Go Back   Scion XD Forum > xD Modification > Engine/Performance

Engine/Performance All things engine and performance.


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 09-13-2009, 10:20 PM   #1
mcbrew
Senior Member
Full Access Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Annapolis, MD
Name: Jesse
Age: 48
Posts: 130
Default Engine Oil Analysis
Just sent my first xD sample to Blackstone Labs. My 2009 xD had about 17,800 on it at the time, and the oil & filter had about 7,750 miles. As you can see on the form, I was using Mobil-1 0w20 oil. When I change the oil at 20,000 miles, I'll be switching to Red Line 0w20.

By the way, almost 10% of the miles on this OCI (oil change interval) were towing a cargo trailer.



So, to sum it up, my oil at 7,750 miles was in the same condition as most people's oil at 3,700 miles. That's just compared to other cars with the 2ZF-RE engine. This makes two points: 1) Synthetic oil is good. 2) Towing a trailer does not put much stress on the engine.


__________________
-McBrew

Current car: 2011 Subaru Outback 2.5i Premium w/ Lineartronic CVT transmission. Steel Silver.

SOLD: 2009 Scion xD - BRM, 16" alloys, VSC, K&N drop-in air filter, Thule Aero roof bars, TRD sway bar, TRD short shift, TYC LED tails, Curt class-1 tow hitch, Italian leather shift & brake boots, Red Line MT-90 in the trans, Amsoil 0w20 in the engine, ATE SuperBlue Racing brake fluid.
mcbrew is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-14-2009, 10:22 AM   #2
 
TheLittleDeviant's Avatar
TheLittleDeviant
That Admin Guy
Full Access Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Clinton, MA
Name: Ted
Age: 41
Posts: 1,069
Default
Now this is quite interesting... the 2010 xD's will come with full synthetic oil... so I am wondering if scion can push the nominal scheduled maintenance forward too... We could be looking at getting oil changes and maintenance every 10,000 miles! that would be awesome!


Originally Posted by mcbrew View Post
Just sent my first xD sample to Blackstone Labs. My 2009 xD had about 17,800 on it at the time, and the oil & filter had about 7,750 miles. As you can see on the form, I was using Mobil-1 0w20 oil. When I change the oil at 20,000 miles, I'll be switching to Red Line 0w20.

By the way, almost 10% of the miles on this OCI (oil change interval) were towing a cargo trailer.



So, to sum it up, my oil at 7,750 miles was in the same condition as most people's oil at 3,700 miles. That's just compared to other cars with the 2ZF-RE engine. This makes two points: 1) Synthetic oil is good. 2) Towing a trailer does not put much stress on the engine.


__________________
|Custom Engine Covers|
vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv
Click here!
TheLittleDeviant is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-02-2009, 12:31 PM   #3
chingPO
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Name: chingXD
Age: 38
Posts: 17
Default
I read somewhere that with the newer cars and more advanced oils out there that it would be safe to change oil every 5K miles. Is that safe? what do you oher scion lovers do? do you still follow the 3months or 3k mile rule of thumb??
chingPO is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-02-2009, 12:45 PM   #4
 
xd_kidd's Avatar
xd_kidd
OG Member
Full Access Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: gaithersburg md
Name: chris
Age: 33
Posts: 616
Default
I would just aim at 2.5k for every oil change cause its easier to keep track of lol
xd_kidd is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-02-2009, 01:46 PM   #5
 
TheLittleDeviant's Avatar
TheLittleDeviant
That Admin Guy
Full Access Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Clinton, MA
Name: Ted
Age: 41
Posts: 1,069
Default
LOL^^^ cut it out Chris


Originally Posted by chingPO View Post
I read somewhere that with the newer cars and more advanced oils out there that it would be safe to change oil every 5K miles. Is that safe? what do you oher scion lovers do? do you still follow the 3months or 3k mile rule of thumb??
Scion's recommended oil change is at every 5,000 miles, check your manual it says it in there, I have never had my oil changed below 5,000... usually closer to 5,500 miles...

Changing the oil at every 3,000 miles is simply a waste of money, especially with the evidence that mcbrew posted... he is saying that at 7,750 miles, the oil is the same as it is at 3,700 miles, the only difference is that he is using a full synthetic oil where the standard oil used at dealerships is not a full synthetic...

I am about to jump on the full synthetic oil bandwagon and save myself some time and money inbetween oil changes...

I just want confirmation that the oil viscosity stays reasonable at around 10,000 miles and I will be a happy camper



McBrew I did have a question for you though, do you run with the oil change light on for the 2,750 mile difference? or are you resetting it? If so can you tell me how to reset it myself?


__________________
|Custom Engine Covers|
vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv
Click here!
TheLittleDeviant is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-02-2009, 02:30 PM   #6
 
xd_kidd's Avatar
xd_kidd
OG Member
Full Access Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: gaithersburg md
Name: chris
Age: 33
Posts: 616
Default
lol. I didnt read much from past messages but in that case I would change it every 5k. either way I only drive 20miles average. Its fun to have everything very convenient lol
as far as that maintenence light goes. I got mine on 5k and never reset it. I guess I got used to it lol
xd_kidd is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-02-2009, 02:51 PM   #7
 
bobolinko's Avatar
bobolinko
Member
Full Access Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Hawaii - Moved to Everett WA 2012
Name: Bob
Posts: 87
Default
[QUOTE= can you tell me how to reset it myself?[/QUOTE]


Put the meter unit on either Trip A or Trip B, (one will work, and the other won't) turn the key off, hold down the button and turn on the key.... it'll reset the Maint Req'd light.
bobolinko is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-02-2009, 03:01 PM   #8
 
TheLittleDeviant's Avatar
TheLittleDeviant
That Admin Guy
Full Access Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Clinton, MA
Name: Ted
Age: 41
Posts: 1,069
Default
Originally Posted by bobolinko View Post
Put the meter unit on either Trip A or Trip B, (one will work, and the other won't) turn the key off, hold down the button and turn on the key.... it'll reset the Maint Req'd light.
Excellent!!! thats what I wanted to know!


__________________
|Custom Engine Covers|
vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv
Click here!
TheLittleDeviant is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-02-2009, 09:14 PM   #9
mcbrew
Senior Member
Full Access Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Annapolis, MD
Name: Jesse
Age: 48
Posts: 130
Default
Yeah, that's the correct process... It is Trip-A that you want it on. The manual is wrong about that procedure.

For those keeping track, I'll be posting another analysis when I have 10k on the oil. I'm only at 1,500 miles on this OCI, so it'll be a few months yet.


__________________
-McBrew

Current car: 2011 Subaru Outback 2.5i Premium w/ Lineartronic CVT transmission. Steel Silver.

SOLD: 2009 Scion xD - BRM, 16" alloys, VSC, K&N drop-in air filter, Thule Aero roof bars, TRD sway bar, TRD short shift, TYC LED tails, Curt class-1 tow hitch, Italian leather shift & brake boots, Red Line MT-90 in the trans, Amsoil 0w20 in the engine, ATE SuperBlue Racing brake fluid.
mcbrew is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-05-2009, 07:59 AM   #10
 
TheLittleDeviant's Avatar
TheLittleDeviant
That Admin Guy
Full Access Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Clinton, MA
Name: Ted
Age: 41
Posts: 1,069
Default
Originally Posted by mcbrew View Post
Yeah, that's the correct process... It is Trip-A that you want it on. The manual is wrong about that procedure.

For those keeping track, I'll be posting another analysis when I have 10k on the oil. I'm only at 1,500 miles on this OCI, so it'll be a few months yet.
I am keeping track, I will probably get some royal purple and start running 10K OCI's myself...


__________________
|Custom Engine Covers|
vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv
Click here!
TheLittleDeviant is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-11-2010, 06:11 PM   #11
mcbrew
Senior Member
Full Access Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Annapolis, MD
Name: Jesse
Age: 48
Posts: 130
Default
Just got another oil analysis back from Blackstone. This one is at 28,500 miles on the xar, 10,000 miles on the oil. Oil was Red Line 0w20.



__________________
-McBrew

Current car: 2011 Subaru Outback 2.5i Premium w/ Lineartronic CVT transmission. Steel Silver.

SOLD: 2009 Scion xD - BRM, 16" alloys, VSC, K&N drop-in air filter, Thule Aero roof bars, TRD sway bar, TRD short shift, TYC LED tails, Curt class-1 tow hitch, Italian leather shift & brake boots, Red Line MT-90 in the trans, Amsoil 0w20 in the engine, ATE SuperBlue Racing brake fluid.
mcbrew is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-11-2010, 10:25 PM   #12
 
Cylon_xD's Avatar
Cylon_xD
OG Member
Full Access Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Amish Country Lancaster, PA
Name: Troy
Age: 62
Posts: 547
Default
I just switched to full synth oil on my last oil change, just 2 weeks ago, and my car was purring REALLY nice and smooth afterwards, it was a very noticable difference - although I did let my oil go for almost 10,000... since it's winter I had a shop do the oil change, they used Valvoline SynPower 5w30... with warmer weather (and less than the 3+ feet of snow on the ground we have right now!) I'll do the oil change myself, most likely with Royal Purple...


__________________
"The Cylons look like us now... they're not just frakkin' Toasters anymore..."
Cylon_xD is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-11-2010, 11:12 PM   #13
mcbrew
Senior Member
Full Access Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Annapolis, MD
Name: Jesse
Age: 48
Posts: 130
Default
Originally Posted by Cylon_xD View Post
I just switched to full synth oil on my last oil change...they used Valvoline SynPower 5w30.
Hmmmm... that oil is considered "full synthetic" in the United States but cannot be sold in most countries as such. I have heard good things about Royal Purple, but I don't know what kind of base stock they use.


__________________
-McBrew

Current car: 2011 Subaru Outback 2.5i Premium w/ Lineartronic CVT transmission. Steel Silver.

SOLD: 2009 Scion xD - BRM, 16" alloys, VSC, K&N drop-in air filter, Thule Aero roof bars, TRD sway bar, TRD short shift, TYC LED tails, Curt class-1 tow hitch, Italian leather shift & brake boots, Red Line MT-90 in the trans, Amsoil 0w20 in the engine, ATE SuperBlue Racing brake fluid.
mcbrew is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-12-2010, 12:13 AM   #14
CXTKRS1
Super Moderator
Super Mod
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Louisiana
Name: Chris
Age: 38
Posts: 637
Default
Cool, I have one oil change left at the dealer..after that I will either be switching to redline 0w-20 or Royal Purple 5w-20.
CXTKRS1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-12-2010, 08:45 AM   #15
 
TheLittleDeviant's Avatar
TheLittleDeviant
That Admin Guy
Full Access Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Clinton, MA
Name: Ted
Age: 41
Posts: 1,069
Default
Redline 0w-20 is the way to go.


__________________
|Custom Engine Covers|
vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv
Click here!
TheLittleDeviant is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-12-2010, 07:49 PM   #16
 
Cylon_xD's Avatar
Cylon_xD
OG Member
Full Access Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Amish Country Lancaster, PA
Name: Troy
Age: 62
Posts: 547
Default
Wow, what a difference an oil change makes - I switched to full synthetic oil about 6 weeks ago, and actually added 3-4 MPG to my mileage... My daily commute is about 50 miles round trip, 40% highway at 70mph, and 60% local roads at 30-50 mph; I had been getting 26 or 27 MPG calculated using the regular oil, but now with the Valvoline SynPower, the last 4 or 5 tank fulls I've been getting between 30 and 31 MPG calculated. And to help verify the gains, my MPG Calculator on the Odo never went above 29 using the regular oil, but now it's been hanging in the 31.8 to 32.9 range... nothing else has changed on the car except the synthetic oil, so I guess the lesser friction really does help the engine... maybe with Royal purple or Redline I could eek out another mpg or so yet, heheh...

And now, because of my recent stay in the hospital, I'm on a strict doctor-ordered diet, and I am required to lose a lot of weight - I can't wait to see what my MPG will be after I lose 100+ pounds, I'll let you know in about 2 years, LOL! Perhaps I could even achieve the same kind of MPG as McBrew gets, Hahahaha!!


__________________
"The Cylons look like us now... they're not just frakkin' Toasters anymore..."
Cylon_xD is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-13-2010, 04:12 PM   #17
JJGeneral1
Senior Member
Full Access Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Name: Joe
Age: 40
Posts: 248
Default
i just got a flyer in the mail, updating me about my 2010 xd and scion. supposedly starting with the 2010's and up, they are going to be using synthetic 0w-20 in their cars. using this oil increases the intervals from 5,000 miles/6 months to 10,000 miles/1 year.

woo-hoo for us!!!
JJGeneral1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-14-2010, 12:35 PM   #18
 
Cylon_xD's Avatar
Cylon_xD
OG Member
Full Access Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Amish Country Lancaster, PA
Name: Troy
Age: 62
Posts: 547
Default
not really any savings dollar-wise, half as many oil changes but costs at least twice as much for the oil change... but definitely better for the engine!


__________________
"The Cylons look like us now... they're not just frakkin' Toasters anymore..."
Cylon_xD is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-14-2010, 02:52 PM   #19
 
xd_kidd's Avatar
xd_kidd
OG Member
Full Access Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: gaithersburg md
Name: chris
Age: 33
Posts: 616
Default
Royal purple is kinda pricier but not a bad investment. Im running r.p for the second time (last change was about 200 miles ago. I cant give good mpg due to my driving style. I recommend it though
xd_kidd is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-02-2010, 07:27 AM   #20
HeavyB
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2010
Name: HeavyB
Age: 37
Posts: 8
Default
so full synthetic is the way to go?
HeavyB is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump