im looking to change out all the fluids in the car to synthetic. out of all these brands, they all make their claims but im looking for someone that has used some of these products for a review as far as performance or drain intervals. i have read on a couple of oil websites and it seems that some of them are biased..maybe through endorsements? please advise.

i have a 06 gs 300.

 

i use mobil 1 syn and OEM filter for my oil.

ive heard Amsoil is the best ATF fluid for our trannies and power steering.

ive used Castrol synthetic for my rear differential with no probs, but im guessing amsoil probably makes a gear lube as well for the diff so you might want to go Amsoil as well for your diff fluid too if you can.

ive never changed my brake fluid before so no answer there from me yet, however i am changing it relatively soon so ill be looking for answers on whats best for brakes as well when that time comes around.

 

Mobil 1 and AMSOIL are the only Grade IV synthetics on the market (I'm to lazy to find the source, but it's somewhere on the forums... search synthetic).
I've always Mobil 1 in the past, simply because they sell 5qts for $20 at WalMart. I think the standard drain interval for synthetic is 6-months or 7500-10,000 miles, even though all synthetics are guaranteed to last up to 25,000 miles.

 

not anymore, mobil 1 is now a crappy blend of synthetic and dino
mostly dino

Royal purple is full synthetic and is a good one at it being cheaper than Amsoil but not as good

 

I had been told that Royal Purple doesn't live up to the hype and Mobil 1 outperforms it, but that was a while back so I don't know how dated that information is. When/Where did you find out about the change in Mobil 1?

 

That's absolute bull**** about Mobil 1. There are rumors that it may have some group III base in it instead of being all group IV but that is faaaaaar from being a dino oil, nor does it make it necessarily inferior to other synthetics.

 

Royal purple isn't a very good synthetic IMO. Red line is certainly one of the best, but very, very expensive. Amsoil is also great but unless you are doing extended drains it is probably overkill, especially considering its price point. Mobil 1 Extended Performance is probably the best compromise as far as performance and price point. It's a very good oil and shows excellent wear numbers with every Toyota engine I've seen.

 

i used to run castrol in my supra lsd diff, and it was always binding. i've since switch to royal purple max gear and the binding is gone.

 

guys... what about motul? gear oil, engine oil... ATF fluid?

 

It is not a rumor, official Japan Mobil web stated "PAO+ Hydroprocessed" for 5w-30 and 10w-30 oils. Hydroprocessed means highly re-refined oil from petroleum crude or group III. Check out the web site, you don't even need translation because the critical wordings are in English.
http://www.mobil1.jp/products_mobil1.html

The problem with Mobil is it is charging premium $ for a non-premium product, I would pay $5 for the SL rated 0w-30 and 0w-20, but >$7.5 a quart for the inferior (lower TBN, cheaper base stock) SM rated 5w-30.

I am happy with German Castrol 0w-30, full PAO based for $4.49 per quart at Autozone. If I want to pay $7.5 I would buy Amsoil 0w-20, far better TBN, base stock, and just as good if not better additive pack than Mobil.

 

I have used Royal Purple for years in all my cars and have never had any problems, i change every 6months since i dont average 5k miles within a 6month time frame. Redline for the third member.

Heres something also, dads ford ranger with 150k+ miles has only used the cheepest 30w dino from where ever he can find it on sale, he changes it every 3k mi and he has never had any problems with his motor, not one *ppl always saying FoundOnRoadDead, pssh yea right*. So saying dino is crap is really NOT TRUE, if you change dino at 3k it works just as good as Amsoil, go figure

 

"xxx oil in yyy car lasts zzz miles without any problem" is great. But is that all one expected out of an oil?

In addition to engine reliablity and longetivity, I want the best mpg and longest drain interval at a good price. I prefer not to waste gas and time doing unnecessary oil changes on my own or at dealers. IMHO, changing oils @ 3k is often a waste of natural resource and a source of chemical waste.

 

Hold on a second. You are equating hydrocracked group III oils with dino oils. A hydrocracked group III (also known as a synthetic oil) is superior to a dino oil in every way. Some may say that it isn't as good as a group IV oil, which is debateable, but that still doesn't make it a dino oil. Whatever they choose to make it out of, it's still a synthetic oil.

 

I am not equating performance of Group III and Group II. I am saying they comes from the same source: petroleum crude, just differs in level of refinement.
I also know outside of U.S. oil companies can not advertise Group III based oil as synthetic oil because such practice is considered false advertisement in Europe.

Chevron Phillips has an official study stated in the FAQ link. Group III based oil does not have the consistent performance as Group IV PAO based.
http://www.cpchem.com/enu/pao_9659.asp


Mobil 1 0w-20 VOAs posted on BITOG have a consistent pattern of decreasing TBN over time and formulation. There is no question Mobil has an inferior product by its own standard.
I am not buying $7.5 per quart when I get better oil at cheaper price.

 

Sonyman, I'm curious about your comment that in your opinion, Royal Purple was not a good synthetic oil. I'm sure there's something in your experience which you're basing that on, and I'd appreciate it if you would share....
I switched a little while ago to RP from M1, and am satified with it so far, but maybe you may have some insight into RP that I'm not aware of. Thanks!