0W-16 or 0W-20 for road trip?

My oil fill cap doesn’t say a thing. It’s just a plain plastic oil fill cap. oil fill caps are not a great place to get good information. I have had some that said “BMW recommends Castrol” and I didn’t have engine failure when mobil1 was used. I wouldn’t give that. much authority toan easily changed out, by a manufacture or an owner, screw on part. It can easily be changed to am”TRD” filter with no viscosity recommendations in any color that suits your fancy to match your car or the oil bottles of your choice.

View attachment 52672
Ha ha ha.
Beautiful oil filler caps.
And thank you, vet !
Great job defending our freedom !
 
FWIW, this is about the latest Toyota Engine, just in case you don't keep it up with it:


So he doesn’t say what kind of issues he has seen but he did respond to someone’s comment in the comment section regarding 0W-20.
0FB83591-3BC3-45E7-9E74-4CA5CA25CCF7.jpeg
 
I have 9 jugs of SuperTech 0W-16 that I got on clearance. I just wanted something a bit higher quality for this specific road trip. It’s going to be about 5,000 miles with a mix of higher speeds with a heavy load and quite a bit of idling time as well. Steep grades as well.
ST 0w16 will be more then good enough, have you seen UOA or any proof that it won't be of high enough quality?

and highway miles? I doubt the engine even cares.
 
My manual states that 0W-16 is recommended but “An oil with a higher viscosity may be better suited if the vehicle is operated at high speeds, or under extreme load conditions.” Seeing how I’m traveling out to the Midwest where 80 and 85 zones are common and the vehicle will be loaded down with three adults and luggage. I’d probably be fine with 0W-16 but I’m just wondering if anyone seeing any reason not to bump up to 0W-20? It’s a Toyota A25A-FXS powered hybrid.

Price-wise, after rebates there are negligible differences. 0W-16 AFE is $12.37/jug vs 0W-20 M1EP at $9.37.

0W-16 AFE is 70-80% PAO vs 60-70% PAO for the 0W-20 M1EP, so they are both high quality.
No, newer Toyota with 0w16 use electronic oil pump that adjust oil pressure automatically. Changing to higher viscosity statistically cause some problems. I heard it from Dealer mechanics. Just use 0w16 for the best condition unless you really bring it on track like Supra or RCF where thicker oil may be beneficial.
 
No, newer Toyota with 0w16 use electronic oil pump that adjust oil pressure automatically. Changing to higher viscosity statistically cause some problems. I heard it from Dealer mechanics. Just use 0w16 for the best condition unless you really bring it on track like Supra or RCF where thicker oil may be beneficial.
The non European 2020 Prius, corolla, Camry and others (exact same as the US models) recommend 0w-16 to 15w-40 in the identical engine codes. US oil recommendations are silly. But thin oils aren't that bad. It's just oil consumption that worries me more than the protection it can give. A 0w-16 should be more stout but a bit more viscosity doesn't really reduce mpg and the consumption can go down.
 
Latest electronically controlled variable displacement oil pumps can deliver just a right volume of oil and pressure using lighter weights. Is it likely that use of heavier oil instead of recommended 0W-16 can have a negative effect on variable valve timing actuators causing them to be sluggish which could possibly affect drivability, performance and engine longevity? I don't know.
The engineers and drivers in Japan could answer that, since 0W-16 oil has been used there for almost two decades.
Going thin is the direction of lubricants development. Even VW 508/509 all approved oils are only 0W-20.

I looked at PDS (in Japanese) of TOYOTA GENUINE MOTOR OIL SP 0W-16 GF-6B blended by Exxon Mobil, Ravenol EFE, Valvoline Advanced FS, Motul HYBRID, Amsoil OES and HPL.
Pennzoil makes Platinum 0W-16 but PDS is not available.
Here are the properties of the oils.

0W-16.jpg


As you can see, the percentage content of VII (Viscosity Modifiers) is quite low and this would suggest that the oils are very shear stable even though they are thin.
Still not enough of data like, mileage and time with those thin oils in US to conclude if there's any harm to engine as far as wear or all will be good. I suspect the later is correct.
I would definitely trust the engineers and automakers recommendation based on a rigorous approval process and testing backed by R&D with big budgets over someone telling me to go thicker because they did and no harm is done and makes them sleep better :)
 
Guess I should close the loop. I’m on the return leg of my three week trip. Total mileage so far on this OCI is 5,700 and will be ending with about 6,500 total after the trip. I went with M1EP 0W-20 which appears to be holding up well. My SuperTech 0W-16 usually turns quite dark after about 1,000 miles of higher speed highway driving but this M1EP 0W-20 is still a very light amber color despite very high speeds (95-110 MPH for about 9 hours total). I have had no issues to note with running the slightly higher viscosity but will be switching back to 0W-16 on the day that my trip ends.
 
No, newer Toyota with 0w16 use electronic oil pump that adjust oil pressure automatically. Changing to higher viscosity statistically cause some problems. I heard it from Dealer mechanics. Just use 0w16 for the best condition unless you really bring it on track like Supra or RCF where thicker oil may be beneficial.
No it doesn't.
 
Ive got about 20,000 miles on my 2020 Rav4 Hybrid with this engine. Mine tows regularly, lives in hilly Phoenix AZ, and is idled on construction sites for hours at a time. Im going to split the difference and just run 0w-20 changed every 7K miles. On this thing, the oil doesn't even change color until after 6K miles. Obviously a well built toyota.

I meet guys who have over 300,000 on their tundras using 0w-20 their entire lives. Im not worried
 
I just traded in a Corolla Hatch that called for 0W16. If you got the RPM over 3k the engine let you know it. With a manual transmission you can feel it as well as hear it more than an Auto since there is no fluid buffer from a torque converter. Switching to 0W20 made a noticeable difference.
One of the common comments on both the corolla and Camry is the engine noise when revving higher. This is because of the 0W16 oil being used. Switch to a 0W20 and it quiets down noticeably. I haven't tried 0w30 but in my current Camry it's on the list. My bet is it will be even better.

If you can hear and feel the difference, that means that there is more friction going on in my book
Also to those who say to follow the owners manual because the engineers know what they are doing. Do you also follow their 10,000 mile oil change intervals? If not why not? The engineers know what they're talking about.
 
Back
Top