Oil suggestions for a STI, Celica and BMW 530

[waynlewis]

Good Morning.
First off, thank you in advance for taking the time to read my post. There is a great amount of info here on BITOG and this site has become a favorite of mine. Thank you.
Also, sorry in advance for the long read.....

1. What kind of vehicles you have
2007 Subaru WRX STI. Mods - catback and SPT intake w/mild tune. My daily driver.
2000 Toyota Celica GT. Mods - catback and AEM intake. Wife's daily driver.
2006 BMW 530i. Family weekender and occasional commuter.

2. What your owner's manual says
STI - ILSAC GF-4 or API SM energy conserving
Celica - ILSAC or API SJ energy conserving
BMW - BMW High Performance Syn Oil API SH or higher

3. Where you live
Royal Palm Beach FL - winters 40F +, summers 80-90F, 100% humidity.

4. How you drive (easy? hard? fast? slow?)
STI - Moderate for general commuting. No race or track. Granny shifting @ 3500 - 4500rpms. Top speeds to 120ish sometimes.
Celica - Moderate for general commuting.
BMW - Moderate for weekend use or commuting.

5. What's your daily drive like (short trips? long trips? city? highway?)
STI - 135mile daily commute, 15 local, rest highway. Average speed 75+mph.
Celica - 75mile daily commute, 15 local, rest highway. Average speed 70+mph.
BMW - Varies by use, but averagre 30miles per week if not used for commuting.

6. Whether your car has any known problems
STI - was modded but returned to stock condition before I bought it in 06/09. 3rd owner.
Celica - None, original owner.
BMW - bought in 04/09. Routine dealer servicing. 2nd owner.

7. Current mileage/oil used/ miles since last OC
STI - 47164/ Castrol 5w30 syntec/ 3519
Celica - 159056/ M1 5w30/ 1414
BMW - 55476/ BMW HP syn 5w30/ app 7000

On the STI and Celica, I change the oil every 3-3.5k miles, and have yet to change the BMW oil, but I want it changed every 7.5k instead of the BMW suggested 15k.
Oils I've used on the STI - M1 5w30 x1, GC 0w30 x2 and now Castrol 5w30(last 4) w/OEM filter. Celica - M1 5w30 w/M1 filter for last 3yrs.

I would like to change the oil in all 3 cars, and based on what I've been reading here and elsewhere, I would like to go this route..
Celica - M1 EP 5w30 w/M1 filter @ 5k OCI
BMW - GC 0w30 or M1 0w40 w/OEM filter @ 7.5k OCI (I have 7qts of BMW HP 5w30 sitting in the garage, so I may just use that for now and then switch).
STI - That's the big ??. There are many opinions about oil use and the STI, but I'm thinking about going with Rotella T6 or T5. A local subaru tuner told me about M1 semisyn blend 10w30, which he has been using with great results for awhile and has been suggesting it to all his customers, but I cant find that. And I would still like to keep the 3.5k OCI.

I'll send out for a UOA for all 3cars @ next OC.

Looking forward to reading your comments.
Thanks again for your time, and sorry for the long read.

 

[waynlewis]

Also, would anyone know how to reset the oil indicator for the 530i?? Thanks

 

[5sfe91]

welcome

the subie may like the rotella and m1 semisyn is the mc7500
5w 40 is popular for use in turbo cars

the celica you pretty much have that covered but i would do 5000 mile oci
using ep you can easily do 7500 mile oci

the 5 series since you're using bmw oil at least 10k

you have a drive way full of fun btw

 

[ben_321]

i have a BMW 330 which has the same engine as youyr 5 series and im usisng the GC 0w-30 and so far its great,

as you said you would do i would stick with 7500 mile changes anymore and the oil starts to get very black and dirty.

 

[sicko]

Personally I'm about convenience so I would use the same oil in the Subaru that I use in one of the other vehicles.

In the BMW I'd use M1 0w-40, or the T6 if it meets BMW's specs.

I'm not familiar with the Celicas, but I'm going to guess that using M1 EP with a 5k miles OCI is overkill. Though I must admit I'm not as familiar with the Celicas or your wife's driving style or conditions, so maybe the EP is justified. That being said, I'm going to guess that you could save a few bucks getting something like PP or Valvoline SynPower and still have the engine perfectly well protected for 5k miles. Depending on how it is on oil, maybe a semi-sythetic, or even conventional oil might be usable.

I would then use one of the above oils in the Subaru as well. ...Let me state though, that if you did decide to use conventional oil in the Celica that I personally wouldn't do that in the STi b/c the turbo is rough on oil. Yeah a quality conventional could handle it for a while, but I'd just feel better using something a bit tougher in it. I would also let the vehicle idle for 20-30 seconds before turning it off to help the turbo cool off

 

[waynlewis]

Thanks for the replies. I think I'll take this course.

STi - I'm going with the Rotella T6 and oem filter now. I'll send the used oil out for OA and that will help determine future changes. Since I'll continue the 3-3.5kOCI, I may switch to Rotella T5 or M1 10w30 semi.
Celica - It's not due for a change now, but I will drain a sample out, and also send that out for OA. Results will determine future OCI.
BMW - I'll use the 6qts of BMW oil + 1qt GC 0w30 = 7qts, and also send out for a OA. Going forward I'll use either GC or M1.

I'm going to keep an openmind about other oil options for all vehicles, just very interested in getting my first UOAs .

Thank you everyone.

 

[SoobyDoo]

Hey man,

I'm in Tampa, you're in S. FL so our environmental requirements are identical.

The Rotella is without a doubt your best choice for your STI (IMO of course). The 0 weight German Castrol is very good as well but much more expensive, and then you have to sift through all the American made [censored] to find the German which is just a PITA if you ask me.

I've spun bearings and blown the engines on 2 different ej205's using Mobil1 as the high heat and pressure absolutely shear it to nothing within 1000 or so miles. Others may argue because they are die hard M1 lovers (all more than likely without a Subi) but I wouldn't let that stuff within 50 ft of your car. People don't seem to understand that just because it's great for 650 hp Stingrays, Mustangs, etc... does not mean that it's the right oil for high heat & pressure turbo engine.

I now have a 2.0/2.5L Hybrid with the ej257 block (same as your STI) and the ej205 heads. I've used Rotella since it was built (other than some $2.00 [censored] break-in oil for the first 500 miles). The car has never been happier and I have the best UOA's since I've ever had one done. Something about that oil just makes the Subi engines shine. M1 is the grim reaper!!!

Please DO NOT treat your Subi like your other cars. It is a different animal entirely and deserves to be treated as such.

**I'm being rushed out the door by my wife...lol, so didn't have a chance to fully explain what I wanted to but I'll check back later.

Good luck man!! (swing by floridasubarusDOTcom sometime!)

 

[SoobyDoo]

oh yeah, quick mention about letting the turbo cool off...it is not necessary unless you are going full boost and turn the car off mid spool which obviously is never going to happen.

Subaru's have oil and coolant cooled turbos and therefore, after you shut the car off the boiling coolant forces itself to continue to flow through the turbo until the temp drops. This is why Suabaru did not put turbo timers on our cars and they are a complete waste of money

Here's a link to a letter from Subaru of America regarding the lack of a cooldown procedure. Nice because they actually explain why you don't need one and also a bit of "how" it works

http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showpost.php?p=1271129&postcount=2

 

[waynlewis]

Just got my 1st UOA back and will be posting it up. Thanks all for the replies.

 

[ScoobySTeveD]

Out of warranty, the Amsoil AMO 10W40 would be great in your Florida summers. I would then run the Amsoil 0W30 for winter. If you want one year round oil, the Amsoil DEO is 5W40 and loaded with zinc. STi's love zinc. That's why they hate Mobil 1. ;-)