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Toyota now approves 0W20 in the Gen II Prius

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by mva, Feb 27, 2011.

  1. mva

    mva Junior Member

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    Here is some recent information from Toyota Canada:

    0W20 and 5W20 Toyota oils are now recommended for the Gen II Prius in this chart:
     

    Attached Files:

  2. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    That's interesting to see. Toyota in Japan had approved 0W-20 for 2G Prius all along. Since Canada's climate is probably no hotter than in Japan during the summer, it makes sense for 0W-20 to be approved for use there.
     
  3. KK6PD

    KK6PD _ . _ . / _ _ . _

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    It's always nice when someone posts these usefull bits of info! Thanks!
     
  4. Oldwolf

    Oldwolf Prius Enthusiast

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    Doesn't look like it is temperature dependent either. I may use 0W20 for my next change here in North Carolina.
     
  5. Rest

    Rest Active Member

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    Now they approve it when oil is almost at an all time high!
     
  6. RobH

    RobH Senior Member

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    :spy: The chart includes 2012 models.
     
  7. jayman

    jayman Senior Member

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    I used Mobil 1 0W-20 very early on with my '04 Prius. No oil consumption. No difference in fuel economy either, at least compared to the thick made in Germany Castrol Syntec 0W-30

    Compared to the problem Patrick had with his trial of 0W-20, I believe the key is not to wait until the motor has a lot of miles on it. I switched to synthetic (Mobil 1 0W-30) at 5,000 miles. At 20,000 miles, I switched to Mobil 1 0W-20

    Used oil analysis was always good, even at 16,000 km oil changes using the dealership oil filter. There may have been a minor improvement in very cold weather operation using the 0W-20, or it may have been the winter front blocking the grille

    I do know with the 4 litre V6 in my FJ, no difference in fuel economy running 5W-40, 0W-40, 0W-30 or 0W-20. With the FJ motor, I had weird nitration spikes on the used oil analysis running 0W-20
     
  8. Oldwolf

    Oldwolf Prius Enthusiast

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    I see in the chart I can use 0W20 in my '05. I have Mobil 1 5W30 in it now. The car has 17k miles on it now, still makes me nervous to run 0W20 for some reason though. I may try it at my next change...
     
  9. Hasan

    Hasan Junior Member

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    had my 80K service done last month. would it be okay to switch to 0w20 on my next oil change? Or should i give it a miss since the engine has done so many miles already on 5w30?

    I live in the uk so high temps are most certainly not an issue lol!
     
  10. TonyPSchaefer

    TonyPSchaefer Your Friendly Moderator
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    I'm currently doing my own changes every six months with 5w20.
    Would this mean that I can go to annual changes with 0w20 like the GenIII?
     
  11. JimboPalmer

    JimboPalmer Tsar of all the Rushers

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    1) It only applies in Canada

    2) there is no hint that oil change I intervals change
     
    Hi Burrito! likes this.
  12. TonyPSchaefer

    TonyPSchaefer Your Friendly Moderator
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    Thanks for the info.
    HOWEVER, is there anyway anyone would know? If it's good enough for Canadians, then why can't I change my oil type and intervals?
     
  13. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    It is good enough for Japanese and Canadians. Its up to you to decide whether it is good enough for your Prius since TMS USA is silent on this question.
     
  14. xs650

    xs650 Senior Member

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    Since they like to recommend one oil per country, they might have decided that it's too thin for SW US temperatures and long mountain grades.

    Or maybe it's just the Canadian vs USian Toyota bureaucracies:D

    Since you are in Chicagoland, you are almost in Canada, so it shouldn't be an issue for you unless you decide to take a high speed run across the SW US. I'm not even sure that would be a problem, just speculating on Toyota's logic.
     
  15. JJ Pen

    JJ Pen New Member

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    So... For my 2004 prius with 230K miles on it, would it be okay to switch to 0w20 does it really make that much of a mpg difference? Using 5w30 which is what the manual says
     
  16. BiomedO1

    BiomedO1 Senior Member

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    If you've been using 5w30 without issues, I wouldn't go to a thinner oil - especially with so many miles already on that engine. You'll probably run into oil burn issues, knocking, and probably valve chatter. Probably only gain a mile or two per a gallon but hasten the death of that high mileage engine.

    It's your car - good luck with it...
     
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  17. tri4all

    tri4all Member

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    it is temperature dependent, although size of engine is also a factor.

    you would never want to switch to that thin of an oil if you live in mexico...
     
  18. mr_guy_mann

    mr_guy_mann Senior Member

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    Only if you still have adequate oil pressure under "worst case" (fully hot) conditions. I wouldn't do it unless I tested pressure with a mechanical test gauge and still had 15+ psi at hot idle.

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