Synthetic vs standard oil

Last question of the day...new 2015 Tacoma 2x4, auto, 4 cyl. Will be doing 23-25K miles per year evenly between long distance interstate and in-town driving. Will going with synthetic oil be worth the added $15-20ish cost in your opinion?

 

Bob Is The Oil Guy
http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/

I don't have personal experience. But from what Bob says synthetic is all about start-up/warm-up wear and tear. There's a LOT of reading on his site if you're interested...

 

0-20 syn is what Toyota specs for your 4 cyl. You have read the owners manual, right?

Once out of warranty, send a sample to Blackstone labs for analysis. You'll most likely find you can run 10k (or more) OCIs quite safely. Meaning your incremental cost is greatly reduced while still having excellent protection.

Not to mention your cost differential estimate is pretty high. Using Mobil 1, shopping when it's on sale, and doing the change yourself will bring your cost at or under having a WiffyLube with dino and a mystery filter.

 

Why not run synthetic? Unless you like changing your oil every 3K I would run synthetic. If you go with Amsoil Signature series, it's rated at a 25K interval but I change it twice a year and put about 25K a year on the truck.

 

Definitely want to use 0w-20 SYNTHETIC for your 4cyl!!!!

 

The Toyota factory oil is made by Mobil One if that helps.

 

Mobil 1 is not a manufacturer, it's a product.

Even if Mobil is currently the low bidder to produce Toyota labeled synthetic, it's not merely a rebadging of Mobil 1 synthetic, as analysis shows a significant difference in their composition.

As a tribologist friend of mine pointed out, "The 0w20 Toyota oil used to be something special, now it is kinda midrange".

 

You must be a AMSOIL dealer...

 

It's scary how similar we are. I do literally everything you just said, and have the same exact rig, only mines a 13.

I would (and do) use synthetic oil. For the amount of travel guys like us do, it's a must. Conventional is great for people who drive very little and won't drive 3,000 miles in 6 months. For guys like us syrhetic is great...longer change intervals compared to conventional, and better engine protection. In my opinion synthetic offers much better wear protection for an engine, and driving as much as that....you'll need it.

 

Quoted for truth. Even conventional dino is good for at least 3k. Getting an oil analysis is the only way to know for sure what's going on in there. I run Synth changed every 5K to stay in warranty. I could probably go to 10K. I ran my '05 Titan to 10K, had the oil analyzed and it was still fine.

 

Short trips and low miles over time is actually harder on all systems than lots of mile cruising. The uber low mileage folks and the high stress folks are the ones who benefit the most from synthetic.

The big advantage for the pile the miles on crowd is longer OCIs, assuming they take advantage of that.

Most high miles are accumulated on the road, at speed, with stable operating temperatures and reasonable surfaces. Which is the easiest life a vehicle ever sees.

 

No, but I recognize that my time saved by using Amsoil and changing twice a year is more valuable than saving a few dollars and I have the peace of mind knowing there is a quality product lubricating my engine. Take it for what it's worth.