I’ve used Castrol oils since the ‘70s, but have heard good things about Mobil-1. With the new RAV4 Hybrid, I would appreciate forum member’s thoughts on the best OW-16 oil to use for this vehicle.
Castrol or Mobil-1 ?
bobouz
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You be surprised superior oil does cost more. Had a 91 mr2 turbo with a 2gen 3sgte swap running Redline motor oil, I had a 2010 Prius i bought brand new did oil change at 10k till it had 128k miles no problems no leaks no oil consumption. Had a 2018 Camry hybrid LE driven till 60k miles before I sold it to get the RAV4 and done oil change at 10k at the time the Prius was using enos oil and the Camry was using idemitsu oil, Camry also found no oil consumption or leaks. Those are just the Toyota cars that I've gone through and it's been fine for me. I have other brands of cars also that I use different oil on. And we are here to share our oil experiences not bash on someone cause they don't like one brand vs another or they choose to change their oil at a quicker time than another.
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So basically what you are saying all oils are good?
I am saying you can use whatever you want i am not going sit here and have a comparison about superior engine oil on a hybrid when it is used for normal daily use and the recommended oil change is at 10k and filter change is at 30k and you wanna change the oil at 5k but don't even care about the filter please. if you so concerned just change everything at 5k then buy the most expensive oil there is who cares what I say or anyone else cause when ever you hear something you don't like you automatically go into attack mode anyways until the other person agrees with you. This is just one persons opinion if you don't like it move on
I’m aware of what the manual says. I’m also aware of Toyota’s catering to CAFE for fleet efficiency. It will not hurt your vehicle if you use it long term.
Exxon Mobil is blending oil for Toyota in North America. Mobil 1 is a product of Exxon Mobil. They are not the same though.
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OP, use which ever oil you like. Just change it regularly. If you want more additives you can buy more expensive oils. Mobile 1 is great oil despite what some are saying. Castrol is also good oil. Heck, even Walmart oil is good nowadays.
Just change it and the filter regularly as I have said.
Just change it and the filter regularly as I have said.
A very interesting synthetic oil test video was just uploaded on YouTube.
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The filter is changed at the same time as the oil, not at 30K. Mobil1 is actually less expensive than any oil you mentioned. I am not attacking you but the way you talk is like you have tried all other oils and you think they are better than Mobil 1 based on 20 year old post somewhere, yet you have not explained how you determined that. Mobil1 says their oil is full synthetic and designed for Hybrid vehicles. Idemitsu also is full synthetic but $20 more.
Amazon.com: Mobil 1 Advanced Fuel Economy Full Synthetic Motor Oil 0W-16, 5 Quart : Automotive
Buy Mobil 1 Advanced Fuel Economy Full Synthetic Motor Oil 0W-16, 5 Quart: Motor Oils - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases
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Amazon.com: Idemitsu Full Synthetic 0W-16 Engine Oil SP/GF-6B - 5 Quart : Automotive
Shop Amazon for Idemitsu Full Synthetic 0W-16 Engine Oil SP/GF-6B - 5 Quart and find millions of items, delivered faster than ever.
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I would say there is one mistake in this video. It is the wear test. He applied it equaly to all all oils. Each grade of oil is designed for each specific engine so you can't really put 5w-30 in to engine that was designed for 0w-16. 0w-16 was designed with the tighter tolerances thus requiring thinner oil. If you put thicker oil in that engine the oil will not lubricate parts on the start up thus creating more damage. And the other way around if you put thinner oil in to engine with the looser tolerances it will not protect the engine either.
Well, as much as that wear scar test may not be a fully realistic simulation of what happens in a motor, the film stability of the thicker oil is likely what caused lesser wear. I believe film stability is most important in engines that stop and start, followed by high temperature stability to handle occasions when an engine is run hard. Both point towards a higher viscosity than 0w-16 for optimum wear protection.
Thanks for posting that video.
Practically every new engine not made for a hign performance application is built with roughly the same clearances in the journals, and practically every manufacturer uses similar low tension piston rings. I doubt that Toyota is any different with the Dynamic Force engine in the Rav. But the fact that Toyota themselves say that a range of different viscosities are acceptable indicate that precise viscosity is not so important.
But let's say that Toyota does build on the tighter end of typical specs, and that is the reason they specify a thinner oil. As shown in the Project Farm video that @Tazio Nuvolari linked to above, the 0w-16 appears less temperature stable, turning dark sooner and evaporating more. What is the main downside of tighter clearances? It's heat, caused by those tighter clearances. And how do you remove heat? By flowing a lot of oil at things that get hot. Only, Toyota has not only NOT used a high flow oil pump, they use one which probably pumps less oil than a typical old school pump that is RPM dependent. So in that case, you are reliant on the film strength of the oil for protection, and on high temperature stability, neither of which is a strong point of the 0w-16.
Here's a good basic primer on engine clearances.
I read that link, and came to the conclusion that the participants on the thread don't score well on reading comprehension.
post #9
post#10From the FAQ
Is Mobil 1 with SuperSyn Technology a fully synthetic motor oil?![Image]()
Yes, it is.
What's the difference between a fully synthetic and a synthetic blend motor oil?![Image]()
All motor oils are made up of base oils and additives. In general, fully synthetic motor oils contain non-conventional, high-performance fluids. Semi-synthetic oils (also called "blends") usually use a small percentage of non-conventional, high-performance fluids in combination with conventional base oil.
From the 5W-30 product sheet
Mobil 1 5W-30 is a high performance fully synthetic engine oil
Nobody on the thread corrected the error in post#10. If they actually read post#9 they would see that it was semi-synthetic oil that was defined as containing base conventional oil. It clearly stated Mobil 1 5W-30 as fully synthetic.
I read a little further, but lost interest when the error was accepted as fact with nobody correcting it.
There is no official definition of "fully synthetic." Many think an oil is fully synthetic ONLY if its base stock is derived from natural gas. They argue that any oil derived from liquid petroleum--no matter how modified and enriched with PAO--is NOT fully synthetic. It's all semantics and silly nonsense.
Still, there was a statement by Mobil followed by a claim that Mobil said something else. It reminds me of politics, where you watch and hear a speech, then you have the media trying to tell you that something entirely different was said. Sadly, the general public tends to believe the media version over what they heard with their own ears.
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All I really got out of that video was to change your oil regularly and not to run extended miles between them, especially if you drive mostly short trips. Duh…
Regarding super thin oils, I’ve always thought the primary driving force for these was the quest for improved fleet CAFE numbers. Years ago (Chevrolet & the Corvette come to mind) some automakers were caught using thin synthetics for the EPA’s CAFE test and then delivering cars with a thicker conventional oil fill. They got busted and were forced to fill new cars with the same oil they used for the CAFE test.
I've had a Corvette since 2011 and at least as far back as the introduction of the C6 in 2006, they always came with Mobil 1 as factory fill. I'd be really interested if you could find a link to an articlle about that controversy. I did a used oil analysis on my factory fill at about 700 miles after many full throttle runs to redline and the oil characteristics very clearly indicated that it did come with Mobil 1 5w-30 full synthetic, as it should have.
The Car Care Nut video showing the accrual of crystals in the oil ring of the piston fully convinced me. Oil changes always less than 10,000 mi. My 2017 Rav4 Lim will get an oil change by me in the next week when the temperature is better than the 90 deg we have now. That will be 9 months and 4,000 mi. And then I will do the oil and filter changes in march and September and that will keep me out of the winter weather in Cle, OH.
People should be aware that there are several different types of Mobil 1 oil with different additive packages and base oil formulations. The one most people use in 0w16 is the Advanced Fuel Economy (AFE). A much more robust version especially in 0w20 is the Extended Performance (EP). Whenever you buy Mobil 1 oil especially at Walmart be sure to check the rating on the label. The present new Mobil 1 is SP rated. Walmart and other places are dumping their old stock of the outdated SN, SN+ rated oil.
I saw this a while ago, and find it interesting to hear from a REAL engineer talking to a REAL engine builder for one of the major Japanese manufacturers, with his thoughts on oil change intervals, synthetic vs conventional, grades for various seasons, etc.
Many on these forums think the engines are designed for a VERY specific grade/weight, that is not true. The new GH hybrid, with the same 2.5 as the Rav4/Camry/Highlander/Venza hybrids now come with 0w8 as factory fill, and the owners manual has the same B.S. "you can use 0w16 in a pinch but MUST replace with 0w8 at next oil change" verbiage for CAFE reasons, but do you really think Toyota redesigned the ENTIRE engine to only work with a low viscosity oil?
Not going to tell anyone what OCI to use, or whether they should use 0w20 vs 0w16, but for anyone who works on their own vehicles and wants to keep them running well for as long as possible, this is solid information:
Many on these forums think the engines are designed for a VERY specific grade/weight, that is not true. The new GH hybrid, with the same 2.5 as the Rav4/Camry/Highlander/Venza hybrids now come with 0w8 as factory fill, and the owners manual has the same B.S. "you can use 0w16 in a pinch but MUST replace with 0w8 at next oil change" verbiage for CAFE reasons, but do you really think Toyota redesigned the ENTIRE engine to only work with a low viscosity oil?
Not going to tell anyone what OCI to use, or whether they should use 0w20 vs 0w16, but for anyone who works on their own vehicles and wants to keep them running well for as long as possible, this is solid information:
A fellow engineer here at work swears by Mobile 1. At a previous job, him and his team performed an engine run marathon for 2 weeks and analized each oil after and Mobil 1 had the least levels of breakdown. Disclaimer: This test was for small engines (generators, compressors, power washers).
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