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The finest oil available for our Prius

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Sheepdog, Jun 21, 2008.

  1. Sheepdog

    Sheepdog C'Mere Sheepie!

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    Im at 5000 miles now and am deciding on what to put into Rachel Prius as new oil. What would you say is the absolute best choice for a warm climate oil? I'm not limiting to American oils either.

    I want the finest oil either dino or synthetic that can be found and bought in America or on the web. (no $1000 qt UFO oil though please!)

    And the finest Prius oil filter would be a good follow on question also I suppose!

    Thanks! educate me please!
     
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  2. racerbob

    racerbob Member

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    The TRD filters are great and exceed Toyota specs. 26.00 each. Amsoil is good stuff.
     
  3. Sheepdog

    Sheepdog C'Mere Sheepie!

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    I've read here that European oil standards are stricter than US std.'s for oil whether dino or synthetic. But Amsoil is in the mix! Thanks.
     
  4. patsparks

    patsparks An Aussie perspective

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    I now use Castrol Edge 5w-30 full synthetic. I can buy it for about half the price of other synthetic oils. It is made by a reputable company and meets the specifications required by Toyota, good enough for me. It is the first time in about 20 years I have use Castrol oil in any of my cars, since the sludging of friction modified GTX2 way back then.
     
  5. KandyRedCoi

    KandyRedCoi S is for Super!

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    been using mobil1 on all my cars, including the prius in 0w-30
     
  6. ZC1

    ZC1 Junior Prius Owner

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    What is your criterion for best?

    ZC1
     
  7. rumpledoll

    rumpledoll Member

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    The question is, finest for what purpose? If you are interested in reducing even further the environmental impact of the Prius by reducing waste oil, than going for an extended drain oil would be indicated.

    If you are planning on sticking with the 5,000 mile OCI (Oil Change Interval) then I assume you are interested in the best oil to protect your engine over that interval.

    Given that you live in warm Florida, I'm going to assume you will be staying with the US Toyota recommended 5W-30 weight oil.

    Practically speaking any name brand motor conventional oil (e.g. Pennzoil, Castrol, Mobil, etc.) will do a good job. However, even for a 5,000 mile drain interval, a good synthetic oil, such as Mobil 1 or Pennzoil Platinum or others will have better properties such as resisting viscosity changes and a generally higher ability to fight acid buildup etc.

    I would see no downside to switching to a good synthetic oil.

    For an extended drain interval, a synthetic oil is much more of a must do and especially those formulations that are specifically made for longer drain by having selected base stocks and additive packages. Mobil 1 makes an "extended performance" series of oils that are

    "..made with a proprietary blend of high performance synthetic basestocks fortified with an advanced additive system, designed especially to deliver performance and protection during longer service intervals. "

    but IMHO the king of extended drain would be Amsoil. Amsoil makes a really good 5W30 that can be used for up 25,000 miles although I would not go that far without getting the oil analyzed.

    Rumple
     
  8. ursle1

    ursle1 Realist

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  9. Sheepdog

    Sheepdog C'Mere Sheepie!

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    I plan on a normal rotation of oil at 5K and want to use a better filter and better synthetic. I had always used Mobil 1 synth and mobil 1 filter in my V-8's but the hybrid is different and works harder being a smaller engine.

    I want Rachel Prius to dine on the best that I can get to protect her in the heat here. Maybe it doesnt matter so much at 5K intervals but still have always been an over achiever and Type "A" sort. I actually Zaino 3 times a month if that helps.

    Red Line, Amsoil, Mobil 1, Castrol Synth. all great lubrication I am sure. I just have to choose one!
     
  10. TransferFunction

    TransferFunction New Member

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    ACEA separates the men/boys...Re: The finest oil available for our Prius

    To get the best oil, in a 5w-30 (or I think 5w-20 is great, too, since the Japanese spec 5w-20 in the same Prius vehicle in Japan) just look for a synthetic that passes ALL the following tests:

    GF-4 and
    SM and
    ACEA A1/B1 ......(and don't settle for ACEA oils that have a dash after the ACEA label, such as Pennzoil Platinum's ACEA A1-02, meaning they didn't pass the current ACEA test, but were just good enough for the one back in 2002. Passing the current ACEA test is best, so no dashes in the ACEA line please!)

    Mobil 1 Extended Performance 5w-30 does all that. Maybe Amsoil does. Valvoline Synthetic might do it. Mobil 1 would be my choice since they have so much behind them. Accept no compromises.

    I prefer the Amsoil oil filters, as there were some flow/filtration tests out a few years ago that indicated they put together what was probably the best filter out, with the best filter media (no cellulose filbers, etc.). However, the Mobil 1 oil filter is also very good and can be trusted.

    I'm a little leery about using the expensive Redline oils, since they are polyol esters, and I don't trust their seal-swelling characteristics as much as the more usual PAO syn or conventional oils. The higher HT/HS in polyol esters (Redline) mean MPG would drop a little using that oil, too.

    Accept no compromises
     
  11. FireEngineer

    FireEngineer Active Member

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    Castrol Syntec 0W30 European Formula. Only true synthetic Castrol sells in North America. ACEA A1/B1, A3/B3. So far I've only found it at Auto Zone.

    Wayne
     
  12. Sheepdog

    Sheepdog C'Mere Sheepie!

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    super information TF. thank you!
     
  13. Sheepdog

    Sheepdog C'Mere Sheepie!

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    Thats the one I read about Wayne. Pretty much the only great Castrol oil around the USA
     
  14. chrisspaulding

    chrisspaulding sexy, high tech, fun

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    Phew, I thought I was the only one. We have shiny cars! I baby mine like crazy. I've memorized every square inch. Now I'm starting to crawl under and check there too. :)
     
  15. kohnen

    kohnen Grumpy, Cranky Senior Member

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    I've been happy with Mobil 1 5w-30 Extended Performance and a Purolator Pure One PL-20195 filter.

    You can check the Mobil 1 specs on their website. The oil filter is about a 2x oversized filter, and the Pure One filters filter down to a smaller size than typical filters.

    I've also verified (Blackstone labs, oil analysis) that I can run 10,000 miles (at least) between changes.

    Not quite UFO oil :alien: but I think it's a great combination between long-lasting, good protection, and dumping less used oil into the environment.
     
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  16. Bob64

    Bob64 Sapphire of the Blue Sky

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    Joke:
    The best oil is snake oil, after all, it can clean your engine, make your gas mileage quadruple, double the acceleration, and absorb all the harmful byproducts of combustion.... Plus it never needs to be changed.

    :p
     
  17. Sheepdog

    Sheepdog C'Mere Sheepie!

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    Im leaning toward Mobil one extended so far. Do you actually go 10K between changes?
     
  18. KandyRedCoi

    KandyRedCoi S is for Super!

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  19. wb9tyj

    wb9tyj 2017 Prius Prime Advanced

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    Been using Mobil1 and M1 filter from 5000miles ...I have almost 90000miles now and my interval change has been 8000miles...No problems whatsoever...
     
  20. GatorJZ

    GatorJZ Member

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    The best oil filter on the market is the Canton Mecca. They have an application that fits the Prius. Remember, you asked for best, not best value. I have them on two of my cars and will put one on my Prius whenever Toyota decides to build mine. Incredible filtration, built like a tank and a work of art.