The finest oil available for our Prius

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

 

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.

 

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

 

What is your criterion for best?

ZC1

 

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

 

Two words

red line
Red Line Oil: Motor Oil

 

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

 

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

 

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.

 

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.

 

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.

 

mobil1 FTW!!! i also use their oil filters
Mobil 1 0W-30 Advanced Fuel Economy

 

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

 

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.