Interesting - As I understand it in Texas stores that sell motor oil, AT fluid, etc. has to also accept used AT and motor oil. They have a log book when you bring in used oil and ask you to print and sign name and indicate quantity of fluid being turned in - fairly easy process. I usually run my old oil back to Wal-mart - just park around back/side and walk it in by the service bays.

 

That's true... I can turn it into Autozone... they have me go to the back and pour it out myself. They don't have a log book...just ask for sure that it's motor oil. O'Reilly's does have a log book.

 

I plan to change my oil every 3k to 5k miles. Are there any significant benefits of using a synthetic on a commuter that rarely sees over 3,000 RPMs?

 

This V8 car is designed for Synthetic oil. Go with synthetic.

In grand schema of things you won't save much between synthetic and non-synthetic if you change your own oil.
I always stock up when there is a sale. I just picked up 5 quarts of full synthetic oil and pureone filter from Advance Auto for $20. How much more can I really save if I go non-synthetic? Maybe another 10 bucks. I would rather shop for break on insurance costs rather than worry about synthetic/non-synthetic.

 

Wow! That is an amazing price. I will keep an eye out for the sales on synthetic. Thanks!

 

So at Wal-mart Pennzoil full syn like Platinum 5W-30 jug cost about $22-23 most of the time. Penzoil regularly runs rebates of $5 or $10 dollars on the 5 quart jugs of full Syn Platinum and Ultra so with rebate coupon the cost is relatively low for a high quality full syn oil. So many other places to really save money - quality engine oil and filters for the LS430 is not one of them.

 

I know that feel bro!

My car takes about 5.5qt as well...just buy two large 5g jugs from Walmart Mobil 1 for around $22-23, and keep one for the top offs in between.

Oil changes cost less than $30 vs over $100 at the dealer.

 

You lose 4.5 qts between changes?

 

No, to finish off the original oil change and then for top offs in between oil changes...

Example, to finish the original oil change, to top off maybe once in between oil changes, and then to finish off the next oil change....so on and so fourth.

Make sense?

 

Please share in what specific ways this car is designed for synthetic.

Not trying to be difficult but the manufacturer is very clear that the car is designed for ANY oil that meets a certain spec, of which many different brands and types do. There may well be pros/cons for different oils but the car is expressly designed to support a wide variety of oils.

 

The cost difference between dino and synthetic has narrowed especially since the 01-06 LS years. Higher end cars are mostly running synthetic if that tells ya anything. I would not bother to argue, synthetic is a better oil, is it needed on the LS is another topic you can go all day on.

 

V8 engines produce more heat than v4 or V6. Nobody can argue on that.

Because a synthetic oil's molecules are much more consistent in size and shape, they are better able to withstand extreme engine temperatures. By contrast, the unstable molecules in conventional oil can easily vaporize or oxidize in extreme heat.

Read more: http://www.carcraft.com/techarticles...#ixzz2dhUXzXXi

This doesn't mean I can't use conventional oil but I am not sure how degraded it is going to be in my engine during the oil change interval.
If I have to use regular oil and change at 3K then the cost savings are futile because I use synthetic and change every 5K.

 

Switch over to BITOG forum for learning everything you always wanted to know about Syn oil versus dino oil....and I mean everything...the debates are endless and very detailed.

In general (just parroting info based on what I have previously read) the LS engine is reputed to be very easy on oil. So my guess is that using high quality dino oil in normal 5k OCI is absolutely fine.

My logic is that the LS has a super expensive very complex engine so I am going to pamper it as best I can and use a super high quality full Syn oil for it since cost difference between full Syn and dino is relatively minor (especially for low mile driver like me that changes oil max of 2x a year).

 

I change oil only once an year so I will be wasting more time (=money) discussing it than to just stick with Synthetic.

 

hi all....the statement I'm quibbling with is that the LS is designed for synthetic. To be accurate we should say that it is also designed for dino oils. Toyota clearly says so in the owners manual and elsewhere. Just a little sensitive to leaving less knowledgeable folks with the impression that the LS is designed to support only synthetic. Folks can decide to run dino vs synthetic based on a wide variety of personal situations and be OK either way since the car is *designed* to support both.