Whats the recommended oil brand/grade for 03 Matrix RX ? Should I use synthetic oil or should I stick to dyno?
What's the recommended oil change interval ?
Whats the recommended oil brand/grade for 03 Matrix RX ? Should I use synthetic oil or should I stick to dyno?
What's the recommended oil change interval ?
Thanks!
5W30. It doesn't specify synthetic but that doesn't mean you can't use it.
I have an '04 and I change the engine oil/filter every 3k miles as my driving here involves a lot of stop and go.
I have the owners manual in front of me but it does not show Toyota's recommended oil change interval for the IZZ-FE engine.
The recommended viscosity is listed on the oil fill cap on the top of the engine - OEM calls for 5W-30 for most climates.
The proper oil change interval is driven more driving conditions and oil quality / filter quality - more than anything else. For some 3000 miles to just right, for others 5000 miles or more would be better. One sure fire way to know for sure is to have your used motor oil tested at an oil analysis testing lab.
They will be able to tell you what wear metals and contaminants were found and how well the oils additive package is working.
Going that route - I'm running synthetic motor oil on a "tall" OEM filter, oil change interval between 5000-7500 miles. I've run the motor oil to 12,000-14,000 miles and still had good protection - but I purposely lowered it to give me a wide safety margin. I send in periodic samples, at least once a wear to build up a trend for the engine and see how well it is doing. 150K and 110K on cars and no signs of oil consumption or any performance issues shows that it is working for me. Driving conditions are mostly highway - but can be stop and go - as I deal with DC Metro traffic on my daily commutes.
But like they say, your mileage may vary, Toyota factory scheduled maintenance calls for oil and filter changes intervals at 5000 miles under normal operating conditions. Quality of current conventional motor oils is also very good. Some cases, their specs are better than some older synthetics. So the difference between synthetic and conventional is slowly shrinking. Both choices are great - synthetics still tend to have higher solvency, resist thermal oxidation, and have superior colder weather flow - compared to conventional motor oil, but it doesn't mean that conventional motor oil are poor.
I have 109,000 miles. I use 5-30 Castrol dino oil changed every 5000 miles, There is an article from Consumer Reports comparing dino and synthetic oil in New York taxis, you might want to do an online search.
the CR report on taxis should be taken with a grain of salt since it doesn't really address a major benefit of synthetics, which is protection from wear on start-up ---> this is one of the biggest causes of engine wear and synthetic is a benefit here whether you change it every 10k miles, 5k miles, or 3k.... my own used oil analysis over 15 yrs. or so on various cars shows that,for ex., Mobil 1 5W30 is just fine after 7,500 miles, even 10,000 ... so a 6 mo./5k interval (for a car under warranty) is reasonable. If you're out of warranty you can possibly go longer.
Been using Amsoil 0w-30 for 400k miles. Changed every 7500 miles. Towards the end I had to add about a half a quart between oil changes. Engine was replaced recently due to rod bearing failure. 1zzfe engine rod bearings average 250k as told to me by the dealer. I would highly recommend Amsoil 0w30 oil if you plan on keeping your car for a while.
Been using Amsoil 0w-30 for 400k miles. Changed every 7500 miles. Towards the end I had to add about a half a quart between oil changes. Engine was replaced recently due to rod bearing failure. 1zzfe engine rod bearings average 250k as told to me by the dealer. I would highly recommend Amsoil 0w30 oil if you plan on keeping your car for a while.
Amsoil is great, I use it, but I wonder about a 0 weight in an engine where 5W30 is the manufacturer-recommended weight ... just curious, how/why do you think a 0 weight will get you farther than the 5 weight recommended by Toyota (less protection for bearings etc. in a 0 weight)?
Amsoil is great, I use it, but I wonder about a 0 weight in an engine where 5W30 is the manufacturer-recommended weight ... just curious, how/why do you think a 0 weight will get you farther than the 5 weight recommended by Toyota (less protection for bearings etc. in a 0 weight)?
I don't know if it would get me farther, but it got me to 400k miles which i'm quite happy with. Also the better fuel economy and longer drain intervals saved me hundreds of bucks. Amsoil recommends their 0w30 oil in engines requiring 10w30 and 5w30. They have done extensive testing and have seen there results. I'm 100% sure it is ok to run 0w30 in our 5w30 recommended engines. Don't believe me, believe the 400k I put on the 1zzfe engine. I could have probably run longer but I didn't wanna be stranded in the middle of nowhere. I also was getting 42-44 mpg until the day I swapped engines with plenty of giddy up. Go with Amsoil 0w30.
interesting ..of course our XRS has the 2zz or whatever the 1.8L/170 hp rocket sled is called, so I'm a little hesitant to push the envelope in a 10 hp/litre engine like that, but it's an option .. and since I have some Mobil 1 0W30 sitting around I think I know where it might go
cheers,
Jon
Quote:
Originally Posted by Slim-GTI
I don't know if it would get me farther, but it got me to 400k miles which i'm quite happy with. Also the better fuel economy and longer drain intervals saved me hundreds of bucks. Amsoil recommends their 0w30 oil in engines requiring 10w30 and 5w30. They have done extensive testing and have seen there results. I'm 100% sure it is ok to run 0w30 in our 5w30 recommended engines. Don't believe me, believe the 400k I put on the 1zzfe engine. I could have probably run longer but I didn't wanna be stranded in the middle of nowhere. I also was getting 42-44 mpg until the day I swapped engines with plenty of giddy up. Go with Amsoil 0w30.
Don't read the 0W-XX as being a 0 weight oil, not quite what those numbers mean.
A 0W-30 will protect the engine just as well as a 5W-30 or 10W-30. As with all multi-viscosity/multi-grade oils - the number in front of the "W" is for "Winter" viscosity. These oils are all still 30-weight oils (second number - SAE straight weight/single-grade oil), but depending on their viscosity modifiers (viscosity index-improvers and pour point depressants), they flow like 0-weight, 5-weight, or 10-weight oil when cold, but act like a 30 weight when up to temp.
Don't think of it as being a zero weight on bearing clearances - as it doesn't take long for the oil to thicken up. If anything, having a lower viscosity index will help protect the engine, as oil can get to critical bearing surfaces "faster" as they are easier to pump around when cold.
Bottom line, as long as you change the oil on a regular basis, brand and viscosity have much less of an impact on overall engine lifespan. Even with the best oil money can buy into an engine, if the engine wasn't designed correctly or if other maintenance was ignored, oil alone will not help you.
I got 4 qrts of Mobile 1 5w30 synthetic oil and a "short" filter. I'm thinking changing every 5k miles should be OK.
for 5K intervals a cheaper dino or syn-blend would work, and save you money. Of course if it takes you a year to get to the 5k then yeah, I could see the syn holding up better to severe service
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2008 Toyota Corolla LE 5-speed
2002 Kawasaki Ninja zx9r
Amsoil is great, I use it, but I wonder about a 0 weight in an engine where 5W30 is the manufacturer-recommended weight ... just curious, how/why do you think a 0 weight will get you farther than the 5 weight recommended by Toyota (less protection for bearings etc. in a 0 weight)?
Toyota recommends 5w-30 because 0w-30 is only available as a synthetic. Manufacturers will hesitate to recommend a synthetic exclusively, especially in an economy car. In other words, if 0w-30 was available as a conventional (dino) oil, they would have recommended it. My son's 2009 Scion xB gives you the choice. Printed right on the oil cap it has 5w-20 and 0w-20.
FWIW, I use 0w-30 Mobil 1 and only OEM Toyota filters in my 2002 Camry and 2008 Vibe at 5,000 mile intervals.
PlatinumVibe08
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You can lead a man to knowledge, but you can't make him think.
Last edited by PlatinumVibe08; 11-16-2009 at 11:24 AM.
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