2AR-FE 2.5L engine anyone running European engine oil?

[apollo18]

hey all! my 15 rav 4 has 100k miles on it and im 3rd owner so i assume its seen 0w20 its whole life. I believe it has the 2ar-fe engine so this thread should apply to alot of us
i know the manual says 0w20 for the 2ar-fe engine but i did some searching from BITOG and etc and it seems like this same engine in other countries that did not have CAFE / emissions / fuel economy requirements has a range of accepted oil weights ranging from 0w20 to 0w40. I also did some search and not sure if it is true or a known issue but some people said/assumed/experienced that running a thicker oil can sometimes cause VVT issues. Idk if thats true or just assumption

So I wanted to ask, is anyone here running a slightly thicker oil such as 0w30 or 5w30? or all sticking with 0w20 ?

also wanted to ask, i have read from bitog and other sources that european vehicle engine oils such as any big name brand euro oil such as Castrol, mb, pennzoil have stronger approvals/certificates and theoretically should have better lubricity / prevent sheering of the oil. I know this is all in theory etc however if I can get a 'better' oil for only a few $ more then might as well. I have also read that we can run any oil / formulated oil in our vehicles as long as the oil weight matches.

so i was curious if anyone is running a euro oil to protect the engine more?

i was thinking of switching permanently to a euro 5w30 to get a stronger oil + thicker oil to prevent wear but looking to hear what people have done

thanks!!

[FROSTYBALLS]

Toyota Owners Club is based in the UK, with the majority of members in the UK. So as the majority of members are in the UK or Europe, members will be using European spec oils or equivalents. For example Petronas (a Malaysian oil company) oils are available in parts of Europe

Toyota specifies oils to  American Petroleum Institute (API) standards for their cars sold in European markets - eg. API SL, SM, SN or SP.

The European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) engine oil specifications are generally equivalent to those of the API.

However, some European oils may have better quality additives than American oils, and some European manufacturers have their own oil specifications, which may be higher than ACEA specs.

Also service intervals tend to be longer in Europe - in the UK, Toyota service intervals are 12 months or 10,000 miles, whichever occurs first.

As regards Pennzoil, they're owned by Shell, a British multinational, and as far as I'm aware Shell only sell their own brand (Shell) in Europe.

[TonyHSD]

That’s right . I personally use only Petronas syntium 7000 0w20 GF-6 latest spec oil made in Italy. Best price quality 0w20 in the uk. 
Whatever oil brand you choose best is to stick to manufacturers recommendations for viscosity, if the car came out of factory with 0w20 stay on 0w20 and don’t switch to other oils like 0w40 or 5w30.