Rotella T6 in a Prius

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oggb

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Another thread started the gears turning - T6 has a starting TBN of ~11.0. Priuses are known to be very, very easy on oil. I wonder just how long I could run T6 in the Prius?

If folks can run Mobil 1 10,000 miles or more and even the lowly Edge to 15,000 miles - it seems like Rotella T6 could be good for at the very least 20,000 miles.

Alas, I'll probably never do it because I enjoy changing my own oil.

I really wouldn't be concerned with the fuel economy difference - 1% fuel economy difference could probably be made up for by running the oil out to 20,000 miles and the fact that T6 is cheaper in general.

Thoughts?
 
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T6 madness is approaching the GC madness of many years ago.

Not compelling enough oil, IMHO, to stop buying OTC readily available 5W-20 and 5w30 oils.
 
Rotella T6 is fantastic oil. I use it in many of our engines.

But-- Why run a fine piece of machinery out to an OCI of 20,000 miles??? OIl is cheap compared to engines. Just to have "fun" testing a long OCI is playing with fire.
 
I would only do it when driving 80-100 MPH or fully loaded in mountains. Other than that, 40 weight oil is an overkill. But agree OCI could be stretched to at least 15,000 miles.
 
Originally Posted By: johnsmellsalot
Rotella is for diesels and I'm pretty sure that's not a diesel.

It's not only for diesels. It's a dual rated oil for diesels as well as gasoline engines.
 
Originally Posted By: simple_gifts
T6 madness is approaching the GC madness of many years ago.

Not compelling enough oil, IMHO, to stop buying OTC readily available 5W-20 and 5w30 oils.



Agree...."not compelling enough..... " T6 madness is here.... and might even take over of the previous PP and PU madness.

It's only oil gentleman...lets keep everything in perspective.
 
Starting TBN is only part of the issue.
If you look through UOAs here, TBN retention may not be sufficient with this oil to allow a 20K run.
OTOH, how many people have run how many inadvertant extended drains on bulk oil of unknown brand with no lasting ill effects?
With the Rotella, you at least have an oil that has held up well in some demanding applications.
The turbo Subie crowd loves the stuff.
 
Since you haven't given us any indication of your driving pattern, my advice would be to take some UOA's as your mileage on the oil increases. One at 10,000 miles would tell you if you want to extend it to 15,000 miles and sample again. I think it's foolish to put T6 in the crankcase and assume that you can extend to 15K or 20K safely, without sampling along the way.
 
Originally Posted By: OldCowboy
Since you haven't given us any indication of your driving pattern ... I think it's foolish to put T6 in the crankcase and assume that you can extend to 15K or 20K safely, without sampling along the way.


I think Rotella T6 will definitely be my next OCI on this vehicle, and I'll probably pull a sample at 10,000 miles and go from there. My driving pattern is this:

Start car, drive ~4 miles to work (almost entirely downhill) at speeds averaging 30 mph. Drive home is mostly uphill, same speeds. I drive the car ~300 miles every weekend.

My driving pattern is soon to become 80 miles/day of 25% city and 75% rural roads.

Originally Posted By: friendly_jacek
I would only do it when driving 80-100 MPH or fully loaded in mountains. Other than that, 40 weight oil is an overkill. But agree OCI could be stretched to at least 15,000 miles.


I'm certain this vehicle would almost never require a 40-weight oil, but I can't see any issues arising from its use.

Originally Posted By: Cooker
FWIW - Running a 40wt oil my Prius has has zero impact on my fuel economy.


I think ambient temperature and driving habits have much more to do with the gas mileage in a Prius than the weight of the oil. I might have seen an increase from 50 to 51 mpg while running Toyota 0w-20, but I know I found myself driving differently that week as well.
 
Originally Posted By: JRed
I'm certain this vehicle would almost never require a 40-weight oil, but I can't see any issues arising from its use.
It has been stated on here by knowledgeable people that that T6 has an HTHS of 4.0cP which translates to an increased oil pressure of 20 PSI over (for example) a synthetic 5w30. That could result in the oil pump or filter going into relief/bypass mode under certain conditions.

I've been running it for a week now in the Corolla in my signature as an experiment for a serious oil consumption problem. So far nothing but good things to say about engine noise - its never been this quiet. Same goes for startups, no ticks. No warmup time, the car hits the road almost right away with no noticeable sluggishness. At high speed it feels less restricted than it did with 5w30 for whatever reason but thats a butt dino IMO. All i really care about is it stops consuming ridiculous amounts of oil. Hoping for a miracle cleanup of the piston holes. I probably wouldnt use it otherwise for the reasons in the 1st paragraph. But now that I am, I like it!
 
Also..No noticeable reduction in gas mileage. Will see how it goes next week when it wont be record setting hot around here.
 
Originally Posted By: JRed

Start car, drive ~4 miles to work (almost entirely downhill) at speeds averaging 30 mph. Drive home is mostly uphill, same speeds.


For that type of driving you need 0W20 and not 5W40 HDEO!
 
I'll take the lowly Edge over T6 any day...if you follow any of the Subie forums who are notoriously known to run T6 you'll know that T6 is not a long drain oil at all.
 
Originally Posted By: LeakySeals
Originally Posted By: JRed
I'm certain this vehicle would almost never require a 40-weight oil, but I can't see any issues arising from its use.
It has been stated on here by knowledgeable people that that T6 has an HTHS of 4.0cP which translates to an increased oil pressure of 20 PSI over (for example) a synthetic 5w30. That could result in the oil pump or filter going into relief/bypass mode under certain conditions.


Using my Marauder as a guide, fat chance...

In switching from 5W-20 to 0W-40, I've seen no change in cold pressure(yeah it's probably in relief, I don't care), TWO Lb increase idling, maybe 5psi increase at 2500-3000 rpm and approx a 10 psi increase spinning near 6000 rpm...
 
Originally Posted By: JRed


My driving pattern is soon to become 80 miles/day of 25% city and 75% rural roads.



That's a solid driving pattern for an extended drain, especially since the ICE won't see as much action during the city portion of that drive.
 
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