Best full synthetic 5w40 for 2012 for the money?

Anything full synth it doesn't really matter mate just steer clear of oil promoting zinc because its known to clogs cats

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Castrol, Mobil One, Havoline, pretty much any major brand.
Probably should stay away from off the wall brands.

 

Amsoil signature series.

 

It's going to be hard to find a bad choice- lots of strong competition in that grade. I would avoid Shell Rotella and other ZDDP-enriched oils.

That 1.8L engine likes to burn oil and when you burn ZDDP-enriched oil in a gasoline engine you wind up ruining the catalyst faster than normal. In a Prius under CARB rules in California that's an expensive problem, not something you want to mess with.

 

Key words in the question here....."for the money". Nobody has mentioned cost at all...I know, I know...don't sacrifice a few bucks on the life of your car.....but that wasn't the question.

 

Why that choice of weight ?
If you need 40 because of high oil usage, there is no need for a 5 lower number.
A 15W40 would be easier to find and might be less expensive too.
A "high mileage" variety might be good.

 

Any oil that has zinc excess over 700-800 ppm is not certified by api nor gets the seal on the label oil bottle.

For OP Just go with Toyota oem 0w-20 since drive climate and mileage is not to be shared.

 

I’m getting that in bulk, through dealership, very good price, around $3 CDN per litre. Bring a sturdy 10 liter gas can, usually get 9 litres (doing two cars).

 

opposite, I buy individual quarts because it’s cheaper by the unit. Redline by the gallon is more expensive compared to 6 or 12 quart package. And the zinc is within 1,200 ppm

 

Just checked receipts: they’re charging me $2.80 CDN per litre (about $1.98 USD per US quart). Probably their cost? I appreciate it’s a sweetheart deal.

 

My local shop changes my 0-20 full synthetic every 12mo.or 10,000 mi. rotates and balance tires for 39.95 . Don't know or care what brand of oil they use!

 

Mobil 1 oil weight 0W-40 has been great, No oil usage and at 120k miles.

 

Since this question was about cost:
The Project Farm Youtube channel did a test of synthetic engine oils. He didn't test 5W-40 but the results may apply to that viscosity too.

AmazonBasics did very well in his tests.
Here's another test he did that included AmazonBasics.

For fun, he also has videos where he tries WD40, vegetable oil, and even banana oil in an engine to see how it does.

 

depends on your driving climate, seasonal temp changes and how you mash the gas pedal before engine gets to 150F. If your up north and it’s snows, 5w-40 would choke your engine on non highway driving.

 

Thicker oil will help a little, but, it will make the VVT work harder, or not correctly.
You could try the BG products that are supposed to remove the gunk from the rings and other
engine parts. Some say they have noticed a difference.