Modern internal combustion engines have undergone significant changes over the years. Many of them now operate with electric motors to maximize efficiency, and they run with incredibly tight tolerances. As a result, manufacturers like Toyota are recommending increasingly lightweight oil mixtures. Every new Toyota Camry is filled with 0W-8 oil from the factory, which is the thinnest oil available on the market.
But what happens when you run this oil in a 1991 Toyota Camry with over 330,000 miles? One owner is finding out in real-time and documenting the process on the TooManyToyotas YouTube channel. Initially, the 2.0-liter, 16-valve 3S-FE engine had a thirst for oil before switching to the synthetic blend, drinking a quart for every 500 to 750 miles driven.
View Price on AmazonAfter driving just 530 miles with 0W-8 oil, the engine burned 2.7 quarts of oil. This is an alarming rate, especially considering the engine oil capacity is only 4.3 quarts. If the owner were to switch to 0W-8 oil permanently, they would need to replace the oil every 1,000 miles or less. With the genuine Toyota product costing around $11.50 per quart, the cost would add up quickly.
A 1991 Toyota Camry with a 2.0-liter engine and five-speed manual transmission averaged around 26 miles per gallon combined when new, according to fueleconomy.gov. For every 1,000 miles, the car would consume approximately 38 gallons of fuel. With the current national average fuel price at $4.536 per gallon of regular 87-octane, the cost of driving this old car with 0W-8 oil would be over $230, assuming no loss in fuel efficiency.
The owner estimates that their Toyota consumes around 3.5 ounces of oil for every gallon of fuel burned, which translates to a roughly 37:1 ratio. This is similar to pre-mixing gas for a two-stroke engine, which typically runs at a 40:1 or 50:1 mixture.
Source: thedrive.com
