Oil viscosity.

Hey all 3rd gen owners. I want to use 5w30 synthetic with my next oil service. I run it in my 02 4runner. I'm not a fan of of the current recommendation from the factory. I know there's a reason but I drive my truck hard, would want a little thicker oil and drive in a mostly moderate climate.... And one other question getting close to 60k, I want to do a drop the pan and replace the transmission filter and fluid service should I use the Toyota fluid or is there an aftermarket fluid that is on par with the OEM fluid if not better?

 

Not so sure it's a great idea if you live in a colder climate where winters can get down to -10 or more. I have it right now in my 3.5 after replacing the oil with 5w30 last fall. Engine made a loud groan one -14 morning when I fired it up. I will go back to 0w20 this fall when I do my annual oil change. Otherwise it seems fine once winter has been over.

 

I live in Georgia. If it gets that cold here wich it actually did in February according to the wind chill. 10 degrees outside with 25mph wind gusts.

 

5W-30 will work fine.

 

Gee... another oil thread from someone that is worried about the recommendations from those that design a vehicle that can reliably be depended on to go 3/400K when using recommended fluids.

Of course he does say he drives it hard... so I'm sure a different fluid would make all the difference.

(sarcasm)

 

I run 5w-30 down to say -10 but it's started fine down to -25. After that I run either 0w30 or 0w20 depending how deep into winter it is. Not gonna give a speech but be prepared to take liability if you have a mechanical fault
P.s. i'm over 110'000 kms with not faults

 

I doubt 5w-30 will cause issues, but why risk it? The manual calls for 0w-20 and admits you can use 5w-20 every other change.

if you want the best wear protection, use higher quality 0w-20, like Pennzoil Ultra Platinum, Amsoil, Castrol Edge EP, or Mobil1 EP

 

Wind chill only effects people.

 

It got down to those temps a few times last winter, and my truck seemed to run normal. It was only that one cold morning I heard that startup noise. I'm thinking 5w20 might be a better choice.

 

If you’re gonna run 5W-20, may as well run 0W-20. There is no benefit to 5W-20 over 0W-20 other than slightly less viscosity index improvers.

 

Run the 5w-30 if you want. It isn't going to do any damage. If its ok in South America, then it's ok for us in the states. Its for CAFE rating which translates to cash for Toyota. Stick with the OEM tranny juice. My Taco loves the 5w-30. Zero groaning in cold weather.

 

Exactly. CAFE rating/thinner Oil = Better MPG. Per CAFE...

 

Its been asked before
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/anybody-using-5w30-0w30-instead-of-0w20.637333/

 

I run 5w30 in summer and 0w30 in winters in NY. My old Honda took 5w20 and I had zero issues with it in the winters so I'd imagine 5w30 would be fine in GA. Walmart has mobil 1 0w30, 5qt jug for $27 near me so I spend the extra $5 just in case we get a brutal winter.

As for transmission fluid and gear oil, I use amsoil. Little pricey but it's the best there is hands down. Took the clunkiness out of both my Toyota vehicles. My fluid temperature never goes above 185 even with cat shields. Check out their website about the test they did with a Vegas taxi running their transmission fluid for nearly 200k and did a tear down of it afterwards, very impressive stuff.

 

Correct…..but these newer engines are ENGINEERED for these lighter weight oils

 

Let’s see some proof of that.

 

"engineered"?. . . . no they aren't. Oils have gotten better and better over the years allowing the use of lighter viscosities all in the name of a tiny increase in fuel mileage under very specific parameters.

 

Here's something I answered in another forum for a newer Corolla but in Mexico. The oil recommendations are the same across the board though with all models. Toyota engines can handle a range of oils, they aren't engineered for just one viscosity. 0w20 up to 15w40 is within Toyota guidelines. It's also in the manual for my Tundra to use 5w30 instead of 0w20 if it does a lot a towing, which tells me 5w30 will do better at protecting the engine. Don't really care about the gas mileage, I'll take better protection over efficiency any day. CAFE standards are the only reason USA manuals won't recommended anything other than 0w20.

 

If it is not for a 2gr-fks, it’s not really relevant.