Synthetic blend oil

Got a question regarding engine oils...
I got a 2004 Tacoma Prerunner with under 100K on the V/6 engine and I was out shopping, (at Walmart), for oil to service it again. This time I cannot find conventional 5/30 in any of the Walmarts.
I have had Tacoma's since way back yonder and always have used Castrol GTX engine oil with great results, beside it being a Tacoma.
I always got my oil from Walmart and was wondering if they, the manufacturers, are getting away from conventional engine oil or what ?
I can get synthetic 5-W-30 all day long and was wondering if I should switch to that blend instead ?
Any comments/suggestions ?

 

I use Mobil 1 full synthetic from BJ's!

 

In 2005 they redesigned it from top to bottom. Had an 07, but found an 04 with super low miles and mint condition, so I went back.
My 07 had a stack of recall notices and I believe on the 04, there hasn't been one issued that I am aware of as of today.
Just wondering if the older models need the new-fangled crap like the old Hot Rods that need Lead in the fuel to run properly.
Thanks Charlie

 

You won't hurt a thing by switching brands or types .

Personally....a high mileage formula might be good for you. They tend to be slightly heavier in their perspective weights and contain seal and gasket conditioners. SuperTech synthetic high mileage is a great buy. And it's an excellent product produced by Warren Distribution. They also produce Amazon Basics as well as many other house brands.

 

I kinda doubt it...

The newest vehicle I've ever seen that could run on leaded gasoline was a 1986 Chevrolet G30 passenger van, with a 4-barrel carbureted 350!

 

I have the Castrol non-synth in the garage for my next change, gotten from Amazon. Should be available at Wally or parts store, I would think.

 

To answer this question, there is nothing you need to change to run superior synthetic oil. You'll be fine staying with the dino oil too. But you absolutely definitely would not be hurting anything by switching to synthetic oil, which is superior

 

I swapped from castrol to pennzoil full synthetic.. Its a good buy and has excellent results. No issues from the swap here at 227k.

 

Did quite a bit of research on this... What I've read is Mobil 1 full synthetic is one of the best oils for your engine. I work with a guy and all he has ever used is Mobil 1 and his Honda civic has 450k on it! Also read that tons of Toyota guys swear by it as well. Try to use Toyota genuine oil filters and not cheap aftermarket filters if you want to get the most out of your engine!

 

Just my opinion here.... I like the 3.4 a lot. I think it is an excellent design. I have always gone with Royal Purple full syn. 5w 30 in the winter 10w30 in summer. almost 200k all good. In general I like how fast the oil light goes off after starting. That shows me the bearing clearances are still pretty tight.

 

WalMart has several convential 5-30 Oils. To reference a few;

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Super-Tech-Conventional-SAE-5W-30-Motor-Oil-5-Quarts/16474403
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Mobil-Super-5W-30-5-qt/17034383
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Quaker-S...5W-30-Conventional-Motor-Oil-1-Quart/14958314
https://www.walmart.com/ip/2-Pack-H...d-5W-30-Conventional-Motor-Oil-1-qt/691054365
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Valvoline-Nextgen-Conv-5w30-Qt/32802104
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Castrol-GTX-ULTRACLEAN-5W-30-Motor-Oil-1-QT/17253548

As a side note. You can buy Full Synthetic 5-30W from Amazon for $22.99 for 5 quarts ($4.60/qt).

Amazon Basics Full Synthetic Motor Oil - 5W-30 - 5 Quart

https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-Full-Synthetic-Motor-dexos1-Gen2/dp/B07C5FF8R5/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?crid=21ADKB69H9D6Z&keywords=amazon+synthetic+oil+0w-20&qid=1574780796&s=automotive&sprefix=AMazon+Synthetic+Oil+%2Cautomotive%2C191&sr=1-2-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyUU1DRFlJWFpIMzhUJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNzI0Njc5MlBYTzlBRzJPUUsyVyZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwMDc4NjMzMTlTWlZLNTBKOFlVOCZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU%3D

 

Those that research things a bit usually come to this conclusion or they see that all syns perform really good and they'll correctly conclude the Walmart super tech syn is more than adequate. But bang for the buck, the Mobil 1, 5 qt jug for 25 bucks at wallys is where it's at.

Opinions suck, especially when there is lots of data. Do some research man, just some basic research and not personal anecdotal experience will show some stuff. Or just continue to do whatever makes you feel best, i dunno why I still respond to oil threads. The info and research and testing is all available online, if you care you'll do research. Even if you don't care, your 3.4L will run to 500k on dino oil prolly.
Side note, looks like the RP marketing is still working great. They have a great marketing team/firm, can't believe they even caught on as a viable oil.... Pay big bucks to get your name in Nascar and you're on your way to 'legitimizing' your oil, I guess

 

+1

 

Just get whatever weight the manual says to use for your environment. Doesn't really matter what brand as long as you change it regularly.

I believe the actual phrase is "Opinions are like buttholes. Everyone has one and they all stink."

The problem with "doing your own research" is that often leads to people thinking the earth is flat and that vaccines cause autism. When you are not an expert in the field, it's easy to be led astray from actual useful information. So many time you see someone posting a whole bunch of sciencey sounding jargon, but in reality it's nothing more than a word salad where most of the lettuce is iceberg.

My favorite is when someone posts an article or video by, say, Royal Purple, as proof that oil type is the best. Certainly they aren't going to tell you that Valvoline is better, lol...

Just change your oil at regular intervals. Nothing more, nothing less.

 

AT least I respectfully prefaced my post as "my opinion" A lot more then some of the bs I see on the web

 

True. (sarcasm font onWell the noobs should listen to me then, I've done ALL the research and you can trust EVERYTHING I tell you is factual and never an opinion(sarcasm font off)
M1 synthetic in 7500 mile intervals. Testing shows it's good to run to 10k miles.... but our feeble minds won't accept the data.
Or any dino oil in 5000 miles, realistically the testing shows 7500 on dino oil is fine too. But again that part about habits and our minds.... Don't trust me, don't trust the oil change place, don't trust the dealership.... Id only trust the maintenance manual put out by who made the vehicle as a start and then actual data from legit testing.
There's the truth, now go and do whatever makes you feel good about your taco

 

I agree with you man. And if it sounded harsh, I apologize, it wasn't meant as harsh at all. Just stern. Too many opinions flying around and we don't have to go off opinions anymore. And even the RP stuff will work fine, hell it'll work good. Just way overpriced for what you get, that's all. You're good bro

 

Try the lower end Valvoline synthetic (They changed their marketing recently and I cant remember what its called) and see if you notice any difference. They used to be almost identical. @cruiserguy said RP overpriced for this very reason.

I'm honestly a big believer in the best oil is the frequently changed oil. Absolutely no reason to change your oil on these trucks before 5,000 using whatever modern products are out there. If you want to push this a little bit further, there are benefits to using a Group III and up synthetic as they typically hold up better to use over time. Without debating TBN's, TAN's, OCI's, Moly Content and other -case by case- factors its hard to make a comparison either way.

 

Problem with "legit testing" is it's near impossible for us regular idiots to really tell what's legit or not. Most of the tests you see (at least the ones I've seen over the years) are hardly up to the standards of a typical scientific publication with multiple levels of peer review, repeatability, blind (or even double blind) testing, etc... It's just some lab, likely financed by grants from "the industry."

My anecdotes are just that. Anecdotes. Some people think the plural of anecdote is "data".

Like you say, if push came to shove, I'm going to trust Toyota as to how often I should change my oil. Toyota has a LONG history of knowing their shit when it comes to building and maintaining a reliable motor. Go and throw a "10k mile oil" in it, and the engineer is just going to tell you "that's not what how I designed it."

 

I think we're looking at two different scenarios here. You're looking at the tests the oil maker had done to flaunt their stuff and I'm saying the individual testing for oil as a consumer. If that's what you're saying I hear ya. I would trust BITOG and the samples folks share there. Some brilliant regulars on that forum, chemical engineers, etc.
I personally ran hundreds of samples through the standard oil analysis testing (spectrometer, viscometer, etc) And from that you really do get actual data from your sample, I guess you have to trust Blackstone labs or the lab you're using but there's not a whole lot they can get wrong on testing. Individual testing of your oil sample is prolly the most effective and conclusive way to know 'how good your oil is doing'. Even then just following Toyota manual guidelines and not your dealer is a solid safe bet.
.... I gotta stop. I feel I flood the forum with the same oil spiel every couple months and I can't help it. I even tried to avoid it today. I need an intervention