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high mileage challenge toyota

Mobil 1™ High Mileage – The 500,000-Mile Challenge

People are keeping their cars longer than ever. In the U.S., the average car on the road today is 11.8 years old, according to IHS Markit.*With improvements in engineering and materials, automakers are increasing the reliability of their vehicles. But those vehicles need the right motor oil to keep them going. So ExxonMobil engineers set out to prove that Mobil 1™ motor oil could help prevent wear, extend engine life and keep high mileage cars on the road even longer –up to 500,000 miles.

*Based on an IHS Markit analysis using a snapshot of vehicles in operation on Jan. 1, 2019.

We put the best-selling car in America through an extreme test. See what the engine looked like after 500,000 miles.

The 500,000-Mile Challenge: Testing purpose

ExxonMobil engineers wanted to test the high mileage performance and overall wear protection of Mobil 1 motor oil on a common sedan. For "The 500,000-Mile Challenge," getting the right test car was key. And the engineers eventually chose one of the most popular models around, a 2015 Toyota Camry, the best-selling car in America, according to Car and Driver.

The average driver only accumulates about 13,476miles on a car each year, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation . So, the Camry’s engine – at 500,000 miles – would experience nearly 40 years of use during "The 500,000-Mile Challenge." All of the testing for "The 500,000-Mile Challenge" took place at the ExxonMobil Research and Engineering facility in New Jersey. The Camry was run at highway speeds for 12 months, and oil changes were performed every 10,000 miles with Mobil 1 motor oil. Engineers on the ExxonMobil R&D team monitored engine performance from mile one to mile 500,000.

Test conditions: The fundamentals

Fundamentals of the high mileage oil test conditions

The 500,000-Mile Challenge: Engine teardown

After operating for 500,000 miles, the Camry’s engine was carefully removed, disassembled and studied. This included a visual inspection by ExxonMobil engineers Nikki Brown and Ben Eirich, who examined the internal components. Their focus was on determining the level of wear and deposits – finding few signs of either.

Test results: Crankshaft bearing comparison

Test results of crankshaft bearing comparison

The "crankshaft bearings," also referred to as "main bearings," do not rotate; they are the bearings upon which the crankshaft rotates. The bearings are exposed to the revolutions that the crankshaft experiences. In "The 500,000-Mile Challenge," the Camry had an average of 1,900 rpm, and its crankshaft’s average revolutions per second was 32, which means the crankshaft bearings were rotated upon nearly 1 billion times during the 12-month run time.

High mileage engines sometimes experience oil consumption, but the Camry’s engine didn’t burn any oil throughout the entire test, leaving Brown and Eirich to marvel at the exceptional appearance of the internal parts. "Even after 500,000 miles, a lot of these parts actually look like new," Eirich said. These observations were later confirmed when the parts received detailed measurements from the ExxonMobil R&D team. Many of the parts from the Camry’s engine still met manufacturer tolerances for brand new parts, proving the advanced wear protection of Mobil 1 motor oil.

Mobil 1 High Mileage: Advanced performance and protection

Not all high mileage oils are the same. There’s a reason that Mobil 1 High Mileage outsells other competitive high mileage oils at retail.* Engineered with a proprietary blend of high-performance synthetic base oils, Mobil 1™ High Mileage advanced full synthetic motor oil:

  • Provides unsurpassed wear protection† that helps extend engine life
  • Protects engine seals with a boosted level of seal conditioner
  • Delivers outstandinghigh-temperature protection due to its higher base oil viscosity‡

*Based on August 2019 NPD total retail sales data.
†According to the industry-accepted Sequence IVA engine wear test.

Engineered with a proprietary blend of high-performance synthetic base oils, Mobil 1™ High Mileage advanced full synthetic motor oil:

  • Provides unsurpassed wear protection† that helps extend engine life
  • Protects engine seals with a boosted level of seal conditioner
  • Delivers outstandinghigh-temperature protection due to its higher base oil viscosity‡

‡Not applicable for Mobil 1™ High Mileage 0W-20.

Available in several viscosity grades, Mobil 1 High Mileage motor oil can help engines –new and old –add more miles to the odometer. With a 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine, the Camry in "The 500,000-Mile Challenge" is a great example of a new, modern engine at work. Modern engines are generally smaller than the six-and eight-cylinder engines of yesteryear, but can produce the same power with more efficiency.§

However, smaller engines have smaller clearances and hotter operating temperatures, which places more stress on motor oil, especially at higher miles. Mobil 1 High Mileage motor oil can easily withstand this additional stress. Specially formulated for vehicles with more than 75,000 miles, Mobil 1 High Mileage motor oil helps protect critical engine parts in high mileage engines.

§https://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/15/automobiles/15FOUR.html

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