fastegg

You guys are missing the whole point of my post. The reason I switched to 0W-20 was to improve fuel economy, which it did. I do not believe it will in any way harm the engine and nobody has given me any evidence that it would other than personal opinions.

YODAONE

To dissuade anyone else from using 0W-20 oil, just because the dealer sells it, read this Clublexus Forum post to understand why -20 is not recommended for our engines.

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/performance-and-maintenance/644401-facts-about-oil-and-what-grade-to-choose.html

Stay with- -30 for best shear strength at operating temperature (never mind vwhat happens if 0W-20 dilutes through use)

bornking

You are correct. Lexus just told me that 0W20 is not recommended. Too thin and will burn at higher rate than recommended. Calling Toyota today!

dicer

And that is just like doing mechanic work. Say installing a timing belt, and using guess work to do the job. You are using guess work. "I do not believe". Yeah like I mentioned before it depends on how its used. And the running clearances.

fastegg

Well... It improved the fuel economy and that's why I did it. And no I 'do not believe' it will harm the engine in any way... and I'm happy to be the test bed.... Done 16,000km on 0W-20 just about to do oil change number 3.... So far not one person has suggested what will fail and why.... Running clearances are as per LS400 with 325,000km... It's my daily driver... and my 'guess work' is 40 years around so many engines... 20 years building and racing engines... and seeing first hand what oils can & can't do... Going from 30W to 20W isn't gunna hurt it one iota...
We used to race 600cc bikes that had 10W40 OEM.. We ran them season after season on 0W5 and never had a single problem... nobody did... the engines were noisier but never failed or wore out... Stripped at the end of every season and re assembled.... so yeah, my guesses are educated....

RA40

iTrader: (6)

An engine oil analysis after running this will verify how well the oil did.

oldskewel

iTrader: (1)

Another factor to consider in this is the $$, whether they are USD or AUD. Manufacturers also do all this at design time, but the big difference is the value of the car back then, vs. now.

If fastegg's experiments pushing the envelope to improve fuel economy give him fuel savings that would allow him to buy a whole new car or engine after 18 months, I would say that is a worthy factor to consider in this analysis.

How much do you spend on gas per year for your Lexus? (an extreme example ...) If you're putting $10k of gas per year in a $2k car, you can afford to take some risks.

I've been following all the experiments fastegg has been doing, and it all seems to be carefully considered.

fastegg

Well I spend about $7,500 per year on fuel. The thermo fan saves about 7-10% and the 0W20 oil about 2-3%. So my guess the oil alone saves me about $200... Say $1,000 over 5 years... Besides, I did it purely for the exersize. Now there is 1 possible problem. I fitted an oil temp sensor last oil change and its reading 115C whilst water temp is 85-90C switching between the 2 on the same gauge. Now 115C is too hot i feel...I don't know what the stock oil temp is supposed to be, maybe someone can tell me.... next oil change i'm putting 5W30 back in to see what temp changes if any are made. Some guys over here say oil temp will drop, others say it won't make any difference... oil change due very soon... If reverting back to 5W30 brings the oil temp down I'll keep using it... 115-120C is too high ! If it stays at that temp I will fit an oil cooler.
And yes, the engine may fail... worst case I can get a low km import engine for $1,200 fitted (and there's heaps of them) so it's not the end of the world, just a big inconvenience... If it was an expensive car then no i wouldn't risk it, but it's 20 years old and worth bugger all...
** And as for burning oil quicker, it hasn't used a drop in 2 oil changes.
*** Thanks oldskewel... nice to know someone's paying attention !

fastegg

Whats w/r/t ?

fastegg

Thanks YODAONE... read quite a bit of that oil story (above) you sent me too... So much to learn... Interesting the part about mineral vs synthetic on viscosity and multi grades... i'll read more later...

oldskewel

iTrader: (1)

I use WRT to mean "with respect to".

fastegg

False alarm on the oil temp. Noticed this morning that before I started the engine the gauge was on 50C... Outside was 28C... Hmm... So I took my infra-red laser hand held thermometer thingy.... Assuming the oil temp is reading 25C too high... and using the laser, I now know the oil temp is the same as water temp... The hottest the sump got was 75C.. radiator 85C... power steering reservoir 45C... My point is the 0W20 temp 'should be' same as 5W30... We'll see when I change it.....

fastegg

Can't get 0W30 in autoshops here... only 0W40 and 0W20... If I could get it (for the same price) as 5W30 I would use it.

spuds

What do i know about motor oil/ pretty much nothing,and I personally feel most all of us with few exceptions are any different.I go with what this guy says because he is an engineer and has been involved with Nascar regarding oil issues.Puts him miles above most of us.

He is honest and his numbers stand on their own merits,no more,no less.One thing I didnt know for example was just because its say Mobil1,and its great at 10w-30 doesnt mean Mobil1 at 5w-30 is in any way the same oil performance wise.Or say Castrol,which used to test excellent is now a few years later one of the poorest performing oils out there. OR,an oil that performs very well at normal temps,up the temp and it becomes a pig,yet another oil may only lose 5% of its protection.

Additives is king here,and what is put in one oil can vary widely,even among different oils by the same brand.FWIW,guy is the guru of all things oil IMO.I use his tests to pick my oils.Bob the oil guy is a putz compared to him IMO.

Just putting it out here,take it or leave it,and run what you will.Its your business.
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