0w-20
0w-30/5w-30 in a 2024 crosstrek and subaru timing chains
- Thread starter Redhawk454
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So is the fb2 available in other countries?
I think you are trying to call out baloney, but you can reserve that skepticism for the layperson and the impressionable.
Traditional Asian 0w20 (Idemitsu) KV100 and HTHS were positioned somewhat lower than say a Ford 5W20 so that places it further away from a Dexos 1 spec 5W30.
We have tried going up a grade in various Subarus over the decade with no success.
No problem with our Ford/ Mazda 2 litre, it should have been filled with an XXw30 grade from the start.
So as with choosing underwear- it Depends
The FB 2.0 and 2.5 N.A. have always been 0w20, in fact they were pushing Subaru Genuine Synthetic to a fault.
I think the Subaru (Idemitsu) oil is better than any other OTC premium lube in overall performance, but you wouldn't expect to see anything alarming in a UOA using any near current ILSAC GF spec lube.
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even though ru doesn’t make or produce any of their oil. Why would ru’s formulated oil be better than say, amsoil or hpl? It’s likely all the same base stock with some kitchen sink formula additive pack.
Unless it’s the 1.5T and maybe the J35 VCM engines, I wouldn’t hesitate to run a 0W-20 in a Honda. For the Subaru, it’s a bit more nuanced. A regular non-turbo FB20/25 won’t complain on 0W-20 but an ILSAC 5W-30 will do the engine a bit better if road trips involving the mountains and high speed are in play. But a turbo Subaru IMO is better served with a Euro C3/C6 ideally 5W-30 oil to help mitigate fuel dilution. The MPG difference is minuscule.
Honda tends to recommend 0W-20 everywhere, while Toyota and Subaru have the CAFE muzzle.
Not to mention, hths doesn't come into play for the hydraulics part, the shear isn't high enough. KV would be a better indicator
But I ran it and it was inappropriate in some of my vehicles. So bench race all you want, when the rubber meets the road that is what matters. However implausible on the surface, just a cautionary tidbit. Take it or leave it.
Sorry for being "testy" I think My turbotax session this past weekend was getting to me
I expect going up a grade to be like it was in the 90's Maybe just a little bit more sluggish during warm up then basically unaffected fuel milage and just a tad bit more quiet and smooth when given the GO.
- Ken
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I believe 0w-20 is to dainty for the load i put on my ru driving up the mountains and its too dainty for my driving habits. It's burning 3/4 of a quart in 3k miles. I do 3k mile oil change intervals so i just put some cheapo ow-20 in it again for this oil change. Oil reaching temperatures well north of 200 degrees is pretty common. Yesterday Oil hit 227 degrees climbing up the mountains. I'm switching to 0w-30 next oil change.
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I understand this is perhaps anecdotal, but here goes. In 2022, my wife came home with a new Subaru Crosstrek with a 2.5 engine. She said she was getting a BMW, but no new cars available and she hit the Subaru dealer when this Crosstrek was coming off the haulaway. The first thing I noticed that when she started it up in the garage it sounded like two skeletons having sex on a tin roof. One of our daughters drives a 2014 Outback with over 200k on using 5W30 synthetic blend and that has been fine.
I am not an Amsoil dealer, no affiliation. And across my various vehicles and OPE I run Rotella 15W40 and T6 5W40, Amsoil OPE, and have run Delvac 1300 in my BMW R1200RT motorcycle since new in 2009. But, I am confident with 0W30 in the Subaru.
I also remember the 0W20 separating on the dipstick when checking levels even when cold.
I am not an Amsoil dealer, no affiliation. And across my various vehicles and OPE I run Rotella 15W40 and T6 5W40, Amsoil OPE, and have run Delvac 1300 in my BMW R1200RT motorcycle since new in 2009. But, I am confident with 0W30 in the Subaru.
I also remember the 0W20 separating on the dipstick when checking levels even when cold.
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Over 10 years ago someone did a study with several UOAs over time, and a teardown IIRC. Or maybe it was a link to another site, I'm not sure.
But the results did show a correlation between less wear using a 10wXX vs a 0wXX. (Both oils had the same high temp viscosity)
Too bad you can't find this study. I'd love to see how they actually correlated the winter rating to wear (especially using spectrographic analysis for part of the conclusion) and how they controlled all the variables in the test. All of that would be quite a feat and be able to come out with statistically valid data.
I especially wonder how they isolated the effect of the winter rating when oil chemistry is clearly different between any 10W-40 and any 0W-40.
Psh. Even as a multiple-time Subaru owner that hasn’t suffered any of their infamous blunders, I would reply to that misplaced faith with, “Tell me again how long it took Subaru to fix the EJ251/253 head gasket issue? At least 9 years and 2 million engines??”Mention this on the almighty Subaru site and you will be smited because you questioned the logic of the all powerful Subaru engineers.
Exactly
Funny thing is even with the head gasket years the number of Subie’s that go to 200k with nothing but oil changes is astronomical. Only rivaled by 2006 and earlier Volvos.
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Patman
Staff member
My son has a 2002 WRX that is just over 380,000 km right now and it’s still on the original engine (head gasket untouched) and original turbo. They aren’t as bad as people make them out to be.
True story… there will always be a special place in my heart for the 2005-2008 Subaru lineup… back when they were still quirky yet more capable than the mainstream (other than outright speed, lol). If you knew the warning signs you could easily pick up a great deal anywhere you went. Sadly, those days are gone with the used market raising the prices even of junk.
Dumb question: when did Subaru switch from timing belts to chains?
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