Prius Oil Type

I know some have switched to 5w-30 because of oil loss issues. Either 0w burns off too easily or is otherwise being consumed but 5w is less prone to it. Just a thought, but I don't know if you really need to vary from OEM specs unless you're having an issue in oil levels.

 

Motor oil has been one of the hottest topics on motorcycle forums for years. The Red Line and Royal Purple lines are some of the most admired--period. However, I did some serious digging on the Toyota 0-20 and it appears that it is also some of the best available, highest quality. Truth is that any of the oils of today are much better than those of even ten years ago.

 

You said YOU were going to change it.
Is that correct?
The info in your avatar says 2010, which is a G3.
For a G3 I'd probably stick with either an 0w20, which is what we're supposed to use in the US...or maybe a 5w30 if you're running it on the highway a lot in the warmer parts of your country.
I'll probably get flamed for this, but I personally think that there's nothing wrong with 5w30....especially if you have over 120,000km on the clock.
Probably the best thing would be to start with anything that's 0w20, and monitor oil use.
Club up to 5w30 if you're using more than about 1q/8000km (that's a SWAG....)

With such a small engine, and even smaller oil sump it's much more important to keep your oil topped off than worrying about what designer flavor is in the sump.
Good Luck!

 

"Red Line recommendation' is most likely a paid shill, use the oil specified in the owner's manual.

 

Red Line and Royal Purple are the new marketing stars in the oil sky.
It used to be Amsoil.
Their oil isn't any better than any other major brand synthetic.......but their marketing claims would make you think that everything else is crap.
It isn't.

 

I read a pretty interesting thread on the ''Corvette'' forum about some prestigious engineering lab testing ''Mobile 1'' and others--- Royal Purple did the best,,,, most of us Corvette owners used the Mobile 1. They put a bearing on a metal plate, poured each type oil on it, spun it with slowly added pressure , and measured the scoring of plate. Royal Purple was the clear winner. With that said, the 0-20 Toyota oil is VERY good, much better than the 5-20 Toyota according to reports I have read. Elsie changes every 10K on all 3 of her Prius's----no problems.

 

It's a little hard for us to relate to Australia market. Here we have 10000 miles drain interval on Gen3 with synthetic 0W20. Here synthetic is quite cheap at Walmart so that's easy to comply. I agree Toyota synthetic is reportedly very good quality also. Believe the Redline etc are good products but much higher price here, so I would consider those if I was having a problem such as oil loss. In the Gen2 thread someone says the car engine runs quieter on RedLine which is interesting but I wonder if that coud be had by heavying up the oil a bit.

 

I've done nine DIY changes now, using Toyota 0W-20, which I can pick up at the dealership for $5.63 (Can).

Seem to use zero oil between changes, that's actually a first in my experience, but that's maybe down to the engine build quality, tolerances.

 

I did two DIY oil changes so far. Toyota genuine 0W-20 is $34.95 (Cdn) + tax for a 5L jug at the dealer over here in Toronto, ON.

 

Anyone tried Mobil1 0w20 with green label? It claims to improve mpg and looks like its designed for hybrid vehicles

 

I have done one oil change with Mobil 1 0w20 green (adv FE) with OEM oil filter, but I couldn't tell you anything about mpg because it just turned from winter to spring. My mpg would obviously go up since it got warmer. It's hard to tell if the oil did anything unless all conditions are equal.

 

Geesh, I've found a gold mine I think. For me 5 liters would be $28.15 ($5.63x5). And single liters make it easier to measure. I'll get 4 liters most times, and measure in an extra 0.2 liters. So every fifth change I've got to shell out for an extra liter.

 

If the Mobil1 0w20 doesn't do anything better, at least it is very easy to find and relatively cheap, I might try that next time.

 

I did use it in my wife's 2010...did not feel any difference from any other 0W-20 i used. I have spent quite some time on bobistheoilguy forums... to sum up my findings - all synthetic oils are now good enough for Prius. This engine does not have turbo or high temperatures. If you want to do something good to your car, just change whatever oil more frequently.

- Alex

 

Thanks for the input Alex, I totally agree with your point of view and I also spent quite a lot of time on bobistheoilguy as well. I'll just try it for fun and not expecting to see any improvement on mpg

 

well, yes, unless one plans to do extended OCIs.

 

i just took mine to the local mech for the first time after the two free toyota changes. he used mobil one 0w-20.
with only 3,000 miles a year in hv mode, and the old oil still invisible on the dipstick, i'm wondering if changing it every year is really worth it.

 

I always was wondering... its unwise to run extended OCI without UOA.... but UOA costs as much as 4 or 5 quarts of Mobil 1 synthetic oil... so what's the point ?

- Alex

 

UOA is not needed unless you do insane OCIs. Most any vehicle doing 10K OCIs on high-quality full-synthetic oil has no issue...especially if you can replace the oil filter and "top off as needed" every 6 months. Enough people have done the OCIs to prove it's safe. Now, if you want to go for a 12-month OCI where you rack up 15K, 20K, 25K miles, that's a different matter.

Heck, I knew a guy who wasted money doing oil changes on his motorcycle every 1,000 miles saying it was "cheap insurance." Except....he used high-priced full-synthetic oil AND he pretty much sold and bought bikes every other year. He could leave in the original oil for 2 years and just trade the dang bike for what it was worth.