0w-20 M1 AFE in Toyota Prius with 213k miles?

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Jan 11, 2007
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Just purchased this 05 Prius. I have all of the service receipts from previous owner who had oil changed at dealer every 5k miles. All factory 5w-30 and OEM Toyota filters.

I know the guy pretty well and he advises no consumption between oil changes. The car will be city driven only in the City. I'd like max fuel economy and would like to do this in conjunction with other fuel saving patterns/items like overinflation of tires and careful driving.

Am I nuts to try out this? I think that I might be. I plan to use one of the tons of FL-400s I have laying around along with it.

Thanks.
 
Didn't Toyota advise 5W-30 for that engine that year? I think you probably could get by with 0W-20 (or 5W-20) in gentle usage, but am not certain, so you'd have no one to blame if it "blows up.'
 
Thanks. I will probably just stick with 5w-30 or maybe 0w-30 AFE.....not sure if the OEM was synthetic.
 
I doubt you'd notice a difference in fuel economy by switching oils, the difference between different grades of oil may be a few percent at most, unless you manage a massive fleet you will never notice the difference.
 
I doubt you'd notice a difference in fuel economy by switching oils, the difference between different grades of oil may be a few percent at most, unless you manage a massive fleet you will never notice the difference.

You might be right. Just having fun....but not at the expense of reliability.
 
Do you all suggest going 5w-30 synthetic at this point then or just Dino?

So my prius was short tripped for the first 65K miles. "Short" as in a few miles; it got yearly OC @ the toyota dealer (Staunton)
Lots of oil fill hole orange varnish. The problem with around town driving is the engine rarely gets up to full temperature, even after 1/2 hour around town. Some over enthusiasts block the grill will pipe insulation (fits nice btw) to prevent air from hitting the radiator directly.

I wouldn't bother with synthetic oil if you truly are going to be short tripping as condensation will be your biggest problem. 5K seems ok.

That being said, my car now gets continuous service for many miles a day (usually 70); the engine very tolerant of long drain intervals. I usually do 12-15K miles using Amsoil SS or Mobil 1 EP products.
 
Yes, I am under that impression that it might do so slightly for technical reasons. Why do you ask?
Then you'd be wrong. There is nothing special about the AFE line beyond that they are all of M1's lightest oils, all 0w weights. That's why you don't see regular M1 in 0w20 or AFE M1 in 5w30. It's marketing, nothing else.

M1 AFE 0w20 is an excellent oil (I use it exclusively in both my newer Hondas) but the AFE branding isn't helping with fuel economy at all, it's just the light weight.

I'd use 5w30 in whatever cheap synthetic you could find. There is no reason to use a 0w oil in your Prius.
 
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