Recommended Oil

I purchased my 2013 Tacoma PreRunner V6 Doublecab back in November(3 months ago) and so far I love it. The best truck I have ever driven/owned. It is now about time to change the oil and I noticed in the manual it recommends 0W30 or 5W30. I could see using those if I still lived in Minnesota(go Wild), but as I live in a suburb of Phoenix and it rarely gets below 50 here(high of 68 today) I was wondering what viscosity is the best for a desert climate. I have typically used Valvoline Premium Conventional in every vehicle I have owned, and usually change it every 3k-5k miles. Different vehicles, but my Father runs 10W40 in his 01 Tahoe & 62 corvair but would use 20W50 if he could find it out here...

Thoughts???

 

I'd still run 5-30 Mobil 1. I lived in AZ for a while (chandler) and ran this in my old Tacoma. Never skipped a beat.

 

Use the oil viscosity in the manual.
Internal engine temps are far above air temps.
Many modern racing engines use -20 oils because they run tighter bearing clearances and it helps reduce friction and drag.

 

I run 5w-30.

Mobil1 mainly. Switched to Pennzoil Platinum this time around. PenPlat seems to have made truck's tick less noisy (subjective).

 

Normal street driven vehicle, no reason to go with anything significantly thinner or thicker than what the manual calls for. High quality 5w30 and be done with it, IMO.

 

Mobil 1 seems to be the choice for TW

Trying it for the first time this weekend. I'm expecting 10+ mpg increase, flames out the exhaust and women taking their tops off as I drive by.

 

They may not have told you but you get free oil changes till 25,000 miles.. Check it out!!

 

^^ oh I am well aware of that. Toyota dealer calls me once a week or so. I keep telling them I am not interested (more convenient for me to just change my own oil at home)..but they won't give up, lol.

 

It will give 15 extra HP too.

 

i would if i could lol I bought it used with 39,500 miles on it, but i plan to run 'er til the wheels fall off haha. like i said earlier, the best truck I've ever driven/owned.

As far as the brand goes though, is there any one brand that y'all recommend for your Tacomas? Like I said, I've always used Valvoline PCO, but idk much about oil lol

 

It does in Gran Turismo 5, so why wouldn't it in real life? Did an oil change on a used car I bought and the HP went from 365 to 380.

 

Welcome & congrats on buying a great truck.

Check out the oil change thread in the Technical section. Very good info. It's an easy oil & filter change if you decide to do it yourself.

As far as oil brand, you certainly can stay with Valvoline products as long as it will meet the OEM requirements. The owners manual has that info as well. Stay with the viscosity recommendations in the manual and you'll be golden.

Lots of people use synthetic oil because it doesn't break down as quickly as conventional oils.

Good luck.

 

Beware if this is your first Tacoma oil change - if previous user/tech did NOT oil the filter gasket, it will probably take a filter band/wrench to get it off. Normally, if lubed, it comes off easily by hand.

 

5W-30 AMSOIL Signature Series for the past 158K miles...no issues.

 

I change my own oil also but I let them do there other free stuff also so it will be on warranty record so there wont be any issues..

 

The only thing i didn't have for the oil change (1st time I've ever seen this) was a 5/16" hose to drain the oil from the filter drip pan. I have one now, but i ended up holding a soup can under it to catch the oil so it wouldn't overflow...that would have been one helluva mess lol

 

I run Pennzoil Platinum. It's the last "true" synthetic available on the market. It is not made from cracking base oil. Pennzoil Platinum is made from natural gas I highly recommend it.

Just IMHO I'd avoid all the Amasol marketing hype. They have little to no independent data backing up any of there claims. It's a snake oil type company that relies on it's magical properties and out the garage door sales to get by. I'm not knocking their products because I don't want to get into that but I always avoid companies that operate like that to try and get a premium price.

 

Not to cut hairs, but it's Amsoil.

I won't comment on their marketing, but will say that in my area you must buy from an individual distributor - usually a husband/wife operation that just happens to be miles away or a repair shop selling Amsoil products at ridiculous prices.

Comparing Amsoil to Mobil-1, Red Line; Royal Purple is also another discussion I'll shy away from. They will all lubricate your engine quite well I'm sure.

I prefer time-tested, widely available oils to be found on the shelf at places likes Walmart. Many to choose from at a much more reasonable price.

 

+1.

Boutique oils are like any other boutique item. Over priced.

Folks can snicker at Walmart all they want. They have some of the quality products like Mobil 1 and Pennzoil platinum, as well as Shell Rotella. All of which are excellent choices.

To the OP. The 0-30 will give a bit more start up protection, which is the hardest time in the engine's life. It functions exactly the same as the 5-30 once it's a bit warm.

 

Jesus Christ man I just launched Bud Light out my nose! And yes oil is a very subjective discussion. Example,my Step-Dad purchased a new 93' Dakota,and ran regular old Penzoil in it it's whole life. He's the kind've guy who would start the truck no matter what temperature,put in gear and go. I bought that truck with 195k,and drove it to 215k,using the same oil. Truck ran like new and would've drove it anywhere. Point is use a quality oil and change it on a regular basis. I like Walmarts Super Tech synthetic brand.