Hey all...looking for any input. I'm considering swithcing to this oil at my next change interval which will be 130,000mi. I have a '97 SR5. I've never been a big fan of adding various kinds of "gunk" to my cars whether it's oil additives, tranny conditioners, etc. However, I've been hearing a lot of talk lately about the benefits of these types of "higher-mileage" lubricants and admittedly I'm now very intrigued. My Dad knows a Valvoline rep pretty well and he swears by this stuff (I know, grain of salt) but he's a good friend and is well trusted. Anyone have the low-down on whether it'd be worth a try or not? The cost is not a concern, just whether it would actually be better for my engine in the long run. I'd like to see 250k out of my T4R realistically. Any thoughts?
MDB

"Bound to cover just a little more ground"

 

first off, welcome to the forum, and i'll let you in on a tip, the search button is your new best friend and worst enemy rolled into one.

well, if you don't use 'max life' you should have no problem getting 250k out of your yota engine... if you do, might, might not.. dunno about the stuff. most people here will tell you to switch to synthetic. i know a guy that uses castrol's high mileage stuff, says he gets better oil pressure with it, whether thats a good or a bad thing, i don't know. im happy with my current dino oil.

also, do a quick search, might be able to get some more answers about that particular oil.

https://www.yotatech.com/forums/show...oline+max+life

 

I use Valvoline Maxlife in all 4 of our families vehicles along with Lucas Heavy Duty Oil Stabilizer. All the Vechicles are well over 100K and still run wonderfully. My father has an FJ80, which leaked oil until we put max life and lucas in it. Lucas Products are the highest quality in everything they make, I use there PSF, and the oil stabilizer in my Tranny, trans. case, and diffs. As for synthetic oil...it is significantly less dense...or thinner if you will and can leak through seals that regular oil would not. I was advised by several mechanics not to use it in older cars. I use maxlife 20w-50 in the summer (as recommended) and 10-40 in the winter here....This could be different depending on your climate.

 

re: Lucas oil additives, check out this link ...

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/images/lucas/lucas.htm

 

That leaves alot of loose ends imo. Too many variables to make a solid conclusion.

 

synthetic oil is only good to use if you start when the motors young...regular oil will build plug up holes and prevent some leakage..If you end up switching its easily possible the synthetic oil will break up the "clots" and your runner could start leaking oil.

I run Mobil 1 High milage in my runner..never had a single issue with OP or leaks or losing ANY oil...for the 3k miles i put on my runner i decided to change the oill..in those 3k miles i didnt lose more than a few drops of oil.

 

I was thinking about posting a topic about this oil but since you beat me to it, here goes my findings... About 2 years ago i heard good things about Max Life and started using it in a pos '95 Ford Aerostar. It had about 73,000 miles at the time and i swear it ran better after switching. It even drove from NY to CO towing a loaded 5'x10' trailer like it wasnt even there. I have changed the oil about every 3,000 miles and its still running strong till this day. Even so, i wasnt convinced about this oil untill now....
About 2 months ago i bought my 1992 4Runner. It had 169,000 miles but i didnt know any history on it besides what i could see (the owner received it from a dead family in law or something). Well I bought it knowing it had an oil leak that came from the engine oil cooler. It was decent size leak (oil was all over the place in that location) and it always left a few drops after each time i drove it. Within the first week i owned it, i changed the oil with Max Life and less than 2,000 miles later the leak has literally disappeared! I didnt even noticed it untill about a week ago but i believe the oil made the difference. As well as the Ford, my Runner also ran smoother right after replacing the oil with Max Life. Im now a believer.

 

i can vouch for the fact that a late switch to synthetic can start leaks. my truck had about 107K when i switched to mobil 1; it started leaking shortly thereafter.

i have since that time switched back to regular mineral oil and have been nursing it back to health.

 

Just for the record, Valvoline Max Life oil is not synthectic by any means.

 

I switched to synthetic with 95k on my Runner and over 10k later and no leaks but if it had over 150k I might be a little leary of switching to synthetic.

 

Actually - there are two versions of Max Life - synthetic or conventional .... that is, unless the Valvoline website is incorrect
http://www.valvoline.com/pages/produ...sp?product=101
http://www.valvoline.com/pages/produ....asp?product=7

 

Yes, i know. I only said what i said cause people started mentioning "synthetics" when regular Max Life is just conventional with additives.