SW17LS

Hey all.

I'm normally one to stick to factory recommendations for things like this, but I'm considering trying a heavier weight oil for my next oil change. One of the reasons for this is the great success I've had with running lower than reccoemded tire pressures with no abnormal wear but much better ride characteristics. I've come to the conclusion that we may be sacrificing some wear protection and reduced engine smoothness in the name of fuel economy, which I don't really care about.

Thouhgts? I'm considering a 0W 30 oil...

roadfrog

Nothing wrong with that my friend. I'm nearing the end of my OCI on 5W30 and noticed no difference in any way as far as performance goes. My reason for changing to the higher weight oil was an experiment in consumption. I wondered if the thicker oil would lower my consumption. It did not. So....I will be returning to 0W20 because of the rich additives (specifically Moly), the the TGMO 0W20 contains and is formulated for our cars.

My MPG did not change between the two viscosities.

SW17LS

Did you notice any difference in engine noise at idle?

roadfrog

No. No difference at all.

superdenso

I like Mobil1 0w30, but everyone knows that already

SW17LS

Come on now, I don't want this thread to descend into this. Fact is that the rationale for what a manufacturer is not something that we as consumers always 100% understand, and it doesn't always work to our benefit or maximize what attributes we want out of the car. Like I said, my car rides much better on 30 PSI than the recommended 33, I have no premature wear...so why is the recommended 33 vs the older Lexus LSs I've owned where it was 30 or even 29? Fuel mileage. I suspect the rationale for the 0W 20 is the same, or perhaps because they went to a 10k interval they wanted to be sure synthetic was always used....0W20 is always a synthetic.

When the LS460 first came out I do not believe 0W20 was the recommended oil...and the engine is unchanged.

C1Forged

Just make sure to use a high end synthetic along the lines of Motul, Purol, Amsoil, Schaeffers that has the proper additives to take full effect of the upgrade. Changing to any 5W30 wont do you any good if after 2,000 miles the oil brakes down to half its viscosity. Just remember that going to a 5W vs. 0W will mean thicker oil on cold starts.

SW17LS

I would only use a high quality oil.

Not considering any 5W oils, only 0W....what I'm considering is 0W30.

Chuckinnj

0/w30 should not be a problem....... The LS engine is a "basic" 8 cylinder engine (NOT a MDS engine or turbo charged) so I see no problems switching to a heavier oil ESPECIALLY if it is synthetic.
NOT to start an "oil war" or a "what's the best oil discussion" but I would suggest contacting the Amsoil technical guys (715)399-8324 and see what they have to say about this change........ They love talking about oil and they are very knowledgeable. I have used Amsoil in all kinds of engines from lawn mowers to race engines for over 30 years with excellent results.
BTW! "IF" you really want a lot of info along with confusion there is a web site called "Bob is the oil guy"........ Tons of info from "arm chair" engineers who love talking about oil.

UDel

German Castrol OW 30 is a good affordable synthetic oil, it is a Group 4 synthetic unlike many other oils you get at auto stores/Wal mart that are really semi synthetics labeled as synthetics. I think the industry move to OW 20 is just for fuel economy, I prefer to use a OW 30 for better protection, I am not concerned about a very slight improvement in fuel economy I might get with a OW 20.

Doublebase

I've blended Mobil 1 0w20 with Mobil 1 0w30 for the past year (5 quarts 0w30 - 4.1 0w20)...I haven't noticed anything good or bad about it. Fuel economy was the same, oil usage the same. I did it basically because I wanted something a little thicker. I'd feel ok with going just 0w30 at this point.

As for oil change intervals on these cars...I'm not comfortable going 10,000 miles between changes, even with a high quality synthetic. The engine uses a timing chain and it has direct injection, two things that can be tough on oil. I don't let the oil go past 7,000 miles. It's funny, but for all the stuff I read online about extending oil change intervals, I've never talked to one tech that does it. Not a one. Actually I'd love to meet one that does. Every tech I know changes their oil between 3,000 and 5,000 miles, whether they're using synthetic or not.

SW17LS

Had a conversation with my mechanic about it also and he said he would do 5k changes too vs the 10k because they're hard on oil. So I'm going to start doing it every 5k.

roadfrog

An excellent contribution.
Play nice and don't be a ****.

Kuhan

German Castrol 0W-30 (made in Germany) is a very good oil if you do go with 0W-30. It might be 2nd to Amsoil 0W-30

Kuhan

The 0W-20 is so thin that I can't even take an oil level reading. I have to wait overnight just take a reading. I'm thinking of switching to higher weight after my free oil changes also.

I saw this was already mentioned. Haha.