Matching engine oil specs on car's manual with the available products

HHarry

Well I don’t think the Yaris’ 2SZ-FE engine counts as high performance, so go for the A3/B4.  And A and B come before C so it must be better.  Or any other reason you like for picking one.

Ermia

Goudy said:

Is one better than the other?
Probably not due to the age/design of your engine.

As already mentioned, find the right minimum spec oil and brand you are happy with and use that.

Are you implying that the type of engine oil doesn’t significantly affect the engine’s lifespan or its fuel efficiency? Perhaps I’ve placed too much trust in the claims made by engine oil advertisements.

I spend a lot of time cruising on motorways and I want to do everything I can to prolong the life of my engine (and my car). 

So far, my assumption has been that if an engine is expected to last, for example, 150K miles, using a “high mileage” oil or premium brands (that have additives to reduce wear and tear) could potentially extend the engine’s lifespan to, say, 180K miles. Do you think this is a misguided belief? Are these additives essentially the snake oil?

HHarry said:

Well I don’t think the Yaris’ 2SZ-FE engine counts as high performance, so go for the A3/B4.  And A and B come before C so it must be better.  Or any other reason you like for picking one.

I'm confused. Is an older standard actually better for the older engine? They normally have the same price.

I’m a bit puzzled. Is older standard better for older engines? I just read here that newer standards are backward compatible and just as good, if not better.

Again, main concern isn’t the cost, but rather which oil will prolong my engine’s life and improve fuel efficiency.

Nobbie1967

A lot of ‘long life’ oils have been developed to enable manufacturers to extend servicing intervals to 2 years/20k. In my view you are better off just changing standard oil more frequently. If you do a lot of motorway cruising then this doesn’t degrade the oil like lots of short town journeys, so no need for anything above the basic spec.

sevenhills

Ermia said:

The American standards are pretty simple:  SN is better than SM, which is better than SL. So I should simply pick SN if the prices are similar.

If you believe paying more gets you a better oil, do that, if not buy the cheapest that matches your 5/30

Ermia

sevenhills said:

If you believe paying more gets you a better oil, do that, if not buy the cheapest that matches your 5/30

I neither believe or disbelieve in premium oil being better. This should be something measurable. I wonder if there has been any external research or test results other than manufacturer's own claim that these premium oil really make a difference. 

QrizB

Ermia said:

sevenhills said:

If you believe paying more gets you a better oil, do that, if not buy the cheapest that matches your 5/30

I neither believe or disbelieve in premium oil being better. This should be something measurable. I wonder if there has been any external research or test results other than manufacturer's own claim that these premium oil really make a difference. 

There's been lots of tests, both by oil companies and by engine manufacturers. The differences between oils are measurable in the lab, and in new engines in field tests.

I would however be very surprised if it's measurable in a 15-year-old Yaris.

HHarry

You’re thirsty and fancy a glass of water.  You can get a drink from the tap.  Or you could buy a bottle of Evian.
 The Evian cotains extra minerals (hypotehtically) which are good for you and may help you reach a ripe old age.

 The truth being that there are so many external influences that can affect yours (or your engines health), that past a certain age it really doesn’t matter which water (or oil) you put in - the right quantitiy and frequency is the important bit.

Goudy

Your engine's life will depend on a fair few other things than just oil, though that is a big factor.

As stated, oil is made to these specific grades and industry standards and manufacturers use these grades and standards to tell you what it requires.

You should have no trouble if you use the grade and standard set out by the manufacturer, even if that's a minimum standard.
Your engine doesn't need anything else.

As these standards evolve some are usually back dateable, so you can use the later spec oils in cars rated for old spec oil, after all the later spec (SM) came out after your car was built.

This also means the oil companies don't have to keep making some older spec oils as the latest is usually useable for more car engines, which is why you find some oils labelled SL, SN and SM on the same bottle.

Some owners think that filling up with expensive premium branded oil is better as they can leave it in longer, but it's often false economy.
Using the right grade and specification and changing it on schedule will be far better for it than using an expensive premium branded oil that's left in far too long.

Your engine is a pretty good one though is does inherently suffer from a little slow build up of oil pressure on cold starts due to the oil pump design.
It's not something that writes the engine off but for longevity, regular oil changes with the right oil and a gentle right foot on the accelerator until the engine has had chance to warm up a little will help it along a fair few more years and many more miles.

Also, speaking generally your longish motorway trips at steady speeds tend to be a little easier on the engine.
You may be going fairly fast but your engine is often only running at low to middling rpm yet the oil pump is usually pumping at a regular and efficient speed, plus there's plenty of air going through the radiator to help cool the engine which means the oil isn't working as hard to help cool the engine.

Stop start, constant accelerating and slowing the engine in traffic with little air flow through the radiator isn't ideal which is why manufacturers fit clever fans and radiator shrouds, variable oil pumps and so on, to try and keep the engine in a sweet spot when it's not at it's ideal.

KXL88

Generally any oil with 5w-30 (Castrol/Shell/Mobil etc) should do. The effects on E10 petrol on the engine parts and seals however, not sure, maybe while you are at it give it a tankful of E5 RON 97/99 petrol. It's like descaling a kettle, leaves your engine bits 'renewed'

SuperExcelMan

My Dark Matter radar is doing overtime on this thread!

If you know, you know…