2012 Toyota Corolla

Well guys. I just want to say being a member of this forum has been a great experience for me, and I have found no other forum that offers the technical advice offered here.

In recent months, my job criteria has changed and I have been taking a hard look at the wheels I should be driving. I went from an installer to a salesman. So I went to the dealer and they offered me 0% financing on a 2012 Corolla Sport for 60 months. I traded my 08 taco 4 cyl. It actually lowered my payment, and I get almost double the fuel milage. I am very happy with my new purchase.

I have since then joined several Corolla forums, and to my disappointment, I have not been able to find one with the technical expertise I have seen in this forum.

Here is my dilemma. I drive about 100 miles a day, and often times I find myself idling with the A/C on for prolonged periods of times. The owners manual of my corolla recommends that I use

$54 0W-20 oil Toyota/ exxon mobil Case of 6 Quarts Full Synthetic TGMO SN 0W-20 Oil

0W-20 oil on the car. I noticed that sometimes when I am idling for long periods of times the temp gage tics up a bit higher. The owner's manual says to use 0W-20 or 5W-20 if 0W-20 is not available but to switch back to 0W-20 when it is available. It also goes on to say that if you drive in adverse conditions or at high speeds that you might consider an oil with more viscosity at higher temps. The temp down here in South FL is already reaching 90 degrees F. Would it be OK to use a 5W-30 weight oil full synthetic considering the conditions I will be exposing my Corolla to? How much would using this oil change my mpg? The engine is a 1.8l engine and I believe the entire engine is made of aluminum. This was a big investment for me, and I want to make sure that I take care of the engine as best as possible. I apologize for having posted this question here instead of a Corolla forum, but I feel like I can trust this place more than any other when it comes to advise like this. All they seem to want to talk about in a lot of those Corolla forums is how to lower their rides, their stereos, and other stuff that is not of much interest to me. Any information would be greatly appreciated.

The real reason for asking this about the 5w-30 oil is, I know that Toyota has been forced to recommend thinner oils as of late due to mpg mandates (cafe) from the federal government. I know from year to year they have had same exact engines with thinner oil recommendations to meet those mandates. This makes me wonder if their recommendations for oil are really the best for my engine. Again, any info would be greatly appreciated.

rj

 

5w-20 is ok. 5w-30 will also be ok. You'll notice your car runs quieter and smoother, but your mpg will be effected. I'd suggest using a synthetic 5w-20.

 

Thanks for your thoughts. I decided to go with a full synthetic 5w-30. I am willing to sacrifice a little mpg if need be for a thicker oil that will protect better under extreme conditions. I will post my results here in the future.

rj

 

Since I posted this last message I have read several articles about these so called experts who basically put up all these unprovable stats ( in my mind) as to how research shows how these newly recommended thin oils such as 0w20 and the likes are great for your engine. I disagree with them. Isn't it ironic how Toyota and other brands, ever since the government has mandated better fuel and emission requirements (cafe, to be specific) have recommended these thinner oils stating all of a sudden that they are better? Why is it that after these newly government mandated standards Toyota, Ford and others have changed the recommended oil for the same exact engines, in most cases to these newly developed thin oils that they worked on very closely to develop with the oil industry? where they wrong before or after? their hype doesn't add up. It also seems like there are a lot of oil and car manufacturing industry touters of these new miracle thin oils that are so great for your engine. Beware people. I will be the first to admit, I am no expert, but the behavior that I see both in manuals and on the internet are suspect. Don't be so quick to listen to the first thing that you read, including from your vehicle owners manual. Get multiple opinions on the subject. Below is a link to an article that I believe is a big lie and is sponsored by proponents of these new thin oils. There are many more articles out there blasting people like me who believe the old recommendations for the same exact engines are correct.


http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/motor-oil-101/

 

I and my family have owned 2 older corollas and 2 newer Camry s. I have used 5-30 oil in them religiously changed every 3.5 k miles. Obviously you can go longer with the synthetic. Three of the cars we put on 275k+ miles with no major problems besides normal wear parts. The other I sold at 200k miles and still ran great. I think you'll be safe with 5-30 oil.

 

Of course man were else would it be posted.

 

I wouldn't hesitate to use 5W, especially in South Fl. I have a hard time even being comfortable using 5W because 10W-30/40 used to be the standard for years and years in cars.

I have a hard time believing anything has changed that much in the materials used for pistons, rods and bearings where going up in viscosity would be harmful. Especially so during the summers we have in the southeast.

 

I agree. I am using a 5w-30 fully synthetic.

 

Turns out you were right. The engine does run a bit quieter and smoother but I noticed a consistent difference of 1-2 mpg.