I decided to give Pennzoil Platinum 5w-30 synthetic oil a try in the Prius over the winter. This change was on 11-24-07 at 6,178 miles. A K&N filter was used.
The Trop Artic was a good oil for the money, considering I did two changes with it early on to get the break-in gunk out of the engine. The Prius never gets really hot, even on the highway, when you have a chance to boil off fuel and water in the oil. I'm hoping that the PP will add protection again shear from fuel dilution. Sometime in April or May when we hit 5K miles on this oil I'll have a UOA done and she how it held up.
Current service records for the Prius:
6-16-07 – 952 miles – First Oil change to Trop Artic 5w-30 Synthetic Blend with Mobil 1 M1-103 filter
10-28-07 – 4760 miles – Oil change with Trop Artic 5w-30 Synthetic Blend with Mobil 1 M1-103 filter
11-05-07 – 5,288 miles – Rotate tires, top off fluid levels. ($16.68)
11-24-07 – 6,178 miles – Oil change to Pennzoil Platinum 5w-30 and K&N Filter
MILES ON OIL:
952 miles on factory fill oil
3,808 miles on first change to Trop Artic (UOA done on this oil)
1,418 miles on second fill of Trop-Artic
