Can I use 0w20 ?

I use Mobil 1 synthetic 0w-20 oil in a GenII... I noticed a meaningful improvement in gas mileage using it. If I lived in a place that was really, really hot or really, really cold, I might not use it!

What are the potential problems of using ow-20 synthetic in a GenII? I've never heard of any?

 

Not sure what member it was but I remember a guy using 0w-20 in the summer and then ran an oil analysis to determine if there was extra wear metals in the oil.

I think the report said that the oil can go for a further 5k miles before being drained! but YMMV

 

Yea, I understand your point... But it's a delightful game to see how many different things you can do to improve overall fuel economy... Maybe even an Obsession of many a PriusChatter.

 

Another way of looking at it is that 0w-20 synthetic oil is relatively new to the market and Toyota, being aware of it's improved value, quickly created Toyota's own grade of 0w-20, which they now recommend on late model Prius. This of course doesn't mean they were going to recommend ow-20 back in the gen2 days when it was new and they hadn't produced their own brand of it. But now that they have I think it's pretty clear that it's a validation of 0w-20 and because there is no significant engine design difference between Gen2 and Gen3 it'd probably be wise to use it!

 

Those figures might be correct in the US but in Europe you can double those savings with our fuel prices.

Using 0w/20 means you are also using synthetic oil so the oil change interval is 10,000 miles "the Toyota recommended interval in Europe" making another substantial saving of around $100 just for the oil, add the filter and labour and using 0w/20 starts to make sense.

I do find it very strange that Toyota do not have a world wide strategy for oil grade and change interval on the same car and in climates that are similar.

Toyota do recommend 0w/20 oil for the gen2 Prius, I have a 2008 and that is the oil of choice according to my hand book. It is also listed on the Toyota application chart. This is the oil grade I have used from day one with my own car now at 85,000 miles and no measurable oil use between changes.

I have no difficulty when I take my car in for oil change at the dealers when I ask them to confirm they will use 0w/20 and that is what appears on the bill. I have no doubt this is the oil they actually put in as we have very strict trading standards laws within the EU.

When the OP's car was produced when 0w/20 was not generally available if it was I am sure Toyota would have listed it as the oil to use, as they now do.

It would be an interesting piece of research to check the oil temperature at different ambient temperatures on a motorway/freeway run for say 15 mins at 70mph measured say near the top of the filter canister to see what the difference in temperature would be. I do not believe the difference would be that great.

 

Toyota UK have said it is acceptable to use 0w20 in the gen2 Prius BUT I would be very wary of doing this in a vehicle with higher miles that has previously spent its life on 5w30.

I guess it's your choice and I'm sure you'll notice an increase in fuel economy. With the way petrol prices are, you might save the extra cost of the oil because of the increased fuel economy. Personally I'd use good quality LLR tyres to get the best economy.

What is the cost of a litre of petrol in Greece at the moment? It's about £1.35 here ($2.14).

 

If your car is run on LPG even greater reason to use 0w/20 as your oil probably comes out as clean as it goes in also with no dilution. You could go much longer on the oil than 10,000 miles I am sure, an oil analis at 10,000m would be interesting.

 

Toyota UK have gone further than saying 0w/20 is acceptable, in my hand book it says it is the oil of first choice. I, like you with your gen3, find it has a positive effect on fuel consumption.

 

An engine is designed to use certain types or thicknesses of oil. The 0w20 oil is very thin and if used in an engine not designed for it could cause problems. Because the 0w20 is so thin it causes less friction and thus the engine doesn't have to work as hard and you get better fuel economy.

The gen3 Prius was designed to use 0w20 and whilst using 5w30 in it doesn't damage the engine it does lower the fuel economy significantly. As others have said, the gen2 didn't have 0w20 available when released but Toyota Europe have advised that it is ok to use it in the gen2. Whilst the oil isn't cheap and is also a little more difficult to come by, it will enable better fuel economy.

However, I am not a fan of changing oil grades unless the car has a low mileage. You might have a small amount of engine wear which whilst not a problem using the thicker 5w30 might become apparent using the thinner 0w20.

I hear you regarding salaries. It's not just Greece that is having this problem. I had to give up the taxi as I just wasn't making any money at it. I had to cover £50 a day in costs (licence, car payments, insurance, radio hire etc) before fuel and before I made any money for myself. Some days I would struggle to get £50 (so working at a loss) and other days I might be lucky to get £70 or £75 per day. Deducting petrol I was coming out with £10 or £15 a day for a 10+ hour shift. Working a 70 hour week for about £100 is not what I call a business! Ten years ago I was making £160 a day or £250 a day at weekends. I have been trying to find alternative work but there is nothing other than jobs paying less than I earnt 20 years ago. I've tried everything including my friend network but nobody is taking on. My social security ran out after 6 months so to say things are now tight is an understatement. If anyone has any legal work then let me know

 

GrumpyCabbie sorry to hear about your situation, I guess all of us at the lower income bracket are finding things difficult. I am retired and have to save money where I can, but at leased I have a regular income.

Hope things get better for you quickly.

John.

 

...I use Mobil-1 0W-30 Advanced Fuel Economy in the winter, which is "certified" equiv. to 5W-30.
In summer I stick with the 5W-30.

There continues to be a debate about Toyota official recommendations, which is 5w-30 in USA for Gen-2 Prii.
Some Prius chatters feel Toyota has updated this rule but no one has provided official new Toyota guidance for Gen-II in USA. I realize other countries may have other grades recommended.

 

I fully understand what you are saying, and as as I said in my post Toyota have a strange policy as far as oil grades in different countries. The OP as you probably have noticed is in Greece part of the EU where 0w/20 is approved.

No disrespect but I would have thought there would be more justification to use 0w/20 in the winter and 0w/30 in the summer since the first number is the cold viscosity of the oil and once the engine is warm does not come into the equation.