0W20 Oil?

My 2013 2.7L specs 0W20 oil. According to manual, can run 5W20, and there is a statement that you can run heavier oil in severe conditions (towing, etc.). Not sure what that statement implies.....0W30 or 5W30 maybe???

So, my question is whether this is one of those engines where they spec'd 5W30 for years, then went to 0W20 just to try and meet some CAFE standard? The reason I ask, my daughter has an 2004 Camry that specs 5W30, and my dad has a 2010 with the same engine, but the later model specs 5W20.

0W20 is fine for winter, because my son will be taking the little Taco to school in snow country. But, it will spend its summers in the Southwest desert, where daily temps are extremely HOT. I was thinking of running minimum 5W20 in summer, simply because it takes fewer VII's (Viscosity Index Improvers) to turn a 5 weight oil into a 20 (when hot), than it does to turn a 0 weight into a 20. (In multi-viscosity oils, VII's are balls of plastic that unfold into threads when they get hot, to thicken the oil, but....they have no lubricating ability of their own and are the most labile part of an oil's additive package, so the less of them in your oil to start with....the better!)

Or....just run 5W30 in summer and not worry about it?

I run Redline polyol ester synthetic in everything, cars, trucks, ATV's, and motorcycles. http://www.redlineoil.com/content/files/tech/Motor Oil PDS 5-13.pdf

 

I would just follow the manual and not worry about it so much- the engineers have considered these factors. I have been running Mobil 1 synthetic 0w20 through Louisiana and Texas summers, with towing.

 

Yet, those same engineers leave you an out to run a heavier oil, so it is natural for one to wonder what that is all about.

 

I have wondered about that, too. The manual for mine recommends 5w-20 or 0w-20, but states "a higher viscosity may be better suited if the vehicle is operated at high speeds, or under extreme load condition." The lower viscosity is supposed to be the best for fuel economy and cold weather starting. I have been using 5w-30 in my truck and consistently getting 25 mpg or better and having no cold weather starting problems. Because I have a couple of cases of 10w-30 oil, I will probably start using that for summer driving.

 

To run a very thin oil, I would speculate that it would be necessary to tighten an engine's tolerances (a thin oil will not lubricate as large a gap as a thicker oil), use a different oil pump, and maybe change the engine's galleys to keep the oil pressure up, etc.

Anyone know if these types of things have changed on the later model engines, vs the older ones????

 

I don't think it would be a problem to run a thinner oil as it can flow and fit into the spot of a thicker oil. I would however think that a motor with super tight tolerances using a thinner oil might have problem when a thicker oil is used.

 

I would suggest you spend some time reading about motor oils on the following website:

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com

It is very informative and helps to dispel ALOT of myths, dogma and misunderstandings about the various oil weights and their appropriate uses.

 

Been using 0w-20 since 5000 miles, and now I'm at 76k with no problems. Ran it through summer and winter.

 

5w20 has been specified in the 2.7 since at least as early as 1997.
0w20 was added a few years ago when Toyota started using synthetic as the factory oil.
0w20 is available only in synthetic, 5w20 is available (but rare) in conventional.

 

This is pretty much the answer I was looking for. Thanks!

Redline 5W20 has a very high HTHS of 3.0, so I think I will be comfortable with that as a summer oil.

 

The owner's manual states that 0W20 is the only oil that is to be used in your 4 Cylinder Taco. You could use 5W20 as an alternate oil change until the next change that should be 0W20. Toyota wants you to use the 0 weight oil as the standard oil. What you as an owner chooses to use is up to you, but your warranty may be questioned. If they can prove that using anything but the required oil caused a engine failure and you are trying to get the engine repaired under warranty, you may have the warranty voided.
I don't know why it is so hard to follow instructions that are given by the factory and printed in the manual. You can do anything you want, as you purchased the truck, but don't try to claim a warranty problem if you fail to follow their directions. If your engine fails in the summer time and it is in the hottest part of the country, and if the correct oil is used, your engine will be repaired under warranty. Testing was done in all climates and in all areas of the world, the advice of the owners manual is the law for keeping your truck working forever. Just because something was done one way in the past and by doing the same today will give the same results may work, but you are risking your warranty over old knowledge.

 

Not true for the '09 models, at least. 5w-20 is also recommended. Also, page 468 in the owner's manual states "An oil with a higher viscosity may be better suited if the vehicle is operated at high speeds, or under extreme load condition."

 

Yup... Same for my '08...

 

I guess I should have put in there that relates to my 12 taco. I would say that aplies to the later models also. The early models do have a choice.
Our Lexus was an 09 and it used 5W30 and our new 13 model uses

$52 0W20 oil Toyota/ exxon mobil Case of 6 Quarts Full Synthetic TGMO SN 0W-20 Oil

0W20 oil. Almost all the new Toyota models will use the 0W20 oil from now on.

 

My 2006 with the 2.7 specs 5w30 in the manual and says I can run 10w30 if I have too. I think Toyota changed in 2008.

 

Two different guides here... the 2012 version is the most current.
Interesting that some vehicles that spec'd xw20 in the old file moved to 5w30 in the '13 file.

 

My 2013's owner's manual reads just like what is quoted above, so I don't see that anything has changed there.

I guess that means that sometimes, there might be an oil that is "better suited" than 0W20......heaven help us, as we might be required to think for ourselves.

 

Any possibility of running 0W20 (looks like beginning in model year 2000 on the charts), must have coincided with improvements in that oil. When it first came out, it was very questionable stuff. Mobil 1 had to beef up their Group III base stocks, by adding ester to get it to pass muster. Ester is made in a lab by some chemist in a white coat....so it isn't cheap.

http://www.mobiloil.com/USA-English/MotorOil/Car_Care/AskMobil/Does_Mobil_1_Contain_Ester_Oil.aspx

 

The charts do add some confusion, when compared to owner's manuals! I suppose that the charts are intended as 'updates' for Toyota techs? Manufacturers are always slow (even negligent) in updating owner's manuals.

My 2010 Yaris and 2004 Camry (L4) manual's both spec 5W30 as primary, and let you run 10W30 (oh my!) if there is no 5W30 available. Dad's 2010 Camry (L4) specs 5W20, but lets you run 0W20 if no 5W20 is available. They also contain the same type of statement about heavier oils being better suited for severe conditions, so I don't really see any hard and fast rules here at all.....

But....always keep in mind that running in the background of all this, is the manufacturer's need to meet CAFE standards....perhaps for better or for worse from we owner's points of view! Makes sorting out the puzzle, all the more obscure.

 

OTOH, the "best" oil for any engine is going to be the lightest weight that meets the engine's requirements for a given temperature range.
Lighter oil flows better on initial startup, which is when most of your wear happens.

Keep in mind that the "0w" vs "5w" is the measure of the oil's weight when cold.
Once at operating temperature, both 0w20 and 5w20 are 20 weight oils.
Synthetic allows for the use of "0w" oils to perform comparably to 5w20 conventional, much in the same way that for Diesel engines, the standard oils are 15w40, or 5w40 synthetic.