Synthetic oil or not, please chime in

[lowkey37]

I have a 2008 LC with just over 70000 miles. Is it too late to change over to synthetic motor oil. Please provide you thoughts!

Cheers,
Mike

 

[snobdds]

Either way you will be fine. I am a fan of synthetics because of the additional additives package and it's ability for better cold starts.

Some will say switching over to synthetic will expose potential leaks. I've never seen it and believe it's some internet lore...

 

[Range Cruiser]

Synthetic: Every Time

Quality full synthetic is superior. Mobil 1 and Castrol are at the top, can't recall the study or where to find it, though there are a few wear tests to be found out there.

Never too late to switch. If you've been changing your oil at the recommended intervals by Toyota, then you are fine.

There is a reason "Corvettes, Porsches, Vipers, and all AMG models from Mercedes-Benz come with Mobil 1 as the factory fill".

http://www.caranddriver.com/columns/pat-bedard-synthetic-motor-oil-gets-all-new-semantics-column

Is the LC deserving of any less?

I live most of the time in a climate where it is summer weather year round. Full syn has a longer life and more resistant to breaking down in warm temperatures, and the low temperature performance is there as well.

If you live in a more challenging environment, say 120 degree summer, 0 degree winter, dusty, tropical, then the choice to me is obvious as to the lifeblood of the engine.

Read this as an interesting footnote:
http://www.caranddriver.com/columns/in-this-century-changing-your-oil-still-matters-feature

Preventive maintenance is key, I think the investment is worth it.

 

[THEROK]

Being a 911 fan, Porsche has released some s***e engines in the past so the fact that exxon Mobil goes to market with them holds little water in my view.

End of day I'll switch to full synthetic at about 10k miles. Why? Simple. It makes me happier. Anyone extending intervals, claims better performance , pulls up the hobbyist oil analysis report often come with zero empirical evidence at necessary scale because it's just not tenable save for huge multinational auto manufacturers who clearly spell it out for everyone to follow.

 

[elkaholic]

End of day I'll switch to full synthetic at about 10k .

You won't need to switch. I do not know what model year the switch occurred on, but I do know that 2013 and later have a factory fill with synthetic 0w20 synthetic oil. As to the OP, I see no reason not to switch. Sent from my iPad using IH8MUD

 

[WoodyCreature]

Plenty of LC's over the past 40+ years with well over 300k+ miles on them that never saw a drop of synthetic........ . . . just sayin'

 

[arich]

I have used used Mobil 1 in every Land Cruiser I have owned and with the 250,000 accumulated miles I personally am comfortable using it and when the next owner hears that I've used synthetic it shows how much I care for my vehicles.
I'm doing 10,000k intervals now instead of recommended 15k.
SAMs and Costco has good prices on Mobil 1.

 

[THEROK]

You can't go wrong either way bottom line. Regular v synthetic. Just follow the factory recommended intervals.

 

[LCKID]

I run synthetic in all cars however i half the intervals for fluid changes, they all run impeccably

 

[xrayos]

What's about using 0-20 vs 5-30?

I could've sworn that prior to 2010 all the cars came with 5w-30, now all the Toyota's and Lexus' are filled with 0w-20. I'm sure there wasn't an engine change. The other day I put in 5-30 and wonder why the change.

 

[chilibit]

I think it is CAFE driven. It seems to perform very well and it is the trend in the industry. If warranty claims went up, they would not do it. All IMHO.

 

[jcmiro]

I run Mobil 1 in all my cars since since I could afford it in 1999. Oil and filter change every 500 miles. Every single car I have driven like they were stolen for their entire ownership and I never had one with engine trouble. Several clutches but that's a different story.

 

[arich]

I run Mobil 1 in all my cars since since I could afford it in 1999. Oil and filter change every 500 miles. Every single car I have driven like they were stolen for their entire ownership and I never had one with engine trouble. Several clutches but that's a different story.

Every 500 miles. WOW

 

[jcmiro]

Accidentally ate a 0.

 

[Footwork]

Plenty of LC's over the past 40+ years with well over 300k+ miles on them that never saw a drop of synthetic........ . . . just sayin'

Agreed.

 

[xrayos]

well, synthetic is not too expensive these days. especially when you can get the big jugs at walmart. I still have a question about the 0W-20 vs. 5W-30. I remember the first few years of the LC200 and LX570, it was 5W-30 on the oil cap. Any harm in just continuing to use 5W-30 instead of 0W-20?

 

[bjowett]

5W30 is a great all around oil for a well used (daily driver, towing, mountains, etc) Land Cruiser. If you are doing a ho-hum commute in 60 degree temps, the thinner stuff will suffice.

 

[SWUtah]

Being a 911 fan, Porsche has released some s***e engines in the past so the fact that exxon Mobil goes to market with them holds little water in my view.

End of day I'll switch to full synthetic at about 10k miles. Why? Simple. It makes me happier. Anyone extending intervals, claims better performance , pulls up the hobbyist oil analysis report often come with zero empirical evidence at necessary scale because it's just not tenable save for huge multinational auto manufacturers who clearly spell it out for everyone to follow.

I've come to the same conclusion. But I run Mobil 1, why not? Even though I never stress the engine or drivetrain I always use synthetics.

 

[SWUtah]

I run Mobil 1 in all my cars since since I could afford it in 1999. Oil and filter change every 500 miles. Every single car I have driven like they were stolen for their entire ownership and I never had one with engine trouble. Several clutches but that's a different story.

You mean 5000 miles not 500 miles right?

 

[studawg]

What's about using 0-20 vs 5-30?

I could've sworn that prior to 2010 all the cars came with 5w-30, now all the Toyota's and Lexus' are filled with 0w-20. I'm sure there wasn't an engine change. The other day I put in 5-30 and wonder why the change.

well, synthetic is not too expensive these days. especially when you can get the big jugs at walmart. I still have a question about the 0W-20 vs. 5W-30. I remember the first few years of the LC200 and LX570, it was 5W-30 on the oil cap. Any harm in just continuing to use 5W-30 instead of 0W-20?

5W30 is a great all around oil for a well used (daily driver, towing, mountains, etc) Land Cruiser. If you are doing a ho-hum commute in 60 degree temps, the thinner stuff will suffice.

Why do people keep talking about 5w-30? The '08 200 says to use 0w-20 or 5w-20.