Which Oil would be best suited?

[RandomNobody]

Hello,

I am new here...

Before people start saying "use the search button, this has been covered etc", I did search, but I have no consensus on anything from everything I have been able to read, especially relating to my particular car.

So -

I just got myself a Japanese import, Toyota Crown 170S Athlete V.

It runs a 1 JZ-GTE (turbo) engine.

I want to buy the best 'branded' oil, regardless of overkill, or too much money or whatever.

I used to have a 68 Dodge Charger, I know, completely different oil again, point of mentioning it is, I look after my vehicles and treat them with the best of the best.

I live in Australia, I rang up Castrol technical support, they told me if I am after a "group 4" style oil, the options we have down here are the Castrol Edge A3/B4.

The Castrol Edge "A3/B4" 0w 40 weight oil... they said is a Group 4 POA and not a group 3.

The 0w30 is a group 3

The 5w30 A3/B4 is also Group 4.

As I been reading, I have also seen Royal Purple, Amsoil and Redline and Mobil 1.

I simply want to know, if I want the best protection and the most horsepower out of the car... what oil am I best of putting in?

Castrol Edge A3/B4 (group 4)
Amsoils group 4s
Redlines
Royal Purples
Mobil 1's

After that...

Since Castrol have a 5w30 or a 0w40...

Living in Australia, in summer it does get quite warm (30-40 degrees Celcius)

Am I better off with a 5w30, or 0w 40?

I understand the first number is its cold start and the w (30, 40 etc) is when at operating temp.

So essentially the lower you can get the first number (from 15 down to 0) would be ideal as the oil will go through entire engine quickly on start up and then simply having the right "w 30 or 40" for operating temp.

Sure it costs a lot more money, but I don't care. I simply want the best.

In this engine, is a 40 weight too much, and therefor im better off with the 5w30, or is 40 fine in which case the 0 being more ideal and 40 being fine?

As said castrol dont have a 0w30 "group 4", only 0w40 or 5w30 (to me the 0 being better on cold start up... question is is 40 too much for it or it is fine?)

Hope all that makes sense...

 

[Kuato]

Perfect sense, lots of questions but first:

to BITOG!

AMSOIL Signature Series is a solid choice, I've used it for years so promote it first.

(currently doing a test with Schaeffer though)

Actually all the oils you listed should give great service for you, just might depend on what OCI (oil change interval) you want to use, and the type driving you'll be doing.

As far as viscosity, what does your owner's manual state? I imagine for the Australian market it allows for up to a -50 grade. Mobil 1 0w40 is a very good 40 weight, though it has fallen off a bit (to my understanding) from what it was originally.

I am sure there will be more commentary once the US returns to daylight. I'm just up late.

 

[Shannow]

Hi and welcome, great to see another Aussie here, we are gaining in numbers steadily.

Originally Posted By: Wreckage
I understand the first number is its cold start and the w (30, 40 etc) is when at operating temp.

So essentially the lower you can get the first number (from 15 down to 0) would be ideal as the oil will go through entire engine quickly on start up and then simply having the right "w 30 or 40" for operating temp.


The "w" is the low temperature pumpability of the oil at extremes, like -40C (0W), -35C (5W), -30C (10W), -25C (15W) etc.

Here in Oz, you would be lucky to find anywhere that would stress a 15W cold start flow wise.

as to 30 or 40, the A3/B4 30s are very close to the A3/B4 0W40s where it counts in the big end bearings.

Given that you are specifically after a Group IV, if I was in your shoes, I'd choose Penrite Racing 5W30.

But my shed is chockers with Castrol EDGE 5W30 A3/B4 that I bought on sale at Supercheap.

 

[UltrafanUK]

You will need to do a used oil analysis series to get an idea of the best oil, BUT if you check the oil finder or guide page of any of the major engine oil companies (Mobil, Castrol, Shell group or Liqui Moly) it will give you a real good idea. If you are down under use the Aussie web site, NOT the US or Japanese one, as they are thin oil fans.

If you like driving outback along dusty roads, that is defined as severe service conditions, so use half the max recommended OCI.

It's not exactly cold in Australia, so you can use cheaper oils, in fact my own Volvo notes say use a full synthetic 15w40 and 7500 km max OCI.
Oddly enough I think Amsoil is the only company making an FS 15w40 (Acea A3/B4) at present and it would cost an arm and two legs to use. Castrol GTX 15w40 would be OK for a non turbo application and an older engine, as it's an High Mileage oil and thicker at high temps than most 0 or 5w40 oils.

Shell Ultra 5w40 (A3/B4) is often cheaper than Edge or M1 in most countries (M1 will be cheaper in the US) and although Mobil are busy introducing a new GTL based Euro oil, it's a tad ahead in technical terms than most HC synthetics.

 

[Rolla07]

Step 1: There is no best oil. All the brands you mentionned make good oils. As others have asked, provide us your driving conditions and oil change interval plans. The 0w40 would be fine. What does the car recommend per the manual?

 

[KL31]

Castrol EDGE 5W30 is a pretty thick 30. In fact compared to the 5W40 Shell Helix Ultra in my shed, there's not much difference!

With that being said, as Shannow said, Supercheap Auto do have Castrol EDGE on sale for about $35. That ends this weekend though so get in quick. It's very good oil for that price. Don't listen to the fanboys on car forums because most don't know the first thing about oil other than "Mobil 1 is best maaaan" or "Motul 300 only brah". If Mobil 1 was anywhere near the price of Castrol, I'd use Mobil 1 but for the price in OZ no way!

 

[Gebo]

That is a sweet looking ride! What year is it? I looked it up on wikipedia. I just noticed it is a turbo. I'd choose between Redline and Amsoil. I'm one of those guys that likes my oil a little towards the heavier side. I run from 10W-40 to 15w40 in all "my" vehicles. All Amsoil at present. Redline is super but it's harder for me to get. Amsoil dealer here in town gives me great pricing.

Be sure and change diff and transmission fluid (with synthetic). I'm jealous...

 

[RandomNobody]

Hi and thanks for the replies.

I drive basically normal... it is my every day car.

But there are times when I had my foot right on the floor just for that 'wow' kick. Not an extended period of time though... speed limits generally get exceeded pretty quick.

What you mean how often do I want to change oil?

Never preferably... but since it has to be done... for as long as the oil can go i guess. I was told 5000-7500km at maximum.

To my understanding that is because the oil breaks down so if the oil does not break down... there is no need to change that often...

So uhm?

 

[andyd]

The closer the 2 numbers are, the less likelihood of the oil shearing. How old is the Crown? I'd go for 10w30 or 20w50 synthetic to keep the turbo happy

 

[Revving2Redline]

How about Redline 10w60?

 

[benjy]

Penrite looks to be a good choice for your location, its one of the very few that let you know what base oils are used. RedLine of course is one of the best depending on what $$$ your willing to spend!!

 

[fdcg27]

A neat car that is most closely matched here by the Lexus GS although turbo inline sixes were never available in any Lexus or Toyota sold here and any car wearing the Toyota brand here is FWD, aside from that Subaru that used to be badged as a Scion. I guess Toyota still offers it? Only the pricier Lexus models here have RWD.
I suspect that the Castrol Edge 5w30 A3/B4 would be a good oil for this application.
The fact that the oil will have HTHS of at least 3.5 is of more importance than the KV.
If this is in fact a Grp IV oil, it should offer good resistance to permanent shear as well as to oxidation at higher temperatures.
Good luck with this machine. We will not be able to legally or practically import one here for some years more, when the twenty five YO exemption will come into play.
The grey market here was killed off years ago at the behest of mainly German car official importers. Ferrari cried a lot as well. The fact that many of the cars certified to have been brought into compliance never actually were gave valuable ammunition to those looking to kill this unwanted source of lower cost flash cars.
I remember years ago seeing grey market BMWs and Ferraris, in particular one BMW six series coupe. If you knew what to look for, it was obvious that these were not compliant cars.

 

[jayg]

Mobil 1 High Mileage 10w40 or 15w50 would be my choice for your climate. In my forced induction motors in Georgia (similar heat), those viscosities worked very well with observed oil temps.

Have fun with it!





Originally Posted By: fdcg27
A neat car that is most closely matched here by the Lexus GS although turbo inline sixes were never available in any Lexus or Toyota sold here and any car wearing the Toyota brand here is FWD, aside from that Subaru that used to be badged as a Scion. I guess Toyota still offers it? Only the pricier Lexus models here have RWD.
I suspect that the Castrol Edge 5w30 A3/B4 would be a good oil for this application.
The fact that the oil will have HTHS of at least 3.5 is of more importance than the KV.
If this is in fact a Grp IV oil, it should offer good resistance to permanent shear as well as to oxidation at higher temperatures.
Good luck with this machine. We will not be able to legally or practically import one here for some years more, when the twenty five YO exemption will come into play.
The grey market here was killed off years ago at the behest of mainly German car official importers. Ferrari cried a lot as well. The fact that many of the cars certified to have been brought into compliance never actually were gave valuable ammunition to those looking to kill this unwanted source of lower cost flash cars.
I remember years ago seeing grey market BMWs and Ferraris, in particular one BMW six series coupe. If you knew what to look for, it was obvious that these were not compliant cars.


Let me refresh your memory.

 

[Kuato]

Originally Posted By: Wreckage
....

What you mean how often do I want to change oil?

Never preferably... but since it has to be done... for as long as the oil can go i guess. I was told 5000-7500km at maximum.

To my understanding that is because the oil breaks down so if the oil does not break down... there is no need to change that often...

So uhm?


The oil itself does not break down, but the additives are depleted over time as the oil absorbs acids and other byproducts of combustion. If you're using synthetic, then 10000km is easily done, and it's possible it could go further.

 

[RandomNobody]

Thanks guys,

So essentially going a group 4 Synthetic, I wont have to change oil every 5000 km but can do regular servicing at 10,000 km instead as the oil will still be completely 'ok'?

Well thats a bonus, that will half the amount of servicing i gotta do.

So is there a preferred...

5w30
0w 40

Will one rob HP over the other or whatever, or either will be fine?

Again lookin at castrol Edge A3/B4, the bottles (0w 40 one) is $85...

Is it worth looking at redline/amsoil etc...?

I just don't wanna be throwing $85 at a 5L bottle of oil if something else (even $10-$15 more expensive) would of been a 'lot' better.

I'm going to be servicing the car soon, so I just wanna get the right thing and have peace of mind that i didn't buy some 'marketing [censored]' but poor quality oil.

I mean... again, I look at the muscle cars I enjoy driving, I would never want a cheap oil in a 600+ horsepower vehicle. I would be spending for top of the line premium stuff.

That is what I am trying to get for this car... sure it's just my every day car and not my 'muscle car' thats been hotted up, but I still want the best for it regardless.

 

[KL31]

Oh man you should have got the Edge 5W30 for $35 from Supercheap.

I would never pay $85 for 5L of oil. All these American guys giving your advice is kind of misleading. They pay stupidly good prices for stuff like Mobil 1. Some of them were paying 20 something odd dollars and then getting rebates and whatnot making the oil cost virtually as much as two beers at a cheap pub. I'd use Mobil 1 ALL the time if it cost two beers!!! Unfortunately it costs two cartons....

Don't worry about the group 3/4/5 stuff. There are tons of used oil analysis here where people have gone 10,000 miles on decent oil that is group 3. There's no hard evidence that group 4/5 is going to be 10/20/30% better than the very best group 3 when it comes to non race track driving.

The kms aren't really the issue either. It's the way you drive and the conditions. Eg, 15,000kms in six months all highway driving would be easy on almost any oil. Driving 5kms per day for a year in the city with stop start traffic would be worse. I don't know how many kms you do or if it's highway or city, but if you do less than 10,000kms, just change the oil once per year with some good stuff.

Specials to watch out for are:

Castrol Edge (got some for $35 the other day)
Shell Helix Ultra (was on sale for 38 recently)
Penrite (20L drum was $136 for Full Synthetic recently)

And no, don't bother with Amsoil or Redline. The USA guys would not if they had to pay $100 for 4L.

 

[SR5]

Hi OP,
Welcome !!!

First don't worry too much about Group 3 / 4 / 5 with modern synthetics. The Group 3's have come a long way and now offer similar performance to Group 4 PAO. Where Group 4 still rules is in very cold starting, but we are talking -30C or colder, not a real problem in Australia.

Just out of interest, last time I talked to Castrol on the phone, the Edge 0W-40 and Edge 10W-60 were PAO based, while the Edge 5w30 and Edge 5W-40 were Group 3 based. That was a few years ago, and it might have changed. Either way all are very good oils I would happily use.

For our climate, it's so warm even in winter, both 0W and 5W are effectively the same. I'm using 10W right now (and all winter) without any cold start concerns. It's Australia not Alaska.

Also Mobil 1, Redline and Amsoil are all good oils, but WAY Over Priced in Australia. We are talking $100 or more for 5L. Save your money.

I would look for sales and specials. Repco and SuperCheap Auto are always having them, and get a good name brand full synthetic oil in Euro A3/B4 spec when on sale. Also A3/B4 oils are high TBN long life oils, so people run them 20,000KM, depending on car and application. You are talking 5,000KM oil change intervals (OCI), that sounds a bit too soon for me. Given the quality of the oils you are buying, I would atleast go 10,000KM OCI.

Some good ones to consider:
Valvoline SynPower 5W40 or 0W40 (the 5W40 is often half price on regular valvoline sales)
Castrol Edge in 5W30 or 5W40 or 0W40 (I like the Edge 5W30 A3/B4 a lot)
Penrite 10-Tenths Racing 5W30 or 10W40 (a true Group 4 PAO oil)
Shell Helix Ultra 5W40 (A new GTL full synthetic of the highest standard)

There is a Sales & Rebates section in the oil forum. KL31 & a few others try to post any good Oz sales happening.

 

[jayg]

Originally Posted By: KL31


All these American guys giving your advice is kind of misleading.


It's not "misleading" it's just not as useful. We are going off of what we have experience with and what we know works. We are giving examples of what we would or have used and the reasons why. We aren't recommending Penrite or insert some other brand because we don't have it as available here (or at all? who knows?).

So apply our advice to what you DO have. Don't have Mobil 1 10w40 HM? Do you have something similar to that at a price that's reasonable?

In my experience with 2jzgte's, I have used full synthetic Mobil 1 High Mileage 10w40 which has high zinc and great heat properties for modified 2j's.

But if it's a million dollars in Australia....get what's affordable and makes sense.

 

[fdcg27]

I of course thought of the car I've always called the Japanese Camaro, but I didn't remember that even the late turbo Supras had a proper inline six and not a V-6.
The later of the two you've pictured is really attractive and looks as though it could have been penned by Italians, which is high praise for any Toyota although the 2000GT is another inline six Toyota beauty, as pretty as it is rare.

 

[RandomNobody]

Hi and thanks.

Since oil changes with a high quality oil can be 10,000... what oil filter would do the best job for the 1JZ-GTE engine?

I read some oil filters dont filter good enough, others reduce oil flow which is bad, others need changing every 5000km.

If oil is good for 10 but filter has to come off at 5... that defeats the purpose...

Regarding the A3/B4... not sure. They said the 0w 40 is what they recomend for the 1Jz-GTE if im hung on on a group 4 0w. They said make sure it says A3/B4 on the bottle as that is the one that passes certification etc that is group 4 based oil. The 0w 40 non A3/B4 would not be a group 4.

I assumed the 5w30 A3/B4 would also then be a group 4 just not the 0w i was after.

It was mentioned the 5w or 0w wont be any different for here in Sydney. Would 30 or 40 make a difference then?

Is 40 too thick and gonna cause problems, rob power etc, or either 30 or 40 will be same as well...

Other than that, just ring castrol tech support and ask them for a list of their group 4 based oils, from memory the 5w30 (A3/B4 version) is also group 4, they just didnt recomend that as i was specificaly after a 0w. The 0w30 oils are group 3.

Easier just to call n ask.