Synthetic vs Mineral Oil in my Tacoma

[RalphVa]

That is bad advise. There is nothing about "synthetic" that makes it automatically suitable for extended oil drain intervals.

There are synthetically manufactured motor oils which are designed for extended drain. Not all are.

Not true; shows extreme ignorance about oils. Dino/mineral oils have small, ppm levels of contaminates in them that cause chemical reactions to get started when blowby material gets into them. Whereas, synthetics have NO contaminates and NO wax, e.g. is low pour without needing a pour depressant which breaks down.

Ralph

 

[RalphVa]

Even my VW Cabrio that I had with 5M had it sealed. Makes a lot of since for a manual transmission. Guess it works even for auto transmissions.

Ralph

 

[Trillium Farm]

I drive a 2015 Toyota Tacoma with 6 cylinder engine. Maintenance manual says to use mineral oil but I have used synthetic oil. The service manager says to use mineral oil every 5000 miles. I asked her what is wrong if I used synthetic oil she said I am wasting money to use synthetic oil every 5000 miles. I told her don稚 try to save me money, just answer the question. She repeated the same mineral oil at 5000 miles.
So, is it a money issue, will synthetic harm my engine or is mineral truly the best for my truck?

Never heard this one! I don't have a Tacoma, but all vehicles of that period benefit from synthetic, is it really written in the manual to use mineral oil? Or is it that the dealer doesn't carry synthetic?

 

[bridge4]

Never heard this one! I don't have a Tacoma, but all vehicles of that period benefit from synthetic, is it really written in the manual to use mineral oil? Or is it that the dealer doesn't carry synthetic?

The 2nd gens still got dino recommended (i believe), if he had a 2016 they'd call for 0w synthetic. I have a 2018 and a 2016 4runner. We use synthetic on both and change oil at 10k, per our service manager and manuals recommended. Now that warranties are up I will change myself. My cousin has a 2015 and does Synthetic, at 60k no issues.

Toyota is slow usually to change over on things, my 2018 has drum brakes, and a lot of new buyers can't get over that.

 

[Grumpycat]

Really? I think you aren't sure what the point of synthetic oil is then(larger temp rang and longer use periods imo). I'd like to see the list of full synthetics that are in the Tacoma range of use that are rated for 5k or less between changes, because honestly I've never seen or heard of one. Toyota tells you 10k as well with their oil recommendations as well.

I'd love to be proven wrong and learn something.


EDIT: I found this link which goes over most majors right now. You are sorta right so I will offer a half acknowledgement of that. Looks like some only are rated for 7.5k max...while Mobile 1 can go 15k. So my 10k is a little long for some, but they all go over 5k.


1 Best Synthetic Motor Oils of 219 | Twelfth Round Auto

Who the heck is twelfthroundauto and where do they get any fool drain interval number from?

You are as wrong to say "Mobile (sic) 1 can go 15k" as you are to say "Toyota gets 50 MPG" just because a Prius can get 50 MPG. They cite "Mobil 1 Extended Performance" which is the gold label, not the green label, not the blue label. Mobil makes about a dozen different Mobil-1's and not all are rated for extended drain by Mobil.

And just as not all synthetically manufactured motor oils are rated for extended drain, not all have extended temperature properties. There is no performance specification required of an oil to be sold as synthetic, only that accepted expensive processes be used to manufacture.

 

[Grumpycat]

The 2nd gens still got dino recommended (i believe), if he had a 2016 they'd call for 0w synthetic. I have a 2018 and a 2016 4runner. We use synthetic on both and change oil at 10k, per our service manager and manuals recommended. Now that warranties are up I will change myself. My cousin has a 2015 and does Synthetic, at 60k no issues.

Toyota is slow usually to change over on things, my 2018 has drum brakes, and a lot of new buyers can't get over that.

"Use synthetic" is a non-specification. It just means that you likely paid a premium price for the oil. It says nothing about whether you purchased a superior motor oil. If you want a superior motor oil you have to search for specifications and certifications which describe desired superior properties. If you want extended drain then look for ACEA A5/B5, ACEA C1, ACEA C2, or ACEA C3 certification.

If Toyota really cites non-specification terms such as refined and synthetic then their vehicle spec writer is ignorant and suffers from only knowing what marketing says. Subaru has the same problem "specifying" only refined motor oil for their 3.6L engine, synthetic for 2.5L "but refined is acceptable if synthetic is not available." In Subaru's case the 3.6L has excessive oil consumption using Subaru branded synthetic motor oil but not with Subaru branded refined motor oil. Hence their blanket all-brand "use refined" recommendation. It really doesn't have anything to do with synthetic or refined but of specific Subaru branded oil products. Many have reported oil consumption problems using the blue label Mobil-1 in the 2.5L engine. But not with the gold label.

 

[bridge4]

Okay, grumpycat is a genius and the companies that make their oil don't know anything. GOT IT have a good life pal :thumbsup:

 

[RalphVa]

Who the heck is twelfthroundauto and where do they get any fool drain interval number from?

You are as wrong to say "Mobile (sic) 1 can go 15k" as you are to say "Toyota gets 50 MPG" just because a Prius can get 50 MPG. They cite "Mobil 1 Extended Performance" which is the gold label, not the green label, not the blue label. Mobil makes about a dozen different Mobil-1's and not all are rated for extended drain by Mobil.

And just as not all synthetically manufactured motor oils are rated for extended drain, not all have extended temperature properties. There is no performance specification required of an oil to be sold as synthetic, only that accepted expensive processes be used to manufacture.

Mobil 1 is not high in price because of "expensive processes" being used to make it. It's because its feedstock of poly alpha olephin (sp?) is high priced because its alternative value is as plastics feedstock. You can make, in effect, Mobil 1 type lube oil (which is just like wax with side chains to keep it from becoming wax) from natural gas. Think Pennzoil now make some of it from NG.

Ralph

 

[kenmac]

That is bad advise. There is nothing about "synthetic" that makes it automatically suitable for extended oil drain intervals.

There are synthetically manufactured motor oils which are designed for extended drain. Not all are.

I can agree not all synthetic oils are engineered for extended drains.
Just like not all mineral oils would not be good for 15,000 mile drains either.

No way I would put the cheapest mineral oil in a vehicle and expect it to run 15,000 miles with no ill effects.
I would love to see that lab report @15K miles

I use Amsoil. The claim is 25k oil changes. I have not been able to get 25K oil changes.
Based on lab results I get about 1/2 that mileage

 

[Grumpycat]

Okay, grumpycat is a genius and the companies that make their oil don't know anything. GOT IT have a good life pal :thumbsup:

OK genius, show me an industry performance specification for "synthetic motor oil." Show me something other than marketing ad copy.

Secondly it is not the oil company who specifies drain intervals, it is the engine manufacturer who states that an oil meeting certain performance standards is to be drained every X miles. "Synthetic" is not a performance standard, it is a manufacturing technique.