Hey guys. I'm up for my first 1K service in a couple of weeks, and was wondering about switching from the standard oil to synthetic. I know that the Synthetic last longer between changes, but I don't drive that many miles to begin with so that's not really a concern.

Any opinions on switching the standard oil out for synthetic?

If you like synthetic, any preference on brand and weight?

Thanks!

Went with the synthetic (Mobil 1) at the 1k oil change. Will run it for the life of the car. Have run synthetic for the last 10 years without any engine problems. Have put as many as 140k on these vehicles.

make the switch it's well worth it!!

But Andy, when I brought my IS F in a couple weeks ago for the 5k service, the dealer was pretty convinced that the natural oil Lexus apparently recommends is what should go in it.

Is the difference between natural and synthetic really that great if I'm not going to track the car more than (maybe) once between now and 10k miles?

Thanks for any input on this.

make the switch it's well worth it!!

I have to concur what rushnut says, my dealer (Lexus Orlando) said that they put regular oil in it so it would come in for service more often and they could check out the rest of the car at the same time it was in for oil.

I am skeptical at this statement since the reality is that they get paid each time I come if for oil, so the more I come in the more coin they take in. :)

What's the recommended weight? I may just pick up a case of synthetic and pay for it myself rather than paying dealer prices. (No offense Andy) :cool:

The LS460 which has 4.6 liter engine that the IS-F motor is based off of runs full synthetic. I believe the the LS and IS-F weight of oil is 5w20. I'll double check when I get in today.

Running synthetic will allowyou to go longer between oil changes becuase the synthtic oil does not break down as quickly as the normal oil.

Rushnut, I'm not offended if you don't want to get the oil from your local dealer, but youmight be suprised, dealer prices on things like that usually are not too bad at all. Sometimes they are even the same price... Just check it out.

What brand of Synthetic would you use? Mobil 1, Royal Purple, etc.?

I've heard people talking about how good Royal Purple is, anyone use it before?

I use Mobil 1 oil, and Royal Purple in the trans and rear end of the mustang.

I use Mobil 1 oil, and Royal Purple in the trans and rear end of the mustang.

Which one do you like better?

Royal Purple is great for the rear end and trans. I haven't tried the motor oil yet. Just been a fan of the Mobil 1 for that for a long time....

I will say this in "ALL HONESTY" as long as you change the oil and keep up with the maintenance of the vehicle at the dealership, everything will be fine. I didn't take my car in for the 1k service because all they do is check the tires and make sure everything's ok,I dont drive my car regularly so there's no need.It's just another way for the dealer to make money, use the Lexus brand of oil which is a synthetic blend or ask for a full synthetic of your choice.Trust me I work for Lexus and all that's necessary is the scheduled maintenance!! Go with FULL synthetic for this engine my opinion-- Mobil 1, Castrol or even better Q High performance synthetic for high performance engines!!!

I use Mobil 1 oil, and Royal Purple in the trans and rear end of the mustang.

I am looking online, but can't find the oil specs.

Will a case of 6 quarts be enough?

10W-30 be OK?

I am looking online, but can't find the oil specs.

Will a case of 6 quarts be enough?

10W-30 be OK?

I thought i read somewhere that it's more like 10 quarts?

You definately need more than 6 qts. I know the engine takes at least 9 qts so you might want to buy 10 just in case.

I am looking online, but can't find the oil specs.

Will a case of 6 quarts be enough?

10W-30 be OK?

The oil capacity is located in your owners manual. 9.7 or 9.8 quarts if I recall correctly.

I look at it this way. If Synthetic was really required for the IS-F, wouldn't you think Lexus would recommend it off the bat and fill all the motors from the factory? Lexus has spent millions of dollars to engineer this motor for maximum efficiency and performance using conventional multi weight motor oil. Stick with a high quality oil and change it regularly, and you'll never have a problem. Factory recommends 5k intervals for oil changes. I've had several Lexus and Toyota vehicles in the past that have run well over 100k with no breakdowns or oil leaks from the valve cover seals all using a good motor oil. My favorite is Castrol GTX. 5w-30 is recommended but 5w-20 can be used as well. All the info can be found in the owners manual. :D

Andy,

I have no problem with getting synth. oil at the dealer...I think you may have mixed my post up with ChrisH's. I was just wondering if the dealer in my area might not really be giving me the best oil for this beast, or whether, if Lexus is putting this oil in at the first service, it really matters that much.

Thanks for the feedback!

Yea i changed my oil over myself, when i hit 1k...i bought ams oil one of the best fully synthetic oils on the market. i love it. Dont get me wrong mobil 1 is awsome but i think i like ams oil better. a case of 12 quarts ran me $100. and it took 9.8 approx. and you should run 5w30.

Well, I got the oil changed over the weekend with some Mobil 1 5w-30 i bought at Sams club. At first the service manager tried to talk me out of it, but I was persistent. I also had them flush the brake fluid and change it out for Super Blue racing fluid.

Cost me about $275 for the labor since the brake flush took almost 2 hours.

"Formerly a BMW fanatic, now the proud owner of a 2008 Ultrasonic Blue IS-F " --CHRISH

YEAH!!! :) I love the way it growls when pushed above 3600 rpms!! :D

i unpluged mine it growls a lil more

My opinion is that tight tolernace motors should be broken in on conventional oil and run on synthetic thereafter. I have two motors that have run great on this philosphy and I have torn one down entirely.

Amsoil is what I use because it is the only oil I can run 1 yr/25K miles and a filter to match. Oil anaysis to prove it, I can post it up. I have also net 2-3 mpg increase using it in the past on the IS. and that was not a viscosity trick, it was full 20W50 Race weight oil.

The EPA makes life miserable for auto manufacturers....it is our job to keep it real ;)

Fig

Fig....

Please post your oil analysis for Amsoil...I am interested.

Thanks,

old$parts

Fig....

Please post your oil analysis for Amsoil...I am interested.

Thanks,

old$parts

let me scan em and I 'll post em up. One at 21K on the 2JZ and one at 28K on the 2UZ in the 4runner.

one thing to add....once you go synth you have to stay with it!

Fig, Im getting amsoil synthetic to put in my car but you said you ran 20w50 in your car? isnt it supposed to be 5w30?
Im just kinda confused as to what i should use.
Im definitely going to use amsoil because im sponsored by them but im not sure what kind to get

OK it took me forever to realise they emailed the reports...so I did not have them on file.
I have them in PDF is anyone is interested too big to attach.

Fig, Im getting amsoil synthetic to put in my car but you said you ran 20w50 in your car? isnt it supposed to be 5w30?
Im just kinda confused as to what i should use.
Im definitely going to use amsoil because im sponsored by them but im not sure what kind to get

I think a car with tight tolerances run the signature series 0w30. I ran the 20W50 because I was planning on boosting again and I also ran it pretty high RPM most of the time.

fig im always running high rpm too and beating up on it my oils ok that i have

Has anyone thought of running Redline syn. oil? Or is running this brand of oil?

I have run redline before, its a good product as well. I just think its a bit more boutique, and not worth the additional money as such. Hard to find in my parts.

Hey Fig,

Did you ever use Redline MT 90 in your F tranny？

What part of CO do you live in?

no never used their tranny fluid. Not sure the fluid type for the F but the gen one had a type that took a while for them(amsoil) to test and get a cross. I would assue redline does not have as many resources to test these things.
I signed up for a 5 year Amsoil dealership, so that is what I will use. Very happy with it and the donaldson syn filters they OEM are great as well.

Fig

hey fig i got the filter and oil now your saying to use a dealer oil filter?
and i put the air filter in and with the plug to the intake disconected sounds great heheheheh thanks again

After how many miles or oil changes do you recommend before running synthetic Fig?

to be honest, I am going to just go the 1 yr/25K sevice interval as reccomended by amsoil...which is around 20K miles for me.

Jack, yeah just go get the filter from the dealer and change the oil filter every 6K. Top off each time with the remaining oil.

Fig

Anyone here use Eneos Synthetic?

ok thanks again oooo and I really hear a differnce from the filter plus just my back cats are off it's just rite but I think I wanna order oil and filter from u fora 2008 BMW 550i u have and I'm taken aroad trip to Florida with the F

I have heard about the Eneos recently but have not seen any reports. Its Japanese right?

Yeah it is Japanese. I have had a few friends who have switched over to Eneos from Mobil 1, Amsoil and some others and have gotten good results with fuel economy. Interested to see who else here has tried it.

http://www.eneos.us/

hmm the moly modifiers are intriguing . Not too many viscosities or recommendations on service intervals. How much is this stuff a quart Ryan?

I'm a synthetic fan with my BMW and now with the F.

I'm a synthetic fan with my BMW and now with the F.

What kind did you decide to go with?


Next time I change my oil I'm probably going with Amsoil or Mobil 1 :cool:

At my first oil change I had the dealer use Mobil 1. Since the first oil change was free I only paid the difference in the cost of Mobil 1 vs the minerial oil they typically use.

Pat

hmm the moly modifiers are intriguing . Not too many viscosities or recommendations on service intervals. How much is this stuff a quart Ryan?

Damn, sorry for getting back to you on this late. Rougly $10/quart.

What kind did you decide to go with?


Next time I change my oil I'm probably going with Amsoil or Mobil 1 :cool:

Castrol in the BMW
M1 in the F

^^Awesome, thanks!

I would imagine ISFChamp would know the answer to this question...If I paid for prepaid maintenance up front in my contract can I pay the difference for synthetic each oil change? I usually change my synthetic every 5k miles besides 10k anyway so this follows Lexus' time pattern for oil changes. Thanks

I went with Royal Purple in the motor ,transmission and rear end. I look at it this way in can't hurt to have some extra protection.

I am going with 0w30 sig series for the first oil change coming up. Also changing out the rear diff for good measure. I hope donaldson comes up with a 25K filter here pretty soon.

Fig

Anyone here use Eneos Synthetic?
Dude Eneos is the company that makes all toyota and lexus brand oils. So your pretty much getting the same thing as the dealer will give you

I got a question when you guys buy your F do you know what type and brand of oil is used? And another is would it be a good idea to drain out all the oil and put in some Amsoil after you've purchase your F?

5w-30 comes from the factory. Eneos is the OE oil supplier for Toyota in Japan. It is conventional oil that is put into every Toyota/Lexus from all the factories. 5w-20 is an acceptable oil weight for the IS F.

Dude Eneos is the company that makes all toyota and lexus brand oils. So your pretty much getting the same thing as the dealer will give you

Yup that is correct, BUT the oil that dealerships use at your local dealership will vary. I know for a fact Longo Lexus and Toyota uses Mobil oil lubricants. Conventional is mainly used, but synthentic Mobil1 can be utilized by request. Some other dealers my way use Castrol. It all depends on the dealer and who their contracted oil supplier is.

Just got mine changed to full synthetic...LuBro Moly...Changed it at 1500miles and it seems to be running much smoother

Hey guys I was wondering which oil filters did you guys get/use? I brought 10 qts to the dealership and had them do it but I couldn't find a filter for it so I asked the service dpt to use the filter that they use. The store where I got my Amsoil from told me that the filter uses the cartridge type not the canister, can anyone provide some insight plz. TY in advance.

Just got mine changed to full synthetic...LuBro Moly...Changed it at 1500miles and it seems to be running much smoother

I just wanted to ask... Is there a reason why you changed your oil at 1500 because what I know is that it has to be changed every 5000 miles. This is what the maintenance booklet suggests. I have over 1800 miles on my F and I hope im not late on the oil change.

Your not to late and some people do it just because. Since the Lexus already has semi syn it is ok to do but whenever switching from regular oil to synthetic you should always break the car in with at least 5k miles before you switch.

so basically we're good to go if we were to change from regular to synthetic... I think I'm gonna change oil at intervals of 3125 miles which is equivalent to 5000 Kms and what we do to our other toyota lexus cars...

5,000 mile service intervals are what we use here in the United States. You will be fine with 5k oil changes.

Are you sure you should change your oil out that early? I heard from alot of ppl that the Manufactures put in a special break in oil to help the engine break in better and dont recommend changing your first oil till 5000 miles.. Im at 1100 miles so far so correct me if Im wrong.

Correct me if I'm wrong but aren't oils now made MUCH better than they once were?

And although the old school 3000 mile oil change has since been replaced to a 5000 mile change,wouldn't a UOA have the last word on the truth about what would be a better practice?

I ask because my diesel shop says i should be changing my 12 qts. of oil every 7500 miles(on my truck) but ATM i have had two UOA at 10,000 and 20,000 miles and the oil still does not need replacing.:confused:

I'm wondering just how much the whole industry is responsible for the standardized replacement of engine oil at a premature rate?

I know It's better safe than sorry but at $100 or more for a synthetic change and at $20 for a UOA...well you know:rolleyes:

Has anyone done these tests on this motor and if so what were the results?

Guys - Just a few comments from someone who works for a major oil company...

I use synthetic in all our vehicles and change them at the recommended interval. For me, synth is just cheap insurance and provides me with peace of mind as it allows for much better cold-temp start-up - very important here in Canada.

Someone commented that once you switched to synthetic, you needed to stick with it. This isn't the case, you can go back and forth without issues. When synthetics first came to market there were issues with compatibility with some other oils and switching back and forth wasn't recommended, but that's no longer true.

As for oil change intervals, you can usually safely extend drain intervals with sythetics substantially longer than the recommended change interval. Used oil analysis becomes important here just in case you pick up some contaminants in the fuel as they can quickly affect its performance. If you're still under warranty its wise to follow the owners manual so no one can claim neglect if something goes wrong.

With regards to the synthetic vs. conventional debate, the truth is that ensuring you've got the right API spec and viscosity is much more important than conventional vs. synth. as a good quality conventional oil will handle anything an engine will throw at it. Synthetics do perform much better at extreme high or low temps. However, a covnentional will handle the heat that just about any engine will experience, but synthetics far outperform at cold temperatures.

In summary, synthetic is usually unnecessary unless you're in a very cold climate, but is cheap insurance in my mind.

Thanks for the clarification... now my major problem is the choice of viscosity living in a country where in the summer a daily 120 to 125 F can be expected for at least 2 months. As a person working for an oil company, what do you recommed for me. I was recommended 5W40 by some guys on the forum.

OK, so your ambient temperatures get very hot, but how does this affect your engine temps? That's what really matters. Does your temperature gauge show the engine running hot?
It doesn't sound like you want a higher viscosity (i.e. thicker) oil. It just sounds like you want something that will stand up to what could be hotter temps. If it were me, I'd stick with the recommended viscosity and just use a full synthetic oil.

I will repeat my previous stance.
I have done UOA on both 22K oil and even an extreme case of 28K on oil in my wifes 2UZ and at 22K the TBU of the OIL was still good at 28K it was significantly gone however there were no increased signs of metal present so there was no wear that occurred.
I still suggest Amsoil at a 25K or 1year service interval. $100-$120 a year does not seem like a significant.

Fig

So since i drive only 7K a year and here in So. Cal. it don't get cold at all dino oil and a Amsoil filter look like the best pair?

Amsoil ftw

its a simple process which you can find on several websites easily and replaced.

We run Amsoil in all of our cars. I would recommend it to anyone! Only thing I wouldn't do is go 25k on a change if you are driving the car hard.. Min every 10k but I just do the 5-6k oil change. One time I actually went 34,000 miles on one change in my civic beater!

AMSOIL FTW X2