Anyone else use xW20 oil in their 05 or earlier Vibe?

[21Rouge]

Our 05 Vibe generally experiences short tripping (less than 2 miles to the train station in the morning, parked all day then return home at night). Of course OEM 5W30 is (more than) good enough but I still wanted thinner (especially helpful in the winter) so last week as part of the oil change I replaced the oil with Toyota's own 0W20. I know many of you use the 0/5W20 for your 06 and beyond MY but who else besides me uses it for 03 to 05 in the 1ZZFE engine?

[stagwag86]

I use Royal Purple 5W-20 in my '05 1ZZFE. Been using it for 70K miles without any issues (that I know of).

[21Rouge]

Good to see stagwag. Just curious as to why you switched to a 5W20?

[stagwag86]

I wanted to see if I would get better gas mileage, and I wanted better cold-weather starting. I use the 5W-20 because of what I read in the below TSB:http://www.chrysanindustries.c...2.pdf

[21Rouge]

Quote, originally posted by stagwag86 »I use the 5W-20 because of what I read in the below TSB:Except this backspec is for 06 1ZZFE and newer. That's what makes it a bit interesting using xW20 for our 05.

[stagwag86]

True, I did notice that. But I can't say I've been too worried about it since I haven't had any unusual engine noises or smoke from the tailpipe. I would doubt there was a significant change from the 05 to 06 1ZZ-FE in tolerances and in how the engine manages oil, but it's a risk I was willing to take and only time will tell about it's durability. The TSB specifically says in the table that the 0W-20 starts in the 2006 MY, but isn't clear to me that 5W-20 should not be used in 1ZZ-FE engines before 2006.

[jasonvibe]

Please do not believe all the bulletins you read from Toyota. This one...It's propaganda at best. Yes, 5w20 and 0w20 better cold starting but that's it. Infact any mechanic knows a 0w20 cannot protect like a 5w30 in hot weather. It essential gets so thin...it's water. I suggest the 0w30 from Mobil 1. A 5w20 is also fine for the Winter. But changing oil for gas mileage...is not the best reason. You want you engine to last a long time...I hope. The reason for the thinner oils NOW it's to easier meet emissions testing.

[21Rouge]

Quote, originally posted by jasonvibe »Yes, 5w20 and 0w20 better cold starting And that is important.Quote, originally posted by jasonvibe »In fact any mechanic knows a 0w20 cannot protect like a 5w30 in hot weather. On the contrary, Actually most mechanics know very little re PCMO...beyond what may be the OEM for a car.XW20 has been OEM oil for many car for many years (Ford and Toyota comes to mind). You read/hear lots of reports of such engines exploding or imploding? For an oil you want it as thin as possible and only as thick as necessary.

[star_deceiver]

Quote, originally posted by jasonvibe »any mechanic knows a 0w20 cannot protect like a 5w30 in hot weather. I don't know... This isn't a old chev 350 that you can run bacon grease in and it'll never die... lol!!! Now check the part numbers on crankshaft main bearings, rod bearings, and the specified clearances between said components between 05 engines and 06 engines. Is there any diffrence???

[Whelan]

I've used nothign but Castrol GTX 5W30 since day one with my 05 AWD XR and at 117,000 miles strong.I still get an average of 28-30mpg in an AWD.