MPG Mods

its a 2.7 thats normal

mines a 4.0 4x4 I got 23 MPG last week driving 70-80 mph

next week im putting on a volant ram air intake and a freeflow muffler and oversize exhaust pipe

I did that to my t-100 and got 3-4 more miles per gallon

 

putting a bed cover tonnou or roll-up cover will help also

 

I have a question about oil and fuel mileage. I see many members say they use 5w-30 or even 10w-30 syn and dino oil, but the 2010 V6 manual recommends 5w-20 or 0w-20 (for better MPGs and cold weather starting). Is there a reason for running the higher viscosities and is there any correlation to improved or decreased MPGs?

I've been running 5w-20 Mobil 1 syn in my 2010 DC V6 AT. I'm getting 20 MPG on a 40 mile round trip commute to work; very little city driving. I'd like to get the 0w-20 Mobil 1 syn, but you can't buy it in the 5 qt jugs (well that's what I read on TW and I have never seen it in the store) and it's ~$6.50 a qt. Has anyone seen the Mobil 1 syn or syn in 0w-20?

A side note, I don't tow or haul loads often so I don't "need" the high viscosities oils.

 

The ratings on a multi-weight oil are telling you what single weight oils they can be used to replace. The low number being the lower weight, and hence lower temperature that the oil can handle with the right viscosity. The high number being the higher weight and hence the higher temperature the oil can handle. So a 0w-20 and a 0w-30 oil will have the same viscosity up to the temperatures that the 0w-20 can handle. After that the 0w-20 will start breaking down and lose to much of it's viscosity to protect your engine properly.

So, basically, you can run a 5w-30 with the same gas mileage benefits as a 5w-20. The 5w-30 will just protect your engine at higher temps that the 20 won't be able to handle. This means you should be able to buy the 5qt bottle of mobile 1 0w-30 at wally world, and get any gas mileage benefits to be had. The idea is to meet or exceed the oil weight range specified by the manufacturer.

 

Thanks for the reply! Makes perfect sense.

 

Leadgolem,

Show me proof that a 30wt protects better than a 20 wt. On a major oil forum, no one has been able to prove this, when a 20 wt oil is specified by the manufacturer. The main reason is that 20 wt oils use a higher quality base stock, that shears less than most 30 weights. The "W" in the grade rating stands for winter. This is the rating for the flow charateristics at cold startup. The upper number is for the viscosity at 212F. And more viscosity is not always a good thing. In the next few years you will begin to see 0w-10 oils, as engine tolerances get even tighter. For cold start a better thing to know is the pour point. Unless you live north of the USA border, you wont know the difference between 5w and 0w. Most decent brand names 5w have pour points of -35F or better.

DBZ,
Don't fear the thin. It really is helping you save fuel. My 4 cyl Taco gets about 1 to 1.5 MPG more using 5w-20 vs 5w-30.

 

I try to keep moving and reduce how many times I come to a complete stop.

 

You are correct in that more viscosity is not necessarily a good thing. However, you do need a certain minimum viscosity to keep your engine parts coated during normal operation.

You really should do your own research if you think I'm wrong. Dig into some of the base data instead of relying on the conclusions of others. I think you will be surprised by what you find.

 

No sir, it is up to you to show the proof, since you made the claim.

You said it yourself. You need a certain minimal viscosity, and the automakers, the government with its fuel mileage standards, and the oil producers have now for over ten years have produced a light viscosity, high quality oil that protects their products to the levels the automakers demand.

 

All I know is I've been using full synthetic Mobil 1 0w-20 and she likes it. Definitely runs smoother, and gained a bit on the MPG's.

 

Original commend deleted by me, it was unnecessary.

EDIT: This discussion did make me curious. I went back and looked and I did misremember some things. I was incorrect in stating that a 0w-20 and a 0w-30 oil would have the same viscosity when hot.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motor_oil

This means that a 20 top number oil would be thinner then a 30 top number oil when hot.

There is something odd here though. My manual specifies a 5w-30 oil for improved gas mileage. If a 5w-30 and a 10w-30 oil have the same viscosity at operating temperature then using a 5w-30 oil should not have any effect at all on gas mileage. Except, of course, for the small amount of time it takes the engine to heat up.

I think I'm going to have to find a copy of SAE J300. I'm thinking the disparity is due to the difference in where the actual engine temperature is, as opposed to what the SAE considers "hot". The viscosity change slope due to temperature being different for a 5w-30 vs a 10w-30.

 

If I had your truck I would run a 30 wt in it also. It is what the maufacturer recommends. I always ran 5-30 in my 1991 Toyota PU. IIRC the manual suggested 10w-30 also, but I was beginning to get oil savy around that time, and understood the benefits of a lighter weight during cold startup, and realized that 90-95% of engine wear occurs during the first 20 seconds of a cold start.

If you go hang out at www.bobistheoilguy.com for a while, you can learn about common misconceptions about modern rapidly improving oils. 20wt vs 30wt are some of the best discussion threads there.

BTW: I am caffiene free: but really do miss it.

 

Hmm, I think I'll go do that. It should be an interesting read.
EDIT: Actually, I'm running a 0w-30.

 

I just bought my first Tacoma, how will putting a shell on the back affect the gas milage?

 

Probably not much different, at least in my experience. The difference in air resistance is offset by the weight, I'm guessing my shell is at least 200lbs if not a little more. You most likely won't see much difference if any.

 

I switched to Mobil 1 full synthetic 5 w30 few months ago and I can see a difference in the mpg.

 

i put some helper springs on my 08 tacoma prerunner and they help from the back end from sagging with a loaded trailer behind it

 

x2 I usally go 5 mph under the speed limit. You can also use www.fuelly.com to monitor your mpg.

 

I concur...It really boils down to $$$ vs sense

 

good idea but when the motor is running your are always using some gas