Should i make the synthetic switch??
 

Thanks for your help.......

I bought a bran new 2008 Camry CE 5 speed manual couple months ago. It has almost 5500 miles i drive alot right now. At this time i took it in for an oil change at 3k miles. Had them do just the noramal reg oil no synthetic yet. I have been considering the switch since i do a lot of highway driving 100miles in one way at a time. So about 200 miles a day 4 days a week. Yes my gas bill is $$ but could you imaging this in my truck before i got the camry.

Now many say that this swtich will improve gas millage and be better for the engine how true is this? Thanks for any help!!

Thanks again,
Timothy

RE: Should i make the synthetic switch??
 

Any one with feedback on this subject?

Thanks,
Timothy

RE: Should i make the synthetic switch??
 

It's likely that you'll experience a gain in mileage; however, it will likely be slight (e.g. 3-5%).

Full (as opposed to blends) synthetic, as compared to convential (AKA dinosaur) motoroilhas been proven to provide superior protection and allows for longer oil change intervals. There are countless web sites out there that can illustrate these two benefits. If you're interested in reading up on the topic in detail, Ican suggest several web sites to visit.

RE: Should i make the synthetic switch??
 

Diver1972 is exactly right. Any fuel mileage improvement will be very slight, but the protection to your engine makes the switch worth it. The great majority of experts out there agree that synthetics provide superior protection compared to conventional oil. And, yes, you can go longer between changes (probably at least 5000 miles, depending on your driving habits).

Go for it!

RE: Should i make the synthetic switch??
 

Ok, so here is my take on synthetic. Yes it is slicker which helps reduce friction, which will require less fuel. It will also reduce wear on the internal parts.

I have used synthetic oil blend for over 20 years in all my car engines. I stated when I had a car parked outside that had a little click in the valves on cold winter morings. I started using 1 quart of Mobile One along with my regular oil change. The clicking went away. Newer syn blends may only have as little as 5% synthetic. By mixing in 1 quart you get a 25% blend (in most applications today). All oil manufactures say this mixing of oils does not cause any problems and it will not void the warranty of any car that I know of if regular dino oil is recommended.

I have used straight synthetic and have never seen any significant mileage difference between dino, syn, or my blend. I am sure there was some difference but I just couldn't see anything major. The biggest thing is the peace of mind that I may be doing something good for my engine. I would still never run any oil longer than 5000 miles and usually I change it close to 3000.

RE: Should i make the synthetic switch??
 

Keep up with your changes at 3000 miles intervals with regular oil. Save you money in the longer run. Also highway miles are less damaging than city miles, since your engine/car is actaully moving at that time. City miles involve a ton of idle, so your engine runs longer, eventhough you have fewer miles on the OD.

So unless you're driving stop and go, theres no benefit to you to switching to synthetic. But theres no harm in doing it either. =)

RE: Should i make the synthetic switch??
 

Here's how I save money: I perform1 oil and filter change every 12k miles with a full synthetic oil instead of4 oil and filter changes every 3k miles with a conventional oil*.

Regimen with conventional:
Parts:
- $5 per oil filter (for the cheapies) x 4 oil filters = $20
- $2 per quart of oilx 20 quarts of oil (approx. 5 quarts per OC) = $40
Labor:
- 30 minutes (includes set-up and tear-down time) per OCx 4 OCs = 2 hours

Regimen with full synthetic:
Parts:
- $15 per oil filter (for a high quality one) x1 oil filters = $15
- $7 per quart of oilx5 quarts of oil = $35
Labor:
- 30 minutes (includes set-up and tear-down time) per OCx1 OCs = 30 minutes

*For reference, my Camry will see about 10k miles per year andabout 60% of its miles ona highway or interstate (i.e. not stop-go-stop-go-stop-go conditions).

So, over the course of a year (i.e. 10-12k miles in my case), I save about $10 (i.e. $50vs. $60) and 1.5 hours of time (i.e. 30 minutes vs. 2 hours). Some may say that it's not much savings, but I say that any savingsmakes it worth it.

So, that's 3 fewer times per year (assuming average annual mileage of 12k) that I have to:
1)get out my supplies (e.g. ramps, wrench, oil, oil filter, drain pan, etc.)
2) drive my car up on the ramps
3) crawl underneath my car and perform the technical manuever of trying to catch all the oil
4) wait 10 minutes for all the oil to drain
5) crawl back underneath my car to reinstall the drain plug
6) change oil filter
7) put up my toys and clean-up

Oh, and environmentally speaking, I'm only discarding 5 quarts of oil and one oil filter instead of 20 quarts of oil and 4 oil filters. I'm sure that counts for something too.;)

RE: Should i make the synthetic switch??
 

Thanks for all the input much help!!

The Toyota Dealer is telling me i can go 5k miles on conventional oil no problem. I find that hard to believe for many reasons. I have done 3k miles in my truck no matter what. So the gas millage wont improve much but the friction in the engine to prolong the life would help. That right there is worth the extra money to me.

I plan on having this car till it runs into the ground and wont go anymore. So the longer it lasts the happier i will be.

Thanks again for the input,

Timothy

RE: Should i make the synthetic switch??
 

Synthetic is the way to go.Be sure to use the correct weight. Do you know what oil your gonna use...Mobil 1? Castrol?? Valveoline? Theres tons of them out there

RE: Should i make the synthetic switch??
 

What are the reasons? You won't be able to know what type of oil change interval you can get either with dino or synthetic unless you do oil anaysis.5k with dino is fine, but prove it with some science, not the 3k mantra drummed into our heads by our fathers or bythe oil change industry.

RE: Should i make the synthetic switch??
 

I use mobil 1 full synthetic in all of my cars and it think that it works better than the other brands

RE: Should i make the synthetic switch??
 

How/what many brands have you tried and how do you know M1 works the best?

RE: Should i make the synthetic switch??
 

The toyota 4bangers and a lot of other 4 bangers stay fairly clean over a long period of time and do not break down the oils, so 5K intervals for 4cylinders are completely acceptable. If you're not considered a guy with a constant lead foot and spend tons of time just letting the car just sit and idle, then you can safely go that 5000K with dino oil.

The v6's are a whole other story - but i havent seen the oil quality of the 2GR-FE- my opinion is based on the 1mz and 3mz-FE engines.

RE: Should i make the synthetic switch??
 

I have not tried them all by any means. I have used Red line 10W30, Royal Purple 10W30, and AMSOIL. The Royal Purple is the best that is what I use in my e36. But for the money I like the Mobil 1 extended Performance with a K&N filter because they have the 1' nut which makes for an easy change. I have also used the TRD oil filter and I guess it works well also but it is more expensive and not as easy to change. About a 3 months ago I got the TRD clutch and TRD slip diff installed on my car and it made a huge difference. Around the same time I changed the transmission fluid to Royal Purple synchromat andit is a huge improvement over factory.

RE: Should i make the synthetic switch??
 

Done any oil analysis to prove out the gut feel?

RE: Should i make the synthetic switch??
 

just use penzoil! i mean have u not seen their ad on tv and online? The driver is sooo happy!:D

RE: Should i make the synthetic switch??
 

I have not done any oil analysis on any of my current cars.

RE: Should i make the synthetic switch??
 

Have you done any oil studies on this subject yourself? I am just curious to see what you have found so far

My dad has been in the auto feild working on cars for about 35 years now. Just couple years ago he took a job at Ford because he wanted a change. But the shop he worked at for the rest of the time was one of the most advanced auto shops i have ever seen. They were able to do things on cars that only dealers could do because they had the millions in equipment to do so.

But that being said the oil change interval on the "dino" oil as you call it they would strongly suggest against going over 3k... They have seen to many new cars and old cars with problems. The dirt collection in the oil after a while will slowly increase. The cars they worked on that would stick with just 3k miles wouldnt have many problmes and the ones that would go longer would.....

The problems would not happen right away on these cars but several thousand miles down the road they would start seeing problems on these cars engines.


The only reason i posted this thread on here was to get opinions from actuall toyota drivers who have nothing but camrys about synthetic oil. Is it worth my extra money to spend and get this synthetic oil or not.




And i am sure when someone states that M1 is the best that just probably means that they bought it the first time and been using it since with no problems. I am the same way on my SaltWater Fish tanks i own. I use certain kind of salt (it is the cheapest :D ) but i call it the best.... Is there better out there yes but in my mind this cheaper salt is better.

RE: Should i make the synthetic switch??
 

I have neve noticed till now but you are right they do seem happy [8D]

RE: Should i make the synthetic switch??
 

Tim, I actually made the switch to synthetic oil a few years ago. My reasons were that I had three vehicles and wanted longer oil change intervals (OCI). I first tried Amsoil then Red Line and finally Mobil1. I do once per year oil changes with a filter and top up at six months. My yearly mileage is about 6k but I could go longer on the oil if I wished. I have done extensive oil analysis each time I switched oils and during the oil's use.There were a number of reasons I haveswitched to Mobile 1 now, not the least of which is it's easy availabilty and price. Onone vehicle that I had used Amsoil in then swithed to 0w-40 M1, the M1 produced the best oil analysis I ever had and the 0w grade stopped my start-uplash adjuster clicking. On another vehicle I usedAmsoil then switched to Red Line, lead countsare higher than I think they shouldbeso with the M1 experience I'm going to try it in this vehicle as well, probably 0w-30. On my Camry I just switched to M1 0w-40 to see how it will perform and last.I did a3k oil analysis at the 3kchange mark (owners manualrecommendation) with the 10w-30 Castrol switched to M1 and I will do another analysis at 3k on the M1 for an equal comparison. At the 6k mark I will do another with a TBA (TotalBase Number) as well to see how the oil is holding up. My plan is probably to go the 6k with a filter change at 3k.

Anyone will do fine with 3k changes on dino oil - I got 250k on a MazdaB2000 doing just that, and crappy Fram filters, but I probably could have saved myself a lot of money and time by doing oil analysis along the way.Don't forget that shops like to get their customers back as often as possible, so 3k oil changes not only gives them oil change business but alsoallows them tofind/fix other "problems" as well. Toyo has had some oil sludge problems with some vehicles/years so on those vehicles a 3k change would be best.

Once I know the OCI of an oil and like how it behaves I don't need to spend the money on analysis but maybe once per year to pick up potential problems.

Hope this helps.

RE: Should i make the synthetic switch??
 

I checked my log in sheets for my oil changes today. I have used Mobil 1 extended for 42k in my 2005 camry, Mobil 1 for 23k in my 2006 wrx until i sold it, and have used Royal Purple in my 1999 E36 M3 for around 45k the first owner used it also. So it was not a first time try for any of my cars. I am sure that they all work well these are the brands that I have used and liked.

RE: Should i make the synthetic switch??
 

Thank for all the input. Sorry been so long since i been on the board been crazy here with work and family members in and out of the hosp. But i think it has slowed down for now.

ok i went and got some M1 0/30 from wally world the other day then got the oil filter from toyota. Gonna do an oil change this weekend with it. The book called for 0/20 but couldnt find that in a 5 qt container only single qt and didnt want to pay an extra $15 for that! The difference in the two is going to be so minute. The reason for Toyota oil filter was so that Toyo cant say i used the wrong filter if something goes wrong under warranty.

My plans are to get about 15k miles between oil changes i plan to do this by changing the filter about 1/2 way through. I do about 1000 miles a week driving now and well this past month was more then that for the trips to the hosp a few towns over.


My previous vehichle before this Camry was a Mazda B3000 v6 talk about a GAS HOG..... i used conventional oil in that thing from day one. When the gas keeps going up (over 4/gallon here) i needed a change. In the driving i do i did some calculations it was cheaper for a car payment and gas in this car then just only gas in the truck.

RE: Should i make the synthetic switch??
 

Out of curiosity how did you determine the 15K between changes figure. The 0W-20 is used for both MPG improvement and the fact the engine has tighter tolerances then earlier engine designs.

RE: Should i make the synthetic switch??
 

Toyomoho, I wondered the same thing. I tried to post a reply but site problems reared their ugly head again. I suggest if he's worried about warranty he do some oil analysis to show Toyota that 15K is doing no harm to his engine. He should do an analysis at 7500 with TBN and at 15K to prove out the OCI decision.

RE: Should i make the synthetic switch??
 

Yes, as you state safer to go 7500. The best solution is not to go beyond the Toyota recommended interval. Thus for warranty issues Toyota can not claim that lack of oil changes was the problem (as they will no doubt try).

RE: Should i make the synthetic switch??
 

Did read on Toyotanation one person attempted to go 25K between changes using synthetic. Made it to 40K+ before engine failure due to sludging of the oil passages. It was a new car, ouch! Owner still did not understand why this happned.

Thus think there is some real misunderstanding about the life of these oils.

RE: Should i make the synthetic switch??
 

Have been posting short answers, often one liners.

The server does not seem to get as upset and reset when going this route.

RE: Should i make the synthetic switch??
 

I should have said my goal is to get this kind of millage for the driving i am doing. The determination on this number came from many different angles on the subject. Talking to many different people about the subject. The final conclusion is that it is possible for my kind of driving to get that kind of millage as long as i change the filter 1/2 through. But you better beleive i plan to keep a close eye on the oil from the time i put it in to the time i change it again and so on.

Not trying to say i am going to go 15k and not monitor the status as time progresses. That is my goal i should have said. Early morning when i posted that before i went into work for the day.

RE: Should i make the synthetic switch??
 

Might look at high mileage users such as semi-trucks and train locomotives. Find out how they monitor and work with the issue of engine oil.

RE: Should i make the synthetic switch??
 

Did read on Toyotanation one person attempted to go 25K between changes using synthetic. Made it to 40K+ before engine failure due to sludging of the oil passages. Thanks for reporting this...very interesting to know.

RE: Should i make the synthetic switch??
 

(to continue from my previous post) I'm currently running Mobil 1 5W-30 EP.

RE: Should i make the synthetic switch??
 

(still continued)The car's been 7,800 miles since the fresh fill almost 9 months ago. It has received top-offs every 2 months (about 8 oz. each) during this interim.

RE: Should i make the synthetic switch??
 

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