Chevron Delo 15W-40 in Lexus V8?

[nthach]

I buy Delo 15W-40 by the 6 gallon lot at Costco, and i'm on my last ARX cycle. Is it fine to run 15W-40 in this engine? I'm running Chevron 10W-30 in it now.

 

[Jelly]

It may not be the most optimal lube in the world for it, but you'll be absolutely fine. Let us know how it goes!

 

[widman]

I've put Delo in hundreds of Toyotas, including the Land Cruisers, with outstanding results.

 

[lexluther]

I have a 93 LS400. When I puchased the vehicle it had over 120,000 miles and judging by the fluids and overall condition it had been a neglected vehicle. First oil change was with 4qts of Delo 15W40 and AutoRX topped off with Supertech 5W30 up to the 5.6qt capacity. At the end of 1000 miles I drained the oil again and filled up with Delo and topped off with Advanced Auto generic dino. After 2000 miles I drained that and have now filled up on 4qts of Delvac 15W40 and 1.6 qts of Havoline 5W20. To make a long story short the HDEO should be fine. I am thinking of trying just 5W20.

 

[Pablo]

In Calif. I wouldn't hesitate to use a synthetic 15W-40 in Calif. in a Lexus. But Delo 400 will be fine also.

 

[Bror Jace]

nthach: "Is it fine to run 15W40 in this engine? I'm running Chevron 10W30 in it now." As others have said, you are probably going to be OK but how old is the vehicle? You shouldn't have to resort to using a 40 weight oil in a vehicle which has less than 100,000 miles on it, even in California heat. How long did you go using Chevron 10W30? --- Bror Jace

 

[ToyotaNSaturn]

Using a Delo-sytle oil in a regular car is probably a good idea. I the U.S. we've been so accustomed to seeing thin weights that thicker oils are given the boot until later on in a car's life. The more I spend time here, the more I realize that thicker or thinner doesn't really matter anymore...they both work well. The real advantage of Delo is the top-notch add pack. Why not use it if Widman has given his thumb's up based on customer performance?

 

[Bror Jace]

"Why not use it if Widman has given his thumb's up based on customer performance?" Because I'm guessing a lot of Widman's customers in Bolivia aren't taking care of their Toyotas the same way a BITOGer from California is caring for a Lexus. I know I'm generalizing but I'd guess Widman's folks are driving older Toyota vehicles with more miles ... and changing the oil less frequently. He can come in and set me straight if I'm outta line. 15W40 may be a more 'goof-proof' blanket recommnendation for fleets but for a well cared for Lexus, I think a 10W30 is a better bet (either Delo or Supreme) and will give more useable power and better fuel economy. Save the 15W40 until the engine is showing signs of wear (like consumption) and calling for a heavier oil. --- Bror Jace

 

[Steve S]

If you don't live where it gets too cold it would protect your engine well. You would have to check your gas mileage cause I have never noticed a difference between 10w/30 and 15w/40,even between petro vs. syn oils.

 

[GROUCHO MARX]

" Badges? We don't need no stinkin' badges!" - Typical widman customer, eh Bror?

 

[nthach]

my car has 164,800 miles on it, i used only Chevron Supreme 10W-30 ever since i bought it in November last year.

 

[nthach]

and i can get Delo 10W-30 locally as well.

 

[Bror Jace]

nthach: " ... and I can get Delo 10W-30 locally as well." Oh sure, rub it in! GROUCHO, I assume that Bolivia has progressed substantially since the time of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid ... but it's still a mostly impoverished Central American country. I'm just not sure how much better or worse it is than, say, Mexico. In short, I'm not trying to slam anyone ... especially people working to improve their lives ... but let's be sure we are realistic about who/what we are talking about. Actually, I'd like to hear widman jump in here with a brief post about his (typical) customers. He used to be able to post links to his business, but I think Bob made him stop. I thought it was a bit silly as 99% of us would never be ordering Chevron products from Bolivia. --- Bror Jace

 

[GROUCHO MARX]

Bror, I know you're not trying to slam anyone. My comment was along the lines of widman's statements of how used oil is a commodity to be cherished in Bolivia and is picked up by locals and put in cars immediately. I was just dying to use the line. I was using the "BLAZING SADDLES" reference, however.

 

[XS650]

quote:

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Originally posted by cheeks: I currently run Delo 10w30 in my '99 Suburban 5.7L. I am tempted to run 15W40 in it because it's relatively cheap and easy to buy a case at Sam's instead of ordering the 10w30 through the local Chevron jobber.

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I recently put Delvac Super 1300 15W-40 in my LT4 Corvette with 45,000 miles on it. Engine runs great and doesn't burn oil between changes. The dipstick level didn't change noticably in 6,000 miles on M1 5W-30. It appeared to drop less than 1/10 of the way to the add mark. The 15W-40 is in there for a rinse cycle on ARx. With 15W-40 it seems to be a bit quieter and smoother. Because of new oil, placebo effect or higher viscosity??? Can't be sure which. Oil temp with M1 5W-30 cruising at 70mph on the freeway on a warm day ran 10 to 15 degrees above coolant temp on the digital readout. With 15W-40 it runs 8 to 14 degrees above coolant temp. The difference is well within the range of experimantal error for my crude measurements. I expect the 15W-40 actually runs a tad warmer but not enough to measure outside a dyno facility. In two days we take off on a 1500 mile trip, that will give me a chance to check mileage. This is my first summer with the car. If the oil temp doesn't go over 250F very often, I will switch to 10W-30 M1, if it does get hotter, 5W-40 SUV M1.

 

[XS650]

This space was peviously occupied by a duplicate post, please delete.

 

[Hirev]

I drive a Toyota truck V6 with 123,000 miles on it. So it is a little loose. I use a 5w 30 or 10w 30 Chevron SL in the winter and 15w 40 Delo 400 in the summer. Been doing this for 5 or 6 years. I know my Toyota does real well on Delo 15w 40. With the lighter oils my truck goes through about a qt+ in 3500 miles. With the 15w 40 it goes through a little less than a 1/2 qt in 3500 miles. It actually sounds a little better and idles smoother with the 15w 40 in it. But like I said it is a little loose. The strangest thing is I consistently get a little better mileage with 15w 40 Delo. I suspect because of better ring seal.

 

[Sin City]

I think Delo 10W-30 and 15W-40 will both work very well for this application. I would first try Delo 10W-30 since you will probably get slightly better fuel economy with the thinner oil. If you have to add a significant amount of oil due to oil consumption then simply change to 15W-40 at the next oil change and then stay with that viscosity. An alternative would be to use 15W-40 in the summer and 10W-30 for the rest of the year. [ July 20, 2004, 08:16 PM: Message edited by: Sin City ]

 

[Audi Junkie]

quote:

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I consistently get a little better mileage with 15w 40 Delo. I suspect because of better ring seal

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I've said before as far as MPG goes, I believe this sealing effect cancels out the added drag of the thicker oil. The trick is to find the balance that works best for you. Newer car means less need for the sealing, so lighter lube works well. [ July 20, 2004, 11:17 PM: Message edited by: Audi Junkie ]

 

[outrun]

Delo 15W40 as well as other HDEO are amazingly misunderstood by the masses. I was brave to 1st try it being a brainswashed by the manafactures into xW30 weights. After running it in conjunction with Auto-RX this yr i am convinced this stuff is universal. Also, by its nature I am convinced it can do cleanliness wonders for those that neglect thier cars or are stubbornly opposed to group 4/5 synthetics. I can not comment on a "bad experiance" personally. If synthetics did not exist 15W40 Delvacs/Delos would be my default lube of choice- One UOA analysis showed a dead heat between Delvac 1300 and Delvac 1 most impressive i think