So our oil viscosity choice overseas...

[JLTD]

Is way different than what is recommended in the owner's manuals here in the US.

Anyone using something other than 0w-20 in their 5th gen? I have 5w-20 in now and will be using other grades to compare.

 

[delloro]

I looked at the Australian, South American, and other manuals, and have seen what you posted.

It's very annoying that Toyota won't give us a straight answer.

 

[JLTD]

I looked at the Australian, South American, and other manuals, and have seen what you posted.

It's very annoying that Toyota won't give us a straight answer.

Agreed; I believe the chart I posted comes from Australia.

My personal thought is that it is CAFE-driven, and that although a 20 grade oil will get better mpg by some small amount, a thicker oil may protect better against wear.

CAFE regulations require that automakers list and recommend ONLY the oil that was used for mpg testing. Toyota has gotten around this to some extent by saying that a thicker oil may be required when towing, in mountains, or during extended high speed operations.

 

[RockyM]

We are taking our 4R with us to the Caribbean in a few months. I don't think there is such a thing as a cold start down there. LOL. Loaded up on some 5W20 to take with us for maintenance. Toyota just trying to cover all of its bases here with regards to climate. They sell this engine everywhere.

 

[Jetboy]

Seems like the engine basically lasts forever no matter what you do to it. The only things I've seen that you can do to kill or damage these is to run a low filtration air filter (like the typical oiled element filters) or suck water into the intake. Short of that - they seem like they're pretty much bulletproof. So I'd probably just use the lighter weight oil. If it gets a little better mpg without any known issues with durability, there's no reason to switch.