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Thicker isn't better. I run 0w20 and have 237500 miles on my GS4.
I have the bearing clearances posted here or on Lextreme compared to the 1UR-FSE. Do NOT run thicker oil.
You don't want to risk oil starvation when the oil warms unless you have an oil temp gauge and see 300+F. But you won't see that unless you are on the road courses hammering it for hours.
Yes, too thick. Remember, the 1UZ-FE was a very tight tolerance engine. 50 weight when not up to really hot temps will be making the oil pump work very hard to get the thick oil into the small bearing clearances.
Not really a good idea. Remember, a higher number has nothing to do with how well it protects. It is how thick it is for the bearing clearances inside the engine at proper operating temps.
I was referring to the 3GS owners manual below.
Notice how it says that 5W 30 is preferred, especially to maximize economy.
Meanwhile 20W 50 is listed.
So is Mobil 1 Fully Synthetic 5W 50 acceptable, or does it cause damage down the track?
I was referring to the 3GS owners manual below.
Notice how it says that 5W 30 is preferred, especially to maximize economy.
Meanwhile 20W 50 is listed.
So is Mobil 1 Fully Synthetic 5W 50 acceptable, or does it cause damage down the track?
The 2gr-fse in the 3 gen gs 350 is unchanged for the 4 gen... Except for the oil cap that now says 0w20. I run 0w20 in my 2010 gs350
What sort of difference? Mainly what Dr. Haas is talking about is the viscosity. Thinner gets into the bearings faster and builds up pressure where it needs faster, thicker oil will take more time to get to the right places, and pressure will already be high (as seen by the oil pump), but the oil may not be to everywhere just yet.
5W50, or 10W50, 10W60, all have their place. But generally, on the street they don't, at least not in a Lexus.
As long as there isn't excessive bearing clearance, I can't see why anyone would WANT to run thicker oil. If there is sufficient clearance (not loose), the 0W20 oil will work perfectly, be better for everything.
My 237500 mile GS400 runs 0W20, and I use maybe 1/2 quart of oil for 20k miles. Now my 3800 Supercharged Buick Park Ave Ultra uses a LOT more oil with 0W20, so I went to 0W30, probably going to go to a 0W40 now. It has 220k miles on it, and with my daughter driving it, I can't be around it (1200 miles away in college), it is more important to keep oil IN the engine!
Ready to get her a Lexus....
Originally Posted by peteharvey
Thanks for that.
I already bought the Mobil 1 fully synthetic 0W 30 yesterday.
Will do an oil change this weekend.
According to the Ferrari article, there is not much, if no difference between brands, like Castrol fully synthetic versus Mobil 1 fully synthetic???
I found Dr Haas' article a little hard to understand.
So in the end, for the GS350 with 60,000 miles, is the 0W 20 the best?
Next choice is 0W 30.
Then 0W 40.
Then 5W 50.
Then all the other conventional oils?
Secondly, I heard that old engines require thicker oils.
So that's why at 60,000 miles, I decided to switch to 5W 50.
So when, or at what mileage does my GS become old, and I should use thicker oils like 5W 50?
And when should I use oils even thicker like 10W 60? 150,000 miles?
I wouldn't call the GS old at 60k. 360k maybe. 60k, not a chance.
My GS400 has 237500 miles and is perfectly fine with 0W20. I would keep 0W20.
Old engines were (old meaning GM, Ford, Dodge) were old school loose clearances, and wore poorly. They needed 10W40 when they got to 100k. If not 20W50.
I would keep 0W20 in there until you can't maintain 10 psi / 1000 rpm. My GS doesn't have a gauge, but will this summer. Even if an electric I put in. But the oil light has never come on in any driving with 0W20 in any temps. So it still is keeping up to the min spec to keep the light off.
I have driven over 750k miles in my cars, many of them getting into the 200k-275k range. (I probably have driven more than 750k....). I have often ran 0W30 Amsoil in my GM stuff with no issues with oil pressure, even at high miles (LT1 Fleetwood has 255k now). I ran 15W40, 5W40, 5W30 and 10W30 doing mpg testing. I did find little in the area of mpg changes, even in cold weather with my route and oil use. It was within 0.2 mpg across all oil weights.
If the Lexus manual recommends 5W 30, then the 0W 20, especially the 0W part - is great for reducing engine wear during cold start ups.
However, isn't 0W 20, especially the 20 part - too thin to lubricate the engine properly at 210 degrees Fahrenheit [100 degrees Celsius] when the engine is warm, especially in the warmer summer months?
So I'll know if the oil is too thin, only if the engine oil pressure warning light comes on?
05-05-15, 01:59 AM
5W 30 or 5W 50?
