Engine Oil And Increased Performance

alank22181 · October 27, 2004

Since someone else started the discussion thread about engine oils, I thought I might gain some insight from the group on a related question.

I have just reached my 5000 mile mark with my ES 330 and am delighted with the performance of the car- my average highway mileage is now over 27mpg, and city/highway combined is 22 mpg. :)

Is there any additional improvement in MPG if I was to change to any of the synthetics? If so, what could I expect?

Some Background Info: When I owned Subaru Legacy wagons throughout the 1990's, and lived in Vermont, I found a large difference when I switched to Mobil One. Not only did I find a big jump in MPG but the engine performance increased as well.

This is my FIRST Lexus and I don't have much experience yet- having owned the car for just 5 months. Its use is limited to weekend family outings, and rarely ever used in stop and go city traffic. I do experience my share of Interstate gridlock and about 35% of my driving involves this type of slow- and-go typical of the Washington Metro region.

Any advice would be welcome!

lexusk8 · October 27, 2004

When I switched to Mobil-1 10W-30 SuperSyn several months ago, I did not notice nor expect any improvement to performance, but I did see a more consistent and slightly better fuel economy (MPG).

I do mostly town-to-town driving where the avg speed is 35-45 mph, and I have gotten avg fuel mileage of 24-25 MPG on my '01 ES. I can probably easily get 27-28 MPG if I do 80-90% highway driving. When I was running conventional oil before the switch, I was getting about 1 MPG less than the present. My driving habits and A/C use have not changed, and I don't keep a lead foot while driving.