2008 Subaru WRX

[afdk58]

My Subaru WRX has 99.7k miles and I have been using Mobil 1 (5w30) since the first oil change @1500 miles. The manual says change the oil at 3750 miles using synthetic or conventional oil. The car still doesn't use any noticable oil between changes. I just started using Mobil 1 Extended Performance (5w30) and want to know what you guys think about extending the drain period to 5k? Do turbo charged cars in general always specify such short drain intervals?

 

[mgm13]

My PT GT says 3000 and I think for a turbo thats normal. I never get 3000 and always change at 6 months which is the longest I can go due to warantee. Normaly I run Valvoline Full Synthetic 10w30. I have recently purchased Valvoline VR1 which I will use (rebate deal the oil, 12 quarts was free). I also got 12 quarts of Pennzoil Ultra that I really wanted but could not afford. I picked up 12 quarts at $2 each after rebate so anxious to try it out.
Stay on the short mile change schedule that has worked well for you.

 

[OldCowboy]

Originally Posted By: mgm13

Stay on the short mile change schedule that has worked well for you.


+1. That's the best advice you can get without doing used oil analysis.

 

[brandini]

Stay on short, you have a bolt with an itty bitty screen in it in the turbo oil feed line and if it gets clogged your trubo dies, the end, do not pass go.

 

[afdk58]

Thanks for the advice,really appreciate it! I normally don't go pasted around 4K miles between changes.

 

[dparm]

Keep doing what you're doing.

 

[gathermewool]

As with any car (and any question for that matter,) it DEPENDS. Just because a car has a turbo doesn't mean anything. Also, Subaru, for the 2011+ turbos, has revised the OCI to 7,500 with synthetic being the only requirement. This seems foolish to me, since cheaper synthetics will NOT stand 7,500 miles in all applications. Heck, Amsoil barely made it ~7,500 miles in MY STI this past winter. Foolishness aside, it is possible to extend past 3,750.

I run extended drain intervals on my '08 STI, as do others. Do so only with a used oil analysis to back it up. used oil analysis cost money, however, so if you're looking to have peace of mind with out spending any additional effort/time, then stick with Mobil 1 Extended Performance and your ~4k intervals. If you happen to go to 5k or so, don't sweat it, either.

I will say that, with so many miles on an '08, I can only guess that you do a lot of highway driving. If so, then you're probably changing your oil fairly frequently, and there could be time and money saved with extended drains. Even if you don't prefer to send out a used oil sample for analysis, I'd suggest you extend out to around 5k intervals, as long as you don't do any high-performance driving, such as auto-cross, track days, HPDE's or rally-crosses. Most people who own WRX's and STI's will say they drive aggressively on the street, but unless you're THAT GUY, driving around like a maniac, your oil temps won't remain high enough, IMO, to degrade the oil like an extended high-RPM track day would.

 

[bodeh6]

I would go with either German Castrol 0w30 or Mobil 1 0W-40.

 

[Xstang]

4k oci's are fine-it's a lot easier to remember to do them at that point than 3750 IMHO.

I honestly think 5k is fine as long as you don't track the car or anything like that. If that mileage is correct(!), I'm guessing a lot of that is highway commuting, so you certainly should be fine-doing a used oil analysis at the 5k marker would tell for sure.

Yes, on cars with turbocharged engines, it's smart to run shorter OCI's than non-turbo ones. Not only does the oil have to lube the engine, but also the turbo-a giant hairdryer that spins around at several times the speed of the engine, while also putting off a great amount of heat.

If you have your heart set on using Mobil products, stick with their EP line, or go with the 0w-40. Or check out what I use in my signature. You won't be disappointed.

 

[bluesubie]

I would probably switch to the 0W-40 before extending the interval too much since I prefer non Energy Conserving oils in subie turbos. Or the High Mileage oils, which are more robust than the EP oils.

-Dennis