Volkswagen Jetta vs. Toyota Corolla ??

[billt]

Yes, they are. But they don't schedule oil changes until 10,000 miles. I never go that long. I don't drive that much, so it would take me forever before I got to 10K. So I just do it myself twice a year.

[Timothy]

This new oil piqued my interest and curiosity and the more I read about it the more I'm convinced it's driven by the governments and not the engineers.  They state that Japan has used this new oil for twenty years with better mileage numbers and "no appreciable" damage to internal combustion parts.  The problem I have with that is that the average Japanese driver only drives about 5000 miles a year compared to our average of well over 12,000 annually.  Are the Japanese really seeing engine damage when they're trading up every 5-7 years on average?  Pretty low mileage numbers...

Not all auto makers are converting as of yet with only the Asians moving in that direction.  I probably won't ever see a vehicle that would require a 0W oil in my lifetime unless I buy another vehicle from Asia, which is unlikely.  Both my Fords use 5W-20 and as stated earlier, I use synthetic in both and can't go back now.  It's costly but I drive most of my cars near 200K before I start needing to worry about engine wear!

Bill, I'd be delighted if your new ride hits that 39 MPG highway number because my auto doesn't come close to it's rated mileage.  Of course, it's a turbo and quick as hell and I have a remote starter that saps the computer numbers on MPG....  Mathematically, I saw near 35 on a cross country trip a few years back but normally it's down around 25-28...

[TAB]

Here is the deal, lighter Oil more power and more effienct, that is the main reason why.  Also don't forget that most the places that use too have barrings(main cams)  no longer do, just raw  al. That is it.  Personally I like my old cars/ trucks, I can work on those, I go 15k miles in my truck between oil changed, but then again  I have 23 quarts and it's diesel.

[Big Frank]

Does thicker oil cling to parts better, and thinner oil just run off?

Here's something else I've been thinking about. I saw a car commercial that shows if you go out of your lane the car automatically turns back into your lane. So if you try to swerve around something will it steer you right back into it?

[billt]

Does thicker oil cling to parts better, and thinner oil just run off?

It's more of a case of the newer engines being built to much closer tolerances. There is less room in between the moving parts. It requires a thinner oil under the same oil pressure to reach them. Especially during a cold start. Which is where most of engine wear takes place. It's harder and takes longer for thick oil to be pumped into smaller places.

Here's something else I've been thinking about. I saw a car commercial that shows if you go out of your lane the car automatically turns back into your lane. So if you try to swerve around something will it steer you right back into it?

No. The lane departure feature will sound an audible "beep" if you either drift out of your lane, or turn into a left turn lane at an intersection. The "beep" will be followed by a slight tug on the wheel that would place the vehicle back into it's lane should you be hands off. (Say if you fell asleep at the wheel). The "beep" is loud enough that it would wake you up. But the tug itself is not strong enough to override your hand or hands.

It's an annoyance in traffic around town, or on a crowded freeway. And you can turn it off by pressing a button on the steering wheel. I leave it off for normal driving. It also has collision avoidance that consists of radar that is linked to the cars computer. It constantly computes your vehicles speed,  along with it's distance from the car ahead of you. I also read it takes into account wet roads by knowing if the wipers are on. Depending on the closing rate, it will automatically apply the brakes. This also works with the cruise control. It will slow down in order to maintain a safe interval between you and the car in front of you. It's really nice, and it keeps you from having to tap the brakes to get out of cruise. It is constantly adjusting for you. And when there is no vehicle in front of you, the speed will increase to whatever you had it set at.

This feature is "On" all the time. I have not tested it, and don't plan to. In another 10 years when more of these type of cars are on the road, it's going to cut down on rush hour rear end collisions big time. When people are yacking on their phones, putting on makeup, or drinking coffee. You're going to see them on all cars in the not too distant future. Especially as the technology gets cheaper.

I'm really amazed at this new Toyota. It's a beautiful car, and I'm glad I bought it. It drives and handles like a dream. And it's unbelievably fast and powerful for a non turbo 4-cylinder. (203 H.P.) To give you an example, my 1991 Mustang LX 5.0 V-8 was 235 H.P. And this new Toyota has an 8-speed transmission, as opposed to the Mustang's 4-speed automatic overdrive. That more than makes up for the 32 less horsepower. Not to mention the weight difference of a Aluminum 4-cylinder compared to a cast iron block V-8. Cars have come a long way since I bought my 1991 F-150...... Which I still have by the way.

[Sponsor]

[les snyder]

comment on synthetic oil temperature... I had a 2003 Harley 1200R Sportster in which I used Mobil 1 fully synthetic after the break in period... after a 70+ mile ride back from Ruskin, at 90F air temp with an air cooled V twin, the oil temp was barely 165F....

I run Mobil 1 in my John Deere 

[billt]

My 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee has both an engine oil temperature gauge, and a transmission oil temperature gauge. The absolute hottest I ever saw the engine oil was 234F on the gauge. And that occurred while driving 75 MPH on I-40 from Laughlin, Nevada to Lake Havasu City, Arizona. Last June when the outside air temperature was 116F on the instrument panel.

The hottest the oil gets around town with an outside air temp in the mid 40's to low 50's in the morning this time of year, is right around 203F. So from one extreme to the other I'm only seeing a temperature difference of 31F. Not nearly enough to start jumping up and down about how running thinner oil is going to be detrimental to an engine.
 

[Big Frank]

I just read what Consumer Reports said about Lane Keeping Assist. "When using LKA, we’ve found that giving a wide berth to a cyclist or pedestrian may cause the system to steer the car back toward the curb, scaring everyone involved." They also said it hasn't been proven to prevent accidents. It's one step closer to making a self-driving car, like the one that just killed a woman yesterday. It looks like it was speeding at the time.

[Timothy]

Assisted driving I won’t use, period!

I build machines, I’ll never trust one!

[billt]

Like I said, the only use I can see for it is if you're driving on long stretches of Interstate. It could save the day if you dozed off. But if you feel like you're going to doze off, you shouldn't be driving anyway. I've driven tired many times in almost 50 years of driving. And I never once fell asleep.