low drag oil they can spec to achieve the numbers. Does my 4Runner KNOW it isn't in Puerto Rico? Does my Truck have any part numbers in the Engine that are ''North American Only''? Does the fact it is way hotter where I live than anywhere on the planet but Death Valley mean I can't run 5/20? No,No,No and I do run 5/20 Valvoline Synth and Mo1. Toyota has spec's for running various oils based on a range of temps for many models over the last 42 years I have driven them......until CAFE and CARB got involved and twisted some arms to get what they want from the Manufacturers. Politics and Lawyers are dictating it more that the Engines inability to use several weights of oil safely.......Relax.

 

[thennen]

1.) Besides saving $3-$5 per oil change, what motivates you to want to deviate from Toyota’s recommendation?

2.) Personally, I’ve never seen an engine failure that was caused by using slightly incorrect viscosity oil.

 

[borfoo3]

We run nothing less than 5w30.. most Toyotas around here run 20w50 weight oils. Our environment is extremely hot that thinner oils don't exist

Like mentioned above, recommended oil weight is determined not only by engine specs, but also fuel and emissions targets as well.

Most people run into problems not due to different oil weights, but neglecting timely maintenance of oil and fluids in general.