Synthetic oil change

Just purchased a 2011 SR5 4 cyl that Toyota says needs synthetic oil change every 5k miles. $50+ price for oil change is way high for me-I drive 1500 miles per week and need low operating cost.
Post warranty period, will conventional oil harm this engine?
Previous SR5 used 5W30 for 487k miles with 5k miles between oil changes.
Your thoughts highly appreciated.

 

Are you saying that the owners manual REQUIRES synthetic?
I'm a believer in the benefits of synthetic, I myself use Amsoil however, I would be surprised if the manual now requires it.

 

I believe they changed the manual in 2011. It's the same 2.7 that's been used for years and conventional oil has always come in them from the factory. I'm sure the motor would run perfectly fine on conventional oil. But if the manual says it's required, then that's what I'm running. No need to lose my warranty prematurely. If you really can't afford synthetic, then I would say to switch to conventional oil after your warranty is up. You can also run well over 5k on synthetic. Many people go 7500-10000+. If you want to extend your OCI then send a sample to blackstone labs and they'll tell you what condition the oil is in.

 

REQUIRES is a strong word. All info I have seen to this date speaks of synthetic oil. ToyotaCare has special note recommending synthetic oil every 5k miles. I know I must follow Toyota plan to maintain warranty status. Why only 5k miles w/synthetic oil???
I will check into this oil analysis program for my own info.



thanx to all who respond to my concerns, Dave Hart

 

What does your owner's manual say? Does it say use XWXX synthetic? If so, use synthetic and don't jepordize the warranty. I don't have a 2011 or the 4 cyl so I'm just curious exactly what the manual says. Either way, I think 5k for synthetic is early. I switched my V6 to synthetic and extended the intervals a bit and it offsets the cost some. If you change the oil yourself, keep your eye out for deals. Every so often Advanced Auto or Autozone will run deals on Mobil 1. I stocked up last time and I think each oil change works out to be like $35 (big cost up front though).

 

Alright, now I thought that the 4-cyl requirements (current year) were synthetic, 0W-20, and a 10k OCI????

 

They don't make 0w-20 Dino, so Toyota has always "recommended" Synthetic for the 2TR. Switch to Mobile1 or Amsoil, Extended Performance synthetic and change the oil every 10,000+ miles.

Mobile1 can be picked up at WalMart for +-$30, per 5 quart jug. They also sell the Fram Extended Performance filters, the most expensive one, which is ranked #2 on third party tests. The Amsoil filter is the best.


*I run 5W-30 in my truck.

 

There are folks around here running Amsoil for 25000 or so OCIs. With the amount of driving you do-You might want to look into something like that.

 

Chris4x4's filter comparison. Not the final word in filter comparisons but I wouldn't buy Fram based on the results. They've always been cheap filters, the only good thing about them is they dip the end in rubber so you can grip them. I'd just stick with Toyota filters.
http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/te...-oil-filter-made-thailand-vs-competition.html

 

http://www.300cforums.com/forums/ge...ble-shooting/31190-oil-filters-dissected.html

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=1572697

Sources.

 

Mr. 75,000... rebutle?

 

This.

I just sent in my first sample to them last week. It was the factory oil that came in my 2011 4.0L - I'm curious to see how it did and what junk was in it after the "break-in".

I'll be sending a sample in after every oil change. It's only $25.

^ ^ This. For the amount of driving you do, going with an extended use fully synthetic oil and extending your OCI's is the way to go. It may seem more expensive when it comes time to change it, but in the end, you will save money and reduce wear on your engine.

To answer your initial question, I would not run conventional in the 2.7L. Toyota recommends a certain oil for a reason. I would also just stick with the Toyota filters. Toyota engineers are smart enough to design badass trucks and engines, so why change the filters that they themselves recommend and use?

Fink

 

I have been an old school dino guy, changing oil and filter every 3500 miles or so. My argument has always been that dino oil typically will not break down during this time frame, so why spend the extra money? Well, I just went to Wal-mart and checked prices of oils. If I use dino, I will do 3 changes in a 10,000 mile period. 3 5qt bottles of oil and 3 filters. If I go to Full Syn oil, and change every 5000 miles, I would only use 2 5qt bottles of oil and 2 filters. Based on today's prices, I would save $2.62 going to full syn oil and going to a 5000 mile interval between changes. Our truck motors will be fine with either, but studies suggest running full syn will improve gas mileage over the long run, as well as offer improved wear factors over the course of time. I am not sure about nor do I recommend at this point extending the service intervals unless it is printed in your owner's manual, just because you use full syn oils and or the manufacture of the oils says you can go further.

 

I debated doing this also. I am also old school in that I change my oil every 3mo/3-3,500mi.

With my commute being 3mi/day (walk most of the time), I put very few miles on my truck. Bought it 7/6/11 and I only have 943mi on it as of this morning. I use 5W30 Mobil 1 conventional and change it every 3 months. I already got the first oil change done (by Toyota_Tech31 on here, actually) and I will be sending a sample out to Blackstone every time I get the oil changed. Just to see how things are doing. My biggest concern are the short trips and high temps here in Florida.

OP,

You should have Toyota Care as part of your new vehicle purchase, correct? If so, you won't have to worry about preventative maintenance costs for a while. Assuming that Toyota Care applies to the 2.7L with synthetic.

Fink

 

I've known some people to go 10K on yellow bottle Pennzoil (API SM) with uoa's showing it still OK. Modern mineral oils are just way, way better than they used to be when everyone developed their '3000 mile OCI rule of thumb' that makes lots of money for the oil change companies. ILSAC GL-4 and GL-5 made them even better. 6000 mile intervals is, IME, a safe OCI and leaves plenty of margin: you are being very conservative even at 3500.

To answer your question: the only reason to go synthetic and spend the extra money is if you're extending intervals. I use a 10K OCI with Pennzoil Ultra and that is pretty conservative too since people regularly push it to 20k with UOA's to support. Why spend the money on UOA's since it would be about the same to just change oil??

 

What are your thoughts on the difference between conventional and synthetic when it comes to protecting against extreme heat?

Fink

 

It's true synthetic oils will have better ability to handle extreme high temps even beyond requirements of GF-5. That doesn't mean mineral oils are by any means deficient though. It's one major area where GF-4 and GF-5 standards demanded great improvements to be certified.

If you towed heavy at high speed in summer temps, it might be a good reason to use synthetic even if you don't want to extend drain interval. But I don't think that alone is a good enough reason. Especially Florida's temps .

Just be sure to look for ILSAC GF-4 at LEAST, GF-5 preferably on the bottle; API SM or SN is usually the tell-tale if they don't list the ILSAC standard.

 

A few points:

- There's no material difference in the 2011 2.7L engine compared to the 2005-2010 engine. Because the EPA changed its fuel economy test procedure in 2008 to include operation in colder 20F weather, Toyota may have elected to "require" synthetic oil to avoid a big drop in the advertised fuel economy numbers.

- The oil filter does not support extended OCI. If you work out a program to extend OCI to 10K-25K, you should still change the filter every 5K and do a top-up. The Toyota filter already has one of the largest filter element areas in the industry, so you may have trouble finding a larger one to support a longer change interval.

- Other inspections typically done with an oil change (grease latches, tire pressure, CV boots, etc.) should still be done at 5K or 6 months. For example, the fuel filler door hinges are known to break without greasing, though this is probably more time-dependent than milage-dependent.

 

According to Mobil 1's site, the Mobile 1 Extended Performance (Full Synthetic) is GF-5 rated. The oil I use, Mobil Super is rated as a GF-4. Interesting.

Fink

 

If you want to change the filter go ahead... doesn't hurt. But I've read some pretty good arguments that it's not really necessary to do it so very often.

First, always remember that even a 'full flow' filter bypasses regularly: when you floor it to feel that rush of acceleration it bypasses at high RPM, when you start a cold engine it bypasses for several min's. Maybe up to 10 minutes in really cold weather. So don't think the oil filter is 100% essential, 100% of the time. Even when brand new, it's not there for you!

Any way, the argument goes like this: engine should NOT be making particles big enough for the filter to trap; if it is you got problems. (That's why it's safe to be bypassed so much!) The filter's job is to get stuff that is drug in during oil changes and when topping off. And stuff that blows by the rings before it's built up to a point to cause problems, during those times it's not by-passed of course. Which are considerable, if you can keep your foot out of it .

So, your biggest concern is your AIR filter: dust and dirt that's drawn in and blown by the rings and is picked up by the oil filter. Keep your AF changed and the oil filter will take care of itself!

That's why I'm totally opposed to K&N's and keep mine clean and fresh now!