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What's the deal with 0W/16 oil?

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132K views 226 replies 43 participants last post by  GaryQ  
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#1 ·
I talk to my dealer, and they say that it's critical that I use 0W/16 oil, which is as rare as hen's teeth, instead of the typical 0W/20 that I can buy at Walmart. I couldn't imagine that reducing the heavy (or is it the light) side of the oil by 4 points would make any significant difference. But what do I know?

So I contacted Blackstone Labs in Fort Wayne, IN. They do the oil analysis on my Porsche 911 Turbo. If anyone knows about Oil, they should. Here's the email that I got back.

0W/16 is a pretty new thing. We've only seen a handful of samples of it, mostly from fuel efficient Japanese cars. In our testing, it looks pretty much identical to a 0W/20 or a 5W/20, right down to the viscosty at 100°C.

As to whether or not it's a scam--no, it's perfectly serviceable oil. It's up to you if you want to pay more for it, but the engine probably won't wear any differently with 0W/16 versus 0W/20.

Alex Miller
Blackstone Labs
Click to expand...
So, it's your choice. Honestly, I'm leasing my car, and since Toyota gives everyone their first 2 oil changes are free, that takes you out nearly to a full 3 years. So, I won't have to worry about it for a while. But based on what Blackstone Labs said, I don't see the sense of paying for the "special oil."

larry
 
#2 ·
I think CathyRicks summed it up best with CAFE requirements ... 0-16 is trying milk every possible MPG out of the motor.

I know I can easily lose up to 4/10 average mpg on computer tracking after a cold morning start-up and a few miles of driving.

Mechanical friction or ECU version of choke?

I'd stay with 0-20
 
T
#3 ·
I was wondering about this too. Asked a life-time mechanic I work with about using the several gallons of 0-20 I had previously bought for our 2013 Camry, he just laughed and said of course. Told me the difference in oil is to minimal, its nothing to worry about at all. Your received statement makes me feel that much better. I'll just stick to 0-20.

I remember when the dealer called for some fancy European oil for my diesel Cherokee, they ended up allowing T6 Rotella which can be bought at Walmart. lol. Save a pretty penny since these engines uses 2 gallons of oil.
 
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#4 ·
0W-16 is a USA politically motivated viscosity (it's a maximun fuel economy viscosity) for the 2018 Camry 4 cylinders, just like 0W-20 was for the 2017 Camry 4 cylinders.

In other countries that don't have government certified fuel economy standards like Australia, their Camry owners manuals say 4 cylinder owners can use much thicker viscosities - as thick as 15W-40 at temperatures above 10 degrees F
 

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#9 ·
0-16 oil. Because of US CAFE requirements.


UOTE="pcarguy, post: 13084554, member: 1094794"]
I talk to my dealer, and they say that it's critical that I use 0W/16 oil, which is as rare as hen's teeth, instead of the typical 0W/20 that I can buy at Walmart. I couldn't imagine that reducing the heavy (or is it the light) side of the oil by 4 points would make any significant difference. But what do I know?

So I contacted Blackstone Labs in Fort Wayne, IN. They do the oil analysis on my Porsche 911 Turbo. If anyone knows about Oil, they should. Here's the email that I got back.



So, it's your choice. Honestly, I'm leasing my car, and since Toyota gives everyone their first 2 oil changes are free, that takes you out nearly to a full 3 years. So, I won't have to worry about it for a while. But based on what Blackstone Labs said, I don't see the sense of paying for the "special oil."

larry
[/QUOTE]
 
J
#11 ·
pcarguy said:
I talk to my dealer, and they say that it's critical that I use 0W/16 oil, which is as rare as hen's teeth, instead of the typical 0W/20 that I can buy at Walmart.
Click to expand...
I use Toyota 0W-16 in my '18, no problem getting it. <$5 per qt. out the door. Under 9K miles on the '18 and it has seen two oil / filter changes to date. If the mfg. says to use XXX, I prefer to use XXX just because...
 
#12 ·
The maintenace guide states that 0w20 can be used as long as the nect OCI 0w16 is used. Don't sweat too much about it and 0w16 is in Walmart just saw it the other day and didn't even bother to pick it up. Waiting to to May 2020 when supposed oil certification is realeased.
 
#17 ·
I use 0W-20 all year long. I live in Lake Havasu City, Arizona. We're one of the hottest cities in the United States. Summer can bring 120F. And Winter seldom see's the high 30's. And just until the Sun comes up. Then 50's and 60's are the norm. There is no need for anything thinner.
 
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#22 ·
Ambient heat is not really a factor, only cold. The engine gets hotter than any climate we humans can live in so outside air of 120 F would be a cooling effect on the engine innards. It's the cold start viscosity that is really important. The -16 or -20, -30, etc. is all about operating temperature viscosity. Your 0W-X is as thin as it gets for cold startup, the -16 has no impact on that.
 
R
#18 ·
I was reading all the comments about whether or not to use 0W16 as required by Toyota and didn't see where any of the commenters worked on the engineering team that developed the engine. Most folks want to continue using 0W20 but when Toyota switched to that viscosity from 5W30 people said the same thing, 0W20 is to thin. The viscosities may change but the resistance to change remains the same.
 
#19 ·
Working on the engineering or not makes no difference because there is no performance test or evidence.
I don't see any engineering from Toyota showing how resilence the engine is using 0w16 vs 0w20.
If there is evidence showing 0w16 will last as long at 0w20 with the benefit of improve gas mileage then you have a point.
Also, why is the same engine in different countries has more option for oil viscosity?
At this point, it's all opinions and preferences.
 
#23 ·
Toyota even specifies in the manual, that in the 2018 Camry 2.5L 4 cylinder, you can use thicker oil, (read 0W-20, or even 0W-30), in hotter temperatures and climates. And when the car is going to be driven at high speeds for long distances. If this 0W-16 oil was so engine critical, it would be everywhere by now. It's not. The fact is it's still very hard to find at the Supercenter Stores. While 0W-20 is everywhere.
 
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#24 ·
CAFE is the impetus behind these low viscosity oils like this. When you make a few million cars, if the oil can generate a few fractions of an MPG reduction per car it adds up. And so the 5-20 and 0-20 oils came about, and now the 0-16. I'm no petrochem engineer, nor a mechanical engineer but I would be amazed if using 0W-20 in these 0W-16 engines really had any ill effect on the engine, other than the fractional computations of MPG.
 
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#29 ·
JimmyCal said:
I just saw link to this article, which claims 2% improvement on MPG from 0W-20 to 0W-16.
Click to expand...
I would not be surprised at that. I know that in the past, NASCAR teams used something equivalent to about 0W-5, especially for race qualifying. But recent rule changes require them to now use the same engine for at least 2 races, and not sure if they use the same viscosity anymore, because they have to be more concerned about engine longevity than in the past.
 
R
#39 ·
IMHO, from everything I have read, it is an MPG issue. That being said, the biggest reason to use it is potentially 2% better MPG and therefore your contribution to reducing global warming. HOWEVER, like lots of other things (how about oil filters), the problem is manufacturers who create inferior product. Since testing involves lots of time and resources to create the right formula, and formulas are trade secrets, selecting one that also provides proper lubrication for ANY engine may be your biggest challenge. At 50 MPG, 2% is 1 MPG. @ $4.00/gal == 0.16 cents/gal or 1020 miles vs 1000 miles or $0.032 per 1000 miles.
For your engine protection, I would spend my money on the oil filter, and it wouldn't be a Fram.
 
R
#46 ·
Just use 0W-16 and stop overthinking it. Any mechanic worth his salt will tell you to use what the manufacturer recommends and what is stated on outside of the engine, in this case it's 0W-16. If you want to take the word of some randoms on the internet then by all means, go right ahead. Just be prepared to deal with the consequences. There is ZERO proof to any of their claims.
 
#50 ·
This is straight from the AMERICAN Toyota owners manual, (page 543), for a 2018 Toyota Camry with a 2.5 L (A25A-FKS) engine. They can't make it any clearer.

The 16 in 0W-16 indicates the viscosity characteristic of the oil when the oil is at high temperature. An oil with a higher viscosity (one with a higher value) may be better suited if the vehicle is operated at high speeds, or under extreme load conditions.

 
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#51 ·
billt460 said:
This is straight from the AMERICAN Toyota owners manual, (page 543), for a 2018 Toyota Camry with a 2.5 L (A25A-FKS) engine. They can't make it any clearer.

The 16 in 0W-16 indicates the viscosity characteristic of the oil when the oil is at high temperature. An oil with a higher viscosity (one with a higher value) may be better suited if the vehicle is operated at high speeds, or under extreme load conditions.

Click to expand...
I am of the mind, as I get older, that people generally don't like to think for themselves. They would rather follow
 
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#57 · (Edited)
I’m not trying to push my views as right or better than everyone else’s. Quite the opposite is going on here: it appears to me that you’re trying to push your views over everyone else’s and ours are flat out wrong.

My point about my engines not blowing up by following the manual is that even if the engine is not optimally protected by not using the perfect oil, it will be fine for the normal life of the car. I understand one can get better protection by customizing the oil for the driving conditions of each car, but quite frankly, I don’t care to do so, and neither do 99% of Camry buyers out there. The average consumer who replaces their cars every 5-10 years won’t notice a difference in longevity by following the manual’s oil recommendations vs custom oil weights, regardless of where they live. You should focus your energies on getting people to change their oil at the appropriate intervals. That would save many more engines than using a possibly more optimal oil weight.

Also to note, this thread was started about 3.5 years ago when 0W-16 was new and hard to find, so DIYers were seeking alternative oils to use. 0W-16 should be readily available now.
 
#58 ·
myang said:
.....You should focus your energies on getting people to change their oil at the appropriate intervals.
Click to expand...
The same people who use 0W-16 oil, are the same people who will leave it in their crankcase for 10,000 miles, because Toyota told them to do both.
 
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#66 ·
Hey guys, I've gone through this entire thread and just want to advise you all to understand that you can make your arguments without using insults, foul language, or being demeaning. Sure, you can disagree, but do it in a community-friendly way, OK?

Also know that this thread is originally from November of 2017, was resurrected in January of 2020, and reresurrected just a few days ago. You might want to let this thread go the way of all the earth, and start a new thread if you desire, but be warned that motor oil thread arguments can be very tiresome and cliche.
 
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