maybe someone can point Me to a thread that already discussed this, I'm sure it's been asked. What type of oil, synthetic or regular do you use? Would synthetic improve mpg especially in the winter? Personally I haven't looked in this to much and don't even know what standard oil dealers put in the car. I just picked the vehicle up last Friday.
One example is Mobil-1 0W-20 AFE (Advanced Fuel Economy). That AFE version is a relatively new product in the 0W-20 class, so not sure we have discussed it much. Synthetic is the way to go. The Gen4 already uses low viscosity 0W-20 so there is not a lot of room for improvement.
Yes. Or at least a synthetic blend. A thinner oil will result in less friction in the engine. But a "conventional" oil that thin wouldn't be stable enough to last very long. So.....to get a light oil, for a tiny improvement in mileage, AND a reasonably long oil change interval......it pretty much has to be synthetic. RTFM ??
Yes. It's all I've used, and they're willing to sell it to me in bulk now (you bring your own container), at $4.50 (can) per litre. Bottled was $5.91, the last time, maybe two years back. As far as synth and mpg, I'd suspect it's only weight that's a factor. Or at least the main factor.
The price for the Toyota 0W20 oil up here seems quite low, even comparing to US dealerships. Oil change with tire rotation usually runs around $60 US?
...also note the Toyota OEM 0W-20, according to the prior specs we have seen posted here, is of excellent quality and good MPG as it has favorable low viscosity at low temps.
I don't think you can get a mineral oil in 0W-20, maybe you can get 5W-20. But its all wordplay anyways. Some years ago (I think maybe it was Castrol) was advertising advanced mineral oil as "synthetic". They were sued but inexplicably won the legal case. So now I am not sure what synthetic means anymore. It used to actually mean synthetic until the lawyers redefined synthetic. Mobil Castrol Syntec Dispute Misleading Definition Word Synthetic
You shouldn't see much of an MPG difference. Full Synthetics however do offer more resistance to degradation, particularly under high heat and severe operating conditions.
Toyota sells an excellent synthetic oil. I've heard rumors that it's made by Mobil, so I looked at the label last time I bought some and there was something there that hinted at it. I'll have to look again when I get home tonight.
Update on the above. I checked the label on a spare quart in my garage. It doesn't say who made it. It says it's distributed by Toyota in the US and by Exon/Mobile in Mexico, Columbia, and another country to two in Latin America.
LOL! You should have asked yesterday. I'm back at work now, and the oil is at home. I'll try to remember to look for that tonight unless someone reading this beats me to it. Whatever it is, Toyota considers it good enough to put their brand on it and put it in their cars.
It carries an API SN rating, at least for the North American market product produced by Mobil. It is worth noting that TGMO 0W-20 apparently does have Group III base stock, which is the group that's disputed whether it's really synthetic or not. However, all indications are that it works quite well, so who cares?
