.What oil to use???

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
May 11, 2009
Messages
25
Location
NC
Hello all. This is my first post. I have a new Toyota Venza 3.5L V6. What is the best synthetic oil to use?? Please use plain language as I don't understand some of your acroynoms. Can you advise why one is better than another? Can you advise on a scale of ten as ten being the best? I had a GM SUV that I bought new. I changed the oil and filter at 1000 miles with Mobil 1. I changed again at 5000 miles and did 5000 mile changes thereafter. I switched over to Mobil 1 extended performance at 10000 miles I beleive as I read an article that Mobil 1 was not TRUELY fully synthetic but the extended performance was. I want the best but don't want to spend xxxx if another oil that costs xx is just as good. So which is better: Mobil 1 extended performace, Penzoil Platinum, Castrol Syntec, Royal Purple, Valvoline synthetic??? And is the 1000 miles changed followed up by the 5000 mile change a good idea?? I was figurin the engine was getting broken in and changing the oil and filter would get the small metal shavings out. Thanks in advance---VenzaTRD
 
Any over the counter brand name synthetic that you can buy at any auto part store or at Walmart is good for 7-8k miles, M1 Extended Performance is good for 12-15k miles. But since your Venza is under warranty, you should follow Toyota oil change interval in the owner manual.
 
Also, IS mobil 1 fully synthetic?? or just mobil 1 extended performance?---VenzaTRD
 
No one has been able to determine the true composition of Mobil 1 or Mobil 1 Extended Performance. Anything that you read on this forum is speculation.

For your Venza, a 5w-30 conventional oil changed every 5,000 miles will provide excellent protection. Synthetic oil is not necessary and will not provide you with significant benefits over conventional oil.

Also, there's no need to change the factory fill early. Engines built in factories are much "cleaner" than ones that are built in a shop.
 
Changing out synthetic at a 5k interval in this vehicle is a waste. Use a quality conventional like Pennzoil and your vehicle will have more than enough protection. You won't see any benefit from synthetic in this application.
 
Originally Posted By: dishdude
Changing out synthetic at a 5k interval in this vehicle is a waste. Use a quality conventional like Pennzoil and your vehicle will have more than enough protection. You won't see any benefit from synthetic in this application.


+1
 
maxlife syn, my buttdyno likes it
very disappointed with m1 ep.
dunno if u need ur factory warranty, mine requires 5k change.
agree with 5k dino sugg.
 
Originally Posted By: VenzaTRD
Also, IS mobil 1 fully synthetic?? or just mobil 1 extended performance?---VenzaTRD


That depends how you define synthetic.
 
Venzas are nice! They're built about 60 miles from me. If it were mine I would just use the silver cap Mobil 1 and do 5K changes while it's under warranty. That's what I did with my 08 Scion xB. Later you could do 10-15K changes with the gold cap Mobil 1 Extended Performance. I use the EP in my Supra and Baja Boat. Mobil 1 is great stuff. My second choices would be Valvoline Synpower, Pennzoil Platinum, or Castrol Syntec or Edge, the Edge is way over priced though.
 
I see people post their used oil analysis and I might as well be looking at chinese!!! I'm trying to differentiate between opinion and scientific fact as to what is the best oil. I'm a firm believer in synthetic....even if its just my own peace of mind. Royal purple claims to be "slippier" than other oils, less friction, less heat...engine works less...produces a few more ponies and gives you better gas mileage. True? I don't know. 94supra----I agree with you and thats what I'm leaning toward---gray top Mobil 1 5w30 as my Venza calls for. Does ANYONE know what is in her now from Toyota????---VenzaTRD
 
Originally Posted By: Zaedock
Originally Posted By: dishdude
Changing out synthetic at a 5k interval in this vehicle is a waste. Use a quality conventional like Pennzoil and your vehicle will have more than enough protection. You won't see any benefit from synthetic in this application.


+1


i hate reading things like this. saying someone would not benefit from synthetic. what if it is driven hard? lots of city driving? etc etc? there are too many variables to assume this.
 
Synthetic oil's main benefit is added heat protection. You are not going to experience super high oil temperature under normal driving. And I doubt that the OP is taking his Venza to the race track.
 
A major benefit of synthetic oil is cleanliness. Not only from it being less likely to create deposits in the first place, but synthetic oils also have more detergents to keep things clean.
 
Originally Posted By: chevrofreak
A major benefit of synthetic oil is cleanliness. Not only from it being less likely to create deposits in the first place, but synthetic oils also have more detergents to keep things clean.

I wouldn't say that all synthetic oils are equal in their ability to remain cleanliness. Honda's HTO-06 proved that the performance of synthetic oils varied significantly in that area.

Also, deposits are normal inside an engine. As long as the oil is changed periodically, usually the deposits will not become an issue.
 
Many people believe the only true synthetics are Group IV (PAO) and Group V (Esters). This was the old standard. Group III oils are considered synthetic now. Group III oils have become so good now that they in many ways match the Group IV and V oils. Many Syn Oils are mainly Group III wirh some PAO or Ester added to make it perform the way they wish.

If changing your oil early gave you peace of mind then it was a good thing. It didn't hurt anything but was overkill.

Syn oil has a few benefits: Better resistance to heat, better flow when cold, better cleanliness. They usually have more additives.

My choice for the best oils would be top of the line Amsoil or Redline. Mobil 1 and Pennzoil Platinum would be my choices for normal syn oils.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: VenzaTRD
Also, IS mobil 1 fully synthetic?? or just mobil 1 extended performance?---VenzaTRD

Here is the story:

In that late 1990's Castrol came out with "Syntec" that they called a full synthetic. It did not contain PAO/Ester stock, which was previously the standard for calling an oil synthetic. Instead it contained new highly-refined mineral oil (conventional oil) that is called hydrocracked.

Mobil filed complaints with the FTC and some industry trade organizations complaining that this was false advertising by Castrol (which is now owned by BP). However, the ruling that came down from the industry trade groups that did self-regulation on advertising claims was that hydrocracked oil could be called a full synthetic. Separately, the FTC refused to intervene by not agreeing to hear the Mobil case.

In order to compete in terms of cost, in the early 2000's Mobil 1 changed their formula to include some of the cheaper hydrocracked oil along with PAO/Ester stock. Previously when it was 100% PAO/Ester stock it was called Tri-Synthetic, but is now called Mobil 1 with SuperSyn. Best guesses are that Mobil 1 still contains about 30-50% PAO/Ester stock along with hydro-cracked base stock. This is partly based on the Japanese MSDS which requires disclosure of mineral oil, including hydrocracked, in the MSDS. But there is other evidence that Mobil 1 has a fair amount of PAO base stock. ExxonMobil operates one of the largest PAO plants in the world, that supplies Mobil 1 and many other companies. During Hurricane Ike, the plant was damaged and shut down for several months, causing severe shortages of Mobil 1 products. So there is no question that Mobil 1 still contains a fair amount of PAO base stock.
http://www.imakenews.com/lng/e_article001239508.cfm

Almost all of the competitors from major oil brands who market synthetic oil (Valvoline, Pennzoil, Quaker State, Castrol, ConnocoPhillips brands, etc) have very little or no Group IV/V PAO/Ester base stock and are considered Group III hydrocracked oil. So even though Mobil 1 has reduced their Group IV/V PAO/Ester stock from 100% to about 30-50%, Mobil 1 still has more PAO/Ester than any major competitor. The only exceptions are some boutique oils such as Amsoil, Redline, etc, and none of these high PAO content boutique oils are API SM and ILSAC GF-4 (API Certified - Starburst) energy conserving formulas, and do not technically meet manufacturer warranty requirements for most engines.

If you want a high PAO/Ester stock oil that is API SM an ILSAC GF-4 (API Certified - Starburst) energy conserving formula, and meets manufacturer warranty requirements, then Mobil 1 is your best bet. However, it has been found that one can make an oil that is Group III hydrocracked base stock and add just a small amount of PAO/Ester, and come up with a very good "synthetic" that has many of the advantages of 100% PAO/Ester and can actually provide better energy saving formulas and have low friction properties with the right additives. These include synthetic oils such is offered by Pennzoil Platinum, Valvoline Synpower, Castrol Edge and others. There is some evidence that the new Mobil 1 Advanced Fuel Economy oils have lower amounts of PAO/Ester base stock than other Mobil 1 oils in order to achieve the energy savings.

Mobil 1 EP probably has a little more PAO/Ester base stock and more additives that extend the life of the oil, as compared to regular Mobil 1. Mobil claims EP has 50% more SuperSyn.

There are some very knowledgeable people on this forum, but there are also some who will bad-mouth Mobil 1 because they hate ExxonMobil or for whatever other petty reason they have they want to steer you wrong, so be very careful what you read.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top