Couple Questions

[skeemer]

1. I'm coming up on my first oil change since I bought my car, probably in the next two weeks, and I've been thinking about switching to synthetic. Can anyone tell me their experiences with synthetic? pros/cons, and any recommendations of brands? I figured probably Mobile One, but I dunno much about oils.

2. I'm desparate to improve my fuel economy. I'll be changing my air filter to K&N next month, after my tuition is paid :( A friend recommended one of those fuel system cleaners that you squirt in your gas tank with a fillup. I figured this can't do any harm, and they arent that expensive. Any recommendations of brands?

3. I know the camry's counterpart is the es, and i figured the avalon's counterpart is the ls, but is there a toyota matchup to the gs, sc, and is? Were the supra and sc same car before supra was discontinued?

[steviej]

1. yes, by all means go to synthetic. Been using Mobil 1 for 6 years now. Not one problem.

con:

-It does run $4-5/qt.

pros:

-changing interval goes from 3k to 5k miles so less oil changes overall

-synthetics may increase your mpg and improve your engine performance due to less friction.

-major help in cold weather startups. Synthetic oil remains more liquid at lower temperatures. (major selling point for me in the winter being in New England).

2. K&n may help. If did increase my mpg in an '02 by 3mpg.

Throw a bottle of Cheveron w/Techron synthetic formula in the gas tank (instructions on bottle) at every other oil change. It can only help.

***Don't use any of those snake oils like ProLong, ZMax, etc.***

3. I do not think the Avalon is a counterpart to the LS in any other way except it is the flagship of the sedan lineup for Toyota.

I think the Avalon chassis is closer to that of the GS, but the Avalon shares the 3.0L V6 with the ES. Both Avalon and ES are FWD, so they share those components as well.

For other models,

the RX is similar to the Highlander

the GX is similar to the 4 Runner

the LX is similar to the Land Cruiser

steviej

[SW03ES]

The Avalon is more the counterpart to the ES than the LS, or the GS. Its on a streched Camry/ES/RX/Higlander frame, FWD V6. The LS is on the Toyota Celsior/Soarer platform, and is RWD and a V8, the LS and the Avalon have nothing in common except that they're both built by Toyota.

See, in Japan there is no Lexus, but all the Lexus models are sold, as luxury cars under the Toyota name. They look identical, they're just Toyotas.

The LS is the Celsior, looks the same except the badges

The ES is the Windom, sold right alongside the Camry. The ES is also only 20% Camry by the way.

The GS is the Aristo, which is its own RWD platform sharing no components with the Camry based Avalon.

The SC is the Soarer. In iterations past the frame and suspension have been shared with the LS/Celsior, but not any more I don't think.

The RX is the Harrier

The GX is the Land Cruiser Prado, or our Toyota 4Runner

The LX is some other super version of the Land Cruiser in Japan, or our Land Cruiser. Soon Toyota will completely drop that version of the Land Cruiser, and the LX will be based off the Toyota Sequoia.

The IS is the Toyota Altezza.

So the next time someone tells ya "That Lexus is just a rebadged Toyota" you'll have the ammo to say "Not one you can buy unless you live in Japan".

Soon Toyota will be unveiling Lexus in Japan, then the naysayers will have no ammo at all. It'll be a "Lexus" everywhere.

[skeemer]

Do regular oil filters work for synthetic oil or do I need a special (ie more expensive) filter? Also, will I need to pay for a full flush the first time I get it filled with synthetic?

And I had figured the ls/avalon were the same body cuz they look about the same size and body shape (more vertical and rectangular headlights in 90s models, and they had more of a Benz sedan shape).

[SW03ES]

Nope, nothin shared between the LS and the Avalon. Interestingly enough, when comparing the 98-00 LS with the Avalon, the LS is bigger on the outside, but the Avalon on the inside. The 430 is bigger in all respects.

As for the oil filter, generally the Toyota/Lexus filter is about the best one out there, doesn't make a difference. The oil filter is somewhere you dont want to pinch pennies, its actually more important than the oil. It traps all the particulates and such and keeps them from being pumped back into the engine when the car is started.

Personally, I would have the engine flushed. I think this is good maintenance every 50k or so anyway.

[bbsal]

just had mine flushed a couple weeks ago and i would say to difenitly get it done.if you look at your oil after 1 week of getting a oil change it starts to look darker.after i got the engine super flushed it still shows no sighn of getting darker and its been over 2 weeks maybe longer!

[SW03ES]

Oh yeah. There's always at least half a quart of oil that doesn't drain when you have it changed. On some engines even more. The flush gets rid of that sludge.