Doublebase

Don't know if anyone knows or cares, but the high moly additive that was once in TGMO is now gone. The oil now looks a whole lot like Mobil 1 0w20, but it is still a little higher in viscosity. Also the boron content dropped quite a bit. (These were the two ingredients that people praised this oil for).

I just bought a case of the toyota oil, so I did a little searching on why it is so highly regarded. Kind of wish I didn't do that search right now, seeing how I could have just bought Mobil 1 at Walmart for less.

Joeb427

iTrader: (1)

Yes SM rated had more moly than SN but last I read,SN is still said to be a great oil on the bobistheoilguy.com forum.
The Toyota 0w20 SN has tri-nuclear moly something additive package which is said to be very good.

Bottom line is just change your oil when you should and any name brand will work.

Doublebase

Ok, I didn't realize it has tri nuclear moly, whatever that is. Lol!

Joeb427

iTrader: (1)

Could be a BS fancy name thing too.

Still a great oil,though.

Wandl

Tri nuclear moly is part of my New Year Resolution...

This is good to know, my Goodyear shop (2 min from my house) does a full Mobil 1 Synthetic oil change for the same price as my Lexus dealer. Goodyear rotates my tires as part of that, whereas Lexus is $30 more. Knowing this, I can perhaps explore Goodyear for the next oil change...

Doublebase

I'm curious to see how this TGMO does in my car...improved gas mileage, etc, but I think you aren't going to do any harm by using Mobil 1. As far as I know TGMO is made by Mobil, for Toyota.

Joeb427

iTrader: (1)

Correct.Mobil makes Toyota oil at Toyota specs so it is different than Mobil 1.

roadfrog

In bought my Toyota 0W20 at the dealer yesterday for $5.05/qt CDN (about 4.50 U.S.). In bulk. Ten qts and a filter came out to 62 dollars inc tax and they even threw in a free drain plug washer.

Cant beat that!

And FWIW, just because it's MADE by Mobil One, doesn't mean your getting the same oil when you put in Mobil One. Different additive packages. I'll stick with the TOY oil.

Devh

The way it was speculated is that they changed the type of moly which is just as effective but is used in smaller amounts. It's probably a way of getting around some certifications where government is imposing stricter allowable anti-wear additives at the expense of your engine.
Toyota oil might be made by Mobil one but it's not Mobil one. When it comes to formulations it's not just the wear additives that are important it's also the other properties like viscosity Index that can have a profound difference.
Toyota knows what they are doing and they are invested in your cars longevity. Having said that Toyota knows Mobil one formulations are lacking for their engines otherwise they wouldn't go though all the trouble. Toyota takes this great oil and subsidies it for owners. The companies philosophy is a business model to follow.

Joeb427

iTrader: (1)

Speaking of oil,I know it is said that 0w20 is fine but I would feel better with the 5w30 the 3.5L used for many years.
I still feel 0w20 is used to squeeze out a couple to a few tenths of a mile MPG to help with the rising CAFE requirements.

Wandl

That's actually a solid point. I think we all own the Ls460 and contribute to CL because we, at some level, love our vehicles and none of us would sacrifice a few bucks to risk the detriment of a wonderful v8 engine...sticking with Toyota oil just adds additional peace of mind..

Devh

This has always been an area I struggle with and at one point I was going to run 0W-30.
There are both pros and cons between these two grades but at the end of the day it really comes down to the a used oil analysis. The 30 weight oil might actually be too thick for the tolerances at normal operating temperature. It could also be that the VVT is benefited with the thinner oil because oil has a hydraulic function for these types of engines.
I believe CAFE has a lot to do with the thinner oils but I think Toyota has addressed it with their formulations. I would never use Mobil one 0w-20 in place of it or any other 0W-20.

Devh

I don't think it isn't the question of saving a few bucks. The odd thing is that Toyota oil is actually cheaper in some cases but some people choose to run the inferior Mobil One formulation.