Any reason to NOT switch to 5w30?

[EvilMKV]

brake fluid will have greater importance. also, both clutch and brake fluid share the same reservoir. get some react srf in there

Yeah SRF or Motul 660 were usually the go tos for my track miata.

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[razorlab]

If you ain't use Ghee or Olive Oil in your engine, you are missing out.

 

[EvilMKV]

If you ain't use Ghee or Olive Oil in your engine, you are missing out.

I like to use the Ghee, cuz then when you're done with it, you get seasoned butter to dip crab in.

 

[alan7467]

I like to use the Ghee, cuz then when you're done with it, you get seasoned butter to dip crab in.

 

[Evolution]

This is always the right answer. I mean, just read the bottle.

 

[suicidaleggroll]

So if oil has gotten thinner due to EPA requirements, then why wouldn’t vehicle manufacturers design and build their engines to the oil spec needed to meet those requirements?

It's not that simple. That's a bit like asking "If the EPA requires that cars meet X mpg, then why don't manufacturers just build all cars to meet X mpg while keeping everything else about the cars the same as they always were?"

There are competing requirements at play. Long-term reliability, gas mileage, and output power form a triangle. Engineering advancements have allowed manufacturers to increase the size of that triangle slowly over time, but you can't just come along one day and crank up one of the legs (mileage) without negatively impacting the other two. There's only so much the manufacturers can do, and long-term reliability (past the manufacturer warranty period) is pretty much the first to get cut when they run into that wall.

You have to remember, the user manual and its oil recommendation is not written by the engineers, it's written by the marketing and legal teams. I've been on the other side of that conversation and written user manuals that later got hacked and slashed by marketing until it barely even resembles what was originally written. They take phrases like "we recommend using X, but the absolute limit of the design is Y" and turn it into "we recommend Y and nothing else" simply because it lets them advertise better numbers without legal pushback.

What I want to know is, why are some people so comfortable with swapping out everything else about the car (coolant, radiators, brake fluid and pads, rotors, etc.) for applications that need it, but are so insistent that oil be unchanged? What makes those people so sure that a stock power grocery getter in Alaska needs to run the exact same oil as a tuned track car in Florida? Hint: they don't.

 

[BuyHighSellLow]

It's getting hot as shit here, in VA. I switched over to LiquiMoly MolyGen 5w/40 that's recommended for the Z4. Zero issues whatsoever.

Using the same oil here in the SoCal heat. No issues.

 

[bushido]

What I want to know is, why are some people so comfortable with swapping out everything else about the car (coolant, radiators, brake fluid and pads, rotors, etc.) for applications that need it, but are so insistent that oil be unchanged? What makes those people so sure that a stock power grocery getter in Alaska needs to run the exact same oil as a tuned track car in Florida? Hint: they don't.

we purposely heat soak the car in exchange for ssssss strururu noises too lmao

 

[CrimsonSupra]

Lmao, seriously? Love your passive aggressive dickery there, but you've literally added nothing to this conversation besides "read the manual". So incredibly helpful you. Bet you're a ton of fun at parties.

No, I’ve advocated for using oil analysis as a tool for validating an oil’s performance in your particular scenario. If your oil is staying within normal temperature ranges and you have positive oil analysis results then you’re probably already at the point of no or diminishing returns. If you’re overheating or otherwise running at the top end of the temperature range, then you’ll likely only make problems worse by going with thicker oil unless you address cooling.

I know there are those that independently validate results for themselves, but a lot of others think they need to go full GT3 just to do one track day or Tail of the Dragon outing.

I’d probably change to a specific oil for track days and have it tested regularly since that is a very small percentage of overall driving unless it’s a track only vehicle, but people are typically looking for one oil that is good at everything.

 

[EvilMKV]

I guess the biggest question that comes with using an oil weight greater than what the owner's manual recommends, is the what if. What if you have engine issues and have to take it in for warranty work. Have we actually seen any report that Toyota did an analysis on the oil and turned down the warranty based on not using the 0w20 recommended?

 

[CrimsonSupra]

I guess the biggest question that comes with using an oil weight greater than what the owner's manual recommends, is the what if. What if you have engine issues and have to take it in for warranty work. Have we actually seen any report that Toyota did an analysis on the oil and turned down the warranty based on not using the 0w20 recommended?

Just like anything else. Pay to play. You deviate from recommendations or what’s specified by the manufacturer then you accept that you might become your own warranty.
I don’t advocate fraud, but I suppose you could do an oil change before dropping off the vehicle. Granted, the dealer might find it odd that a blown engine has virgin oil.

 

[EvilMKV]

Just like anything else. Pay to play. You deviate from recommendations or what’s specified by the manufacturer then you accept that you might become your own warranty.

Always the risk lol. I was just curious if that situation has ever actually happened on here.

 

[CrimsonSupra]

Always the risk lol. I was just curious if that situation has ever actually happened on here.

These days, I’d think the specific oil wouldn’t be the root cause of an issue or it’d be rare. The one exception being systems that are hydraulically actuated by oil. From other platforms, that’s stuff like variable cam timing, lash adjusters, timing tensioners. Those or similar items can be sensitive to oil viscosity changes.
The dealer/Toyota probably has a standard battery of test procedures specific to various component failures, so what their test steps probably depend on what failed and how.

 

[noogie]

if you use the car for its intended purpose (street driving), just use the factory spec oil. you'll be covered by warranty no questions if anything happens.

if you track it and subject it to extreme conditions, then go 5w30 but know that toyota may deny your warranty claim if the engine blows up.

basically street cars aren't track cars no matter what the marketing team says.

 

[lucky phil]

I love watching these videos on Youtube of car production lines, including the final rollers process you mentioned.

Can I ask then since you are knowledgeable, why in your opinion do they do this?

Why is it ok to do at the factory, but they recommend not to for customers?

This is sure to open a can of worms. The only thing that really needs to "run in" or "bed in" in a modern engine is the piston rings. Everything else is basically wearing out from the first start. The piston rings need combustion pressure to seal and provide the force onto the cylinder walls to achieve the break in. This combustion pressure is provided by load . To get combustion pressure you need load on the engine and get the throttle open. Cruising around town for example you can do on a 4 or 5 degrees of throttle angle above idle which doesn't provide much load. Not optimal for ring break in. So the short answer to your question is because the engine needs it for initial ring seal and get the running in process started and partially done. The rings will be 95% run in in the first 200klm and if they aren't then there nothing you can do about it other than tear it down and run a flex hone through it.
The question with regards to Corporate advice for break in is a tricky one. The manufacturer need to provide some sort of information to the new owner and clearly it's not going to be "drive it hard or drive it with enthusiasm from the start" so they go conservative. They there to protect their corporate arses. If it burns a little oil and the ring seating isn't perfect the average owner and soccer mum will never know. It'll get serviced and it's down a quart or more and even the mechanic won't notice because he's not recording the old oil level. It's enthusiasts that track oil consumption not joe average. If joe average doesn't get an oil level warning between services he's ok with oil consumption.

Phil

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