Which oil to use?

[PolkManiac]

I've read quite a few threads on here about synthetic vs. conventional oils, but not much on which oil to use.

I'm going to stick with conventional oil for the foreseeable future. Having said that, I have a couple questions.

1 - What brand of oil should I use? What does Toyota use? I know I can buy 'Toyota' oil, but I assume that that's just another brand repackaged with the Toyota name - anyone have any clues.

2 - Should I be using 10w-30 or 5w-30. I have a V6 2004 model and live in Texas, so it's hot here most of the time. Should I use one in the winter and another in the summer.

I've looked here and in the manual for each of these and haven't really found anything. I'm sure this information is on here somewhere because it sounds like basic stuff to me...

Thanks
- Danny

 

[peter78]

I do not believe Toyota has a oil. My Toyota dealer uses Kendall and Castrol Sythtec for sythethic. I use Castol GTX in my old cars and Mobil 1 in the 4Runner.

Toyota recommends 5W30 for the oil. I wouldn't be surprised if your delaer uses 10W30. You might be surprised what dealers use.

For me, I use 5W30 Castrol in my Honda in the winter and 10W30 in the summer. It is just my opinion, but I would use 5W30 in your car while it is under warranty and change to 10W30 after that.

As far as brand of conventional oil, I really feel all brands are good. I would think changing it as often as you can would be the best insurance. I would think 3,000 to 5,000 miles is a conserative practice. Pick the number you are comfortable with and stick with it.

 

[PolkManiac]

Thanks for the reply. I've been using 5w-30, not sure if it's Castrol or Quaker State, but it's conventional.

 

[Koz]

You can't go wrong with Amsoil or Mobil 1 (full synthetic), use the lowest OEM recommended viscosity. (Probably 5w-30) You may want to change the diffs also.

Koz