Toyota Oil, Synthetic vs Conventional for short trips

Hey guys, I know this is a ridiculous topic that is been debated and beaten to death over and over. Basically what I want to know is, all of you guys who have high mileage on your Tacomas (say over 200,000), what oil do you use (conventional or synthetic) and if you use synthetic, when did you switch?

I just bought my 2015 Tacoma and it has 28,000 miles on it. I drive 4.2 miles each way to and from work. So by the time that I get to work, the truck isn't truly at full operating temperature. I'm considering putting in synthetic because of the short trips and I bought this stupid "bumper to bumper" extended warranty, so the Toyota dealer is going to be changing my oil, as much as that kills me.

I've never had any problems using Mobile 1. I even used it in my 93 Mustang that had 180,000 miles on it with no issues at all. But I've never had a new vehicle before, I've never spent so much money on one either, and I don't like other people touching my car. I also have only switched to synthetic oils on multiple cars after 60,000 miles in them. I fully realize that some car modela come from the factory with synthetic, but the Tacoma is sort of an old school design and still stuck on Toyotas "5,000 mile change interval" plan. A good friend of mine who is an amazing mechanic, said he's going to wait until 75,000 miles to switch his Tacoma to synthetic. He is under the impression that the seals will swell prematurely and synthetic will prematurely wear down your bearings due to over lubrication. Personally, I don't believe that from my own research, but I wanted to see what your guys's experiences are. I want to be one of the many, many Taco owners who have over 350,000 miles on it. Even if it takes me 30+ years to do it! Thanks in advance!

 

welcome.

 

Thank you!!! It's good to be on the Taco side! I never thought I would buy a truck, but now that I have one I can never not see myself in one again (besides my foxbody).

 

Best place to be!!!

 

Run any brand full Synthetic. Everyone has there own brands they like. For me it's Valvoline 1st then Mobile 1. Synthetic is MUCH better oil when you take it down the the molecule. (Been to tech school and have seen it personally). Synthetic has perfectly round molecules, conventional has almost a square shaped molecule. Synthetic is more free moving and a less "thick" fluid though so if you have a oil leak already with conventional then synthetic could make it worse. Other wise switch right now....get in yoyr car and drive to walmart right now and get oil.

 

Is he under the impression that bearings will slide on surfaces rather than roll as they should because there is not enough friction?

 

Went 4 years without a truck (2012 Ford Fusion) and I will never be without one again.. Trucks are just too practical not to have one.. I hated always calling someone for help to haul and or tow shit.. Welcome to the club! Post a pic of your Fox body!

 

I switch when I hit 30k miles just about since I ran out of free oil changes; Went to Mobil one for the first 3-4 oil changes then swap over to Pennzoil platinum since its suppose to be one of the best oils out there now that's affordable. I now stay with the Pennzoil Platinum and it's been trouble free so far and of course as long as you change your oil I think anything is good, but I'm picky. If I could afford AMSOIL I would go with them but at times I feel like its easily comparable to other high end oils so maybe not worth the money? Although exclusively I only use AMSOIL

$30 75w-90 Synthetic Gear Lube - 1 Quart (Pack of 2)

75w-90 Severe gear in my differentials and transfer case; changed it out at around 17-22k miles(Can't remember and the old gear fluid was dark as it can get, I was short 1 quart from the factory in my rear diff) Just changed out my gear fluid again yesterday with more Amsoil 75w-90 after about running the last AMSOIL for the past 45-50k miles.(Gear fluid was also dark too again; so I recommend this service every 35-50k miles)

Oil Filters I have always been buying whatever is easily obtainable; but Toyota OEM filters are cheap and lately I've been getting the K&N oil filters for the same price so I stick with K&N now. Don't buy the BOSCH filter, I bought one on sale for $3 for my last oil change and I just changed my oil yesterday and learned that the anti-drain back valve in the BOSCH oil filter wasn't doing its job. Usually when I remove the old filter I'll get a lot of oil that would make a mess but the BOSCH filter was completely empty so I suspect the anti-drain back valve is non-existent in the BOSCH filter or just wasn't doing its job.

Bobistheoilguy.com or something like that is where you can go to learn all you need to know about OILs and then some.

 

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Pennzoil...5035&wl11=online&wl12=150683491&wl13=&veh=sem best of both worlds

 

What truck do you have? The v6 with VVT requires 0W-20, which is already synthetic.

Your short trips is considered severe duty. You need to change the oil more often.

 

I started using syn oil at about 40K in our Taco and wife's Lexus. Both are 07 and call for 5K oil changes. I now change oil at 10K and use Mobil 1 Extended.

I used Valvoline Max syn oil once to compare an used oil analysis with Mobil 1. Mobil One had a higher TBN value and had more protective additives remaining.
My post is #69, https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/used-oil-analysis-reports-2nd-generation-tacoma.182294/

I think you can cancel the extended warranty and get a pro-rated refund.

 

A good mechanic (wrench spinner, problem solver, etc.) does not a tribologist make.

Good for you. You are on the right path.

 

Too, funny! Exactly what I was thinking!

 

I'm in the same boat - maybe worse. My daily work commutes are very short just like yours. Additionally, the winters here are very cold and I have a lot of idle time. I use full synthetic and change every spring and fall, or every 5k; whichever comes first. I'm currently sitting at about 4100 miles since my last change, but will be changing my oil regardless in a few weeks. I use OEM Toyota filters with each change. In addition to oil change intervals, I follow the severe use maintenance schedule due to short commutes, cold temps and occasional towing.

 

1. I'm going to switch the oil out every 6 months regardless of the milage to keep in compliance with the stupid warranty. So my main concern is just a short trips.

@JefferyB My buddy is saying while his motor is breaking in and has tight tolerences, he's sticking with conventional. I'm not entirely sure about what his thoughts are on the bearings because I've never heard of that.

@koditten: I have the 4.0 V6. Sticking with 5W-30 since I live in FL.

@Tcoma16, Irma slapped me upside the head and taught me that if you have a family and own a home, you can't depend on other people and you NEED a truck.

 

The thing Irma should have taught anyone in the potential path of a hurricane is early prep. If you have all your ducks lined up you only have about 3 things to do with an approaching storm, and none of them have anything to do with a need for a truck.

1) Pick up, board up and fuel up.

2) decide if you are evacuating or hunkering down. Run from flooding, hide from wind.

Done right, there should be no panic trips to hardware stores, grocery stores or other.

If you are an evacuee, you need to have back road routes laid out on paper (not GPS) so you can move to high ground, able to bob and weave, avoiding the panicked masses on the interstates. GPS is nice, but you need to be able to see the surrounding areas and alternate routes much faster than it will function.

We had friends with a new Camry go from here to Greenville SC with no fuel stops. No truck is going to do that, and fuel stops, and the lack of fuel, created the most mess for evacuees.

 

Almost, but I disagree. I could not get plywood in time because I didn't have a truck. I had to cut down my fence panels to board up my windows. By the time I was able to find somebody with a truck to help me get the plywood everything was gone. And then I had to consider: "do I try to get out of FL with a Mustang that I have more money into then I'll ever get back, that gets 13 MPGS when there is no gas and bumper to bumper traffic, or do I get out with my $2,000 Cobalt and leave my baby behind while praying to God it does not get destroyed?" My new answer is: Tacoma, so tow the bitch out.

 

vvt doesn't "require" thinner oil. It's more accurate to say vvt allows a thinner viscosity, although that is not entirely accurate either. Manufacturers have gone to thinner oils because of higher engine tolerances and because it helps raise mpg - thinner oil has less friction properties. As mileage increases and seals/gaskets begin to leak oil, you'll want to get a higher viscosity oil, regardless if you have vvt or not.

You only need to change oil more often if your current oil change shows it has excessive contaminants. The best way to determine that is to have an oil sample analyzed. It's better than guessing. Short distance mileage will do more harm to the battery.

 

Agreed. Hope Irma wasn’t too bad for you and your family.

 

No, we lucked out. I live in a flood AE zone, but the water was fine. With a truck I can also not give a crap if the main road floods anymore also. It's the best choice for a family man and home owner.