Help Me Chose an HPL Oil!!!
- Thread starter AdmiralYoda
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The oil changes are easy. Filter is a bit of a pain to get to but once you get used to it, it's not a big deal.
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Great thread. Hasn't seen action in months, but I figured why create a new one when the info provided here seemed somewhat relevant to my use case and everyone was welcoming and forthright.
I've got a 2011 Camry V6, with just over 100k miles on the odo. I bought it used with a little over 86 miles on it. One previous owner, had service done on the money every time, but no way of knowing what oils were used. I'm also the kinda guy who loves quality, and am already going to buy some HPL cleaner to toss in soon, and am trying to see if there is an HPL version best suited for me. My wife's got a 2020 RAV4 Hybrid we just bought used with 88k miles, so lots of miles/yr and less likely to be stop and go. We consider it a good find, as we prefer buying Toyotas with some miles on them to save on cost, believing in the reliability. Only time will tell this time around haha.
I admittedly only drive about 7500 miles per year, about 75% highway and 25% city. My main draw toward the HPL product is the cleaning capability, ability to do extended OCI's, commitment to quality, and the fact that I live in Houston. It's crazy hot here most of the year, and I really wanna ensure that I'm running the best oil I can within reason, especially having purchased the vehicle late in its life. Should have plenty of miles left on it, and I want to ensure that. I know HPL might be overkill, but once the quality bug has bitten me, I'm all in. My wife drives 12.5k miles per year and does a lot more city driving than I do, but her car is the weekend family car, so it does do some highway miles. Still, I'd say she's more stop and go, as her work commute is short and 100% city. My commute to school is about 45 miles roundtrip, but I don't go anywhere else for the most part.
So, same recommendation as the OP? Standard PCMO? To explain further, I am in medical school and time is the one commodity I have very little of. I'd love to do long OCI's, even with me only driving about 7.5k miles/yr and my wife driving about 12.5k miles/yr. If I could run an HPL oil for two years before an oil change, I'd be ecstatic. Not sure if the higher grades offer this possibility any more than the lower grades, and that's why I'm here asking for some insight. I'll gladly run PCMO if it's the smartest way to go, but if the euro or premium plus allow me to eek out longer intervals than PCMO, that is exactly what I'm looking for and it'll be worth th extra cost.
Thanks for any help you all can offer.
I've got a 2011 Camry V6, with just over 100k miles on the odo. I bought it used with a little over 86 miles on it. One previous owner, had service done on the money every time, but no way of knowing what oils were used. I'm also the kinda guy who loves quality, and am already going to buy some HPL cleaner to toss in soon, and am trying to see if there is an HPL version best suited for me. My wife's got a 2020 RAV4 Hybrid we just bought used with 88k miles, so lots of miles/yr and less likely to be stop and go. We consider it a good find, as we prefer buying Toyotas with some miles on them to save on cost, believing in the reliability. Only time will tell this time around haha.
I admittedly only drive about 7500 miles per year, about 75% highway and 25% city. My main draw toward the HPL product is the cleaning capability, ability to do extended OCI's, commitment to quality, and the fact that I live in Houston. It's crazy hot here most of the year, and I really wanna ensure that I'm running the best oil I can within reason, especially having purchased the vehicle late in its life. Should have plenty of miles left on it, and I want to ensure that. I know HPL might be overkill, but once the quality bug has bitten me, I'm all in. My wife drives 12.5k miles per year and does a lot more city driving than I do, but her car is the weekend family car, so it does do some highway miles. Still, I'd say she's more stop and go, as her work commute is short and 100% city. My commute to school is about 45 miles roundtrip, but I don't go anywhere else for the most part.
So, same recommendation as the OP? Standard PCMO? To explain further, I am in medical school and time is the one commodity I have very little of. I'd love to do long OCI's, even with me only driving about 7.5k miles/yr and my wife driving about 12.5k miles/yr. If I could run an HPL oil for two years before an oil change, I'd be ecstatic. Not sure if the higher grades offer this possibility any more than the lower grades, and that's why I'm here asking for some insight. I'll gladly run PCMO if it's the smartest way to go, but if the euro or premium plus allow me to eek out longer intervals than PCMO, that is exactly what I'm looking for and it'll be worth th extra cost.
Thanks for any help you all can offer.
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dnewton3
Staff member
Yes; use the basic PCEO HPL lube for the application you state. I will easily do the OCIs you indicate over two years.
(this is presuming there are no contamination issues; fuel, silica, coolant ...)
You will not need to go "up" the HPL scale; the PCEO is proving capable for 20k miles in circumstances much more demanding than yours.
(this is presuming there are no contamination issues; fuel, silica, coolant ...)
You will not need to go "up" the HPL scale; the PCEO is proving capable for 20k miles in circumstances much more demanding than yours.
Search @Direct_Rejection ’s threads on his Toyota, and @wwillson on his Chrysler products. Admittedly, these are fantastic results, and possibly not every use case and engine will be able to go as far. Your best bet would be to do like @dnewton3 mentioned- get a sample pump and periodically (every 5k or so) take a UOA sample through the dipstick tube and have it analyzed to see when the oil is no longer serviceable.
I’m currently at 11k on No VII 5w30 and will sample at 15k; previous run was regular 5w30 PCEO. This is in a modded 3.5 EcoBoost that makes a little over 500rwhp on E30, so even staying in grade, the HPL oils are plenty stout. I see no issues going up to a 40 grade if you’re in the Houston-style heat all summer.
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Appreciate you! I figured the standard grade would be the best way to go for a first run, and while I figure out UOA status and what's going on with the engine. I also did reach out to Dave at HPL to get his thoughts, which I'm certain will mirror yours.
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I don't think I've seen many HPL users on the forum who are doing short OCI's, which is encouraging as heck. I'm glad it's working out for you so far! I read and read on this forum until I came across @wwillson threads, which really gave me the confidence to commit to giving HPL a shot. The guy had one vehicle do a 33k mile OCI over 22 months, and another do 16k miles over 36 months. If I am anywhere near that fortunate, it would be a huge relief. Quality oil that doesn't need to be changed too often sounds like a dream. Of course, I do understand that in order to get to that point (if at all possible), I'll need to do some UOA's and figure out things over time, but it should be fun and not too time-consuming. The commute to and from the service centers combined with the wait to get our oil changed has really become a nuisance, and I recently realized I could knock these services out myself for less money and less time. I'll leave the bigger jobs to those guys and handle oil/all filters myself.Search @Direct_Rejection ’s threads on his Toyota, and @wwillson on his Chrysler products. Admittedly, these are fantastic results, and possibly not every use case and engine will be able to go as far. Your best bet would be to do like @dnewton3 mentioned- get a sample pump and periodically (every 5k or so) take a UOA sample through the dipstick tube and have it analyzed to see when the oil is no longer serviceable.
I’m currently at 11k on No VII 5w30 and will sample at 15k; previous run was regular 5w30 PCEO. This is in a modded 3.5 EcoBoost that makes a little over 500rwhp on E30, so even staying in grade, the HPL oils are plenty stout. I see no issues going up to a 40 grade if you’re in the Houston-style heat all summer.
I also think the 5w40 might be the way forward. That Premium 0w40 has my interest as well, but it aint gonna dip below 20 much at all here in Houston. In 5.5 years living here, two weeks ago was the coldest it's been since we arrived (17 degree low). That was nuts, but that was also the week of the nationwide freeze event, so rare for most folks if not everyone. If I get to the point where my engine has earned it, I might be cool with running 0w40 just because, but as I understand it, 5w is good all the way until you dip below something crazy like -30, right? We travel to Denver, but it doesn't even hit those temps there lol.
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What would you all run in the 2020 RAV4 Hybrid? Of course the manual says 0w16 or 0w20, but being in Houston I am leaning more toward 5w30, or 5w20. I'd trust and be fine with 0w20, but just not sure it's the best way forward. Vehicle is out of its powertrain warranty, as a reminder.
0w-40 or 5w-40
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I'd love to run 5w40 in both of our vehicles. Can't wait to get the final opinion and insight from Dave himself. Hoping to place an order tomorrow.
I use this in our 4 runner and now new Tacoma. I think this is a really good oil for the money. But with that being said, o do use HPL in my LC.
You could also use M1 EP and just run a quart of HPL in it each change to help with cleaning a little bit more.
Very interested in your reports !Search @Direct_Rejection ’s threads on his Toyota, and @wwillson on his Chrysler products. Admittedly, these are fantastic results, and possibly not every use case and engine will be able to go as far. Your best bet would be to do like @dnewton3 mentioned- get a sample pump and periodically (every 5k or so) take a UOA sample through the dipstick tube and have it analyzed to see when the oil is no longer serviceable.
I’m currently at 11k on No VII 5w30 and will sample at 15k; previous run was regular 5w30 PCEO. This is in a modded 3.5 EcoBoost that makes a little over 500rwhp on E30, so even staying in grade, the HPL oils are plenty stout. I see no issues going up to a 40 grade if you’re in the Houston-style heat all summer.
I'm that guy....
I used 5w-40 last winter at -16F in my Duramax and it did just fine. I think in Houston you'll be ok with 5w-40
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The legend himself! I came across your threads last night and was just dumbfounded. Your willingness to go through with those OCI's provided us all with some amazing data with which to draw what conclusions we will. I have no fear of the HPL extended interval... just a matter of how long I'll eventually be able to stretch it out to!I'm that guy....
I used 5w-40 last winter at -16F in my Duramax and it did just fine. I think in Houston you'll be ok with 5w-40
I am fairly sure 5w40 will be the way forward! Does it matter which cleaner I go with (30 vs 40)? I'll run it with the Mobil 1 0w40 I currently have so as not to waste the HPL goodness, so my guess is running the 40 cleaner would be wiser, but I could be missing something. Definitely calling HPL tomorrow to get their input and hopefully secure the $25 shipping, but I'd love your insight on how one chooses between the two versions of the cleaner, whether the 2k or 5k interval is best for running the cleaner, etc.
Would you run 5w40 in the RAV4 Hybrid as well? Common sense says it wouldn't be an issue, but the 0w16 spec and ideas surrounding the hybrids engaging the engine a bit less lead me to admit that I am a bit more lost as to which way to go with the Rav, whereas the Camry seems like a no-brainer.
BrendanC
$100 site donor 2024
i chose the PCEO 5w-40 with the help of Dave. living in houston we don’t get the super cold weather so we don’t need the higher tier oils that they sell. the 5w-40 was chosen specifically for the insane HTHS number in the low 4’s. both my silverado and the woman’s honda accord will be running on it soon.
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