Turbo Subaru owners, which oil do you use?

[4eat05Wrx]

Hello Bitog, just wondering what oil all the turbo Subaru owners here use.

I know there is no "best" oil, just trying to see what all the other turbo Subaru's use.
I tried searching in the passenger car motor oil and euro oil forums for "wrx", "sti", "wrx sti" but the search on this forum sucks and "doesnt find" anything.

My car is a 2005 Impreza Wrx with Cobb intake,box,maf hose, Perrin turbo inlet, Samco tmic hoses, Cobb catless up pipe, Cobb catted down pipe and Cobb AccessPort 93 octane stage 2 map.

I used the "regular" Mobil1 5w30 synthetic and Mobil1 filter as soon as I brought my Wrx home. Next oil change I used Mobil1 0w40 euro and Subaru oem filter after a little reading. Used M1 0w40 euro and oem Subaru filter the past few changes.

I am contemplating using Rotella T6 5w40 or possibly "german" Castrol 0w40 my next oil change just to try them out after reading a few things. I think I will keep a 1 qt sample of my used current M1 0w40, and keep a 1 qt sample of the Rotella T6 5w40 and the german Castrol 0w40 after I try them out so I can get some uoa's.

What other oils are you turbo Subaru owners using and having good luck with?
Not looking for "the best", just trying to see what everyone else is using.

 

[edyvw]

I would stick to either M1 0W40 or Castrol 0W40.
IMO Castrol 0W40 works "better" in my car. Engine sounds smoother, and turbo spools faster. Definitely better cold start. Since it is little bit lighter then M1, maybe it would be better option since your car is spec for lighter 5W30 oil.
Either way, both oils are better for your application then T6.

 

[SR5]

Originally Posted By: edyvw
I would stick to either M1 0W40 or Castrol 0W40.
IMO Castrol 0W40 works "better" in my car. Engine sounds smoother, and turbo spools faster. Definitely better cold start. Since it is little bit lighter then M1, maybe it would be better option since your car is spec for lighter 5W30 oil.
Either way, both oils are better for your application then T6.


This sounds like solid advice to me.

 

[Ed_Flecko]

Originally Posted By: 4eat05Wrx

I tried searching in the passenger car motor oil and euro oil forums for "wrx", "sti", "wrx sti" but the search on this forum sucks and "doesnt find" anything.


wrx OR sti site:bobistheoilguy.com yields: BITOG search results

Ed

 

[Spartanfool]

I have an 05 Saabaru with the same engine running Cobb Stage 1 since new.

Currently running T6 5w40. Seems fine. I have some 0w40 T6 to try this winter.

Previous fill was Castrol 0w40. Engine likes this the best of all oils I've tried. Good thing, cause I have another 75 quarts on my shelves from the AutoZone clearance.

Pennzoil Platinum 5w30 used to be my regular fill except when I found other Full Syns at great prices...Valvoline, G-Oil, SuperTech, Shell, etc. But when I had to buy at regular price, I went to the Pennzoil.

Always avoided Mobil 1 because of the huge number of "urban legends" on NASIOC, that it will destroy your engine.

PP was my top choice. Now, it's been bumped to second place by the Castrol

 

[Andrew1972]

Mobil 5000 conventional 5w30 on a 191k turbo legacy every 4k. Original owner and still have original turbo always used Mobil conventional.

 

[oaklandish_wrx]

Originally Posted By: SR5
Originally Posted By: edyvw
I would stick to either M1 0W40 or Castrol 0W40.
IMO Castrol 0W40 works "better" in my car. Engine sounds smoother, and turbo spools faster. Definitely better cold start. Since it is little bit lighter then M1, maybe it would be better option since your car is spec for lighter 5W30 oil.
Either way, both oils are better for your application then T6.


This sounds like solid advice to me.


With all due respect, he asked for WRX owners opinions.

Our cars may be spec'd (in the US; not true elsewhere) for 5w30, there is overwhelming evidence that they last longer, especially with power mods, on xW40 grade oil. Rotella T6 does very well for lots of folks. Same for German Castrol and M1 EURO or TDT. OP, also look on NASIOC, service & maint.

My fill? A gallon of Rotella T6 5W40 and a quart of M1 racing 4T. Changed every 5-6K with OEM filter...stellar UOAs. For the money, you cannot beat RT6.

 

[oaklandish_wrx]

NASIOC UOA thread

 

[Bigdaddyeasy]

I had a wrx in which I did extensive uoas on. I was told very clearly by terry Dyson that m1 basically sucks for fuel dilution.
He suggested redline 5w30. It is very shear resistant and can tolerate fuel well. It held up very well.
RT6 5w40 held up very well too as did GC 0w30/40 and vr1 racing.

I've noticed that on these forums there are many who seem to always suggest m1 of some variety for just about every application under the sun.
Its proven to be fine in typical applications but not any better than the others. Sopus products,and valvoline do not seem to get much love around here though they are just as good and better for fuel dilution.
That's real life experience there with your vehicle type.

 

[wemay]

SOPUS doesn't get much love here?

 

[Camprunner]

Young man 28 that lived next door to me (just moved) was real big into his WRX and had plenty of mods. For a long time he ran RT6 5w40 and before he moved I noticed several bottles of Motul 40 weight synthetic can't recall if it was 0-40 or 5-40? Anyway I asked him why the switch and he said several of his Sub buddies run it so he decided to try it and he said the car seems to start a little easier in the winter and his car does not use as much oil or should I say none running the Motul and about a quart every 5,000 running the T6.

 

[Bigdaddyeasy]

Motul is ester base as is redline.i can see how motul would do well as well do to resistance to fuel amd shearing

 

[Bigdaddyeasy]

Originally Posted By: wemay
SOPUS doesn't get much love here?


Not when it comes to synthetics for some reason, no.

 

[wemay]

Originally Posted By: Bigdaddyeasy
Originally Posted By: wemay
SOPUS doesn't get much love here?


Not when it comes to synthetics for some reason, no.


Check the posts over the last couple years. No brand has received more love here than SOPUS. Their recent changes have sparked some displeasure, i.e., DEFY going RC and Noack levels going up in Platinum. But other than that, its been SOPUS and M1 for a long time.

 

[donnyj08]

Originally Posted By: wemay
Originally Posted By: Bigdaddyeasy
Originally Posted By: wemay
SOPUS doesn't get much love here?


Not when it comes to synthetics for some reason, no.


Check the posts over the last couple years. No brand has received more love here than SOPUS. Their recent changes have sparked some displeasure, i.e., DEFY going RC and Noack levels going up in Platinum. But other than that, its been SOPUS and M1 for a long time.



Agree, Valvoline is one that should get more love than it does IMO.

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted By: Bigdaddyeasy
Sopus products,and valvoline do not seem to get much love around here though they are just as good and better for fuel dilution.

Shell stuff might get more love here than anyone else, especially when it comes to PP and QSUD. And I'm a huge fan of Shell products. I will, however, publicly tar and feather them when I think they're doing something bizarre, like in the Defy thread. If a company does something smart, I'll admit it. They do something questionable, I'll question it.

 

[bluesubie]

Originally Posted By: Spartanfool

Always avoided Mobil 1 because of the huge number of "urban legends" on NASIOC, that it will destroy your engine.

Those urban legends are not a brand issue, but an issue of failure to check oil levels, using the wrong viscosity for the application (#1 reason IMO), poor tune and knock (#2 reason, or tied for #1), and the nut behind the wheel.

Mobil 1 0W40 does great in turbo Subaru's and Mobil 1 5W30 ESP is doing well in Direct injection WRX's where the owner wants to run 5W30 according to the owner's manual recommendation.

And while SOPUS products are actually fairly popular among DIT WRX owners that run GF5 5W30's, they're not very popular among those that choose to run something more robust because you cannot buy it for

 

[Scum_Frog]

Originally Posted By: wemay
Originally Posted By: Bigdaddyeasy
Originally Posted By: wemay
SOPUS doesn't get much love here?


Not when it comes to synthetics for some reason, no.


Check the posts over the last couple years. No brand has received more love here than SOPUS. Their recent changes have sparked some displeasure, i.e., DEFY going RC and Noack levels going up in Platinum. But other than that, its been SOPUS and M1 for a long time.


SOPUS gets lots of love here!
I use it myself....F150 is next up for an OC with P4 and NG filter

Where Pennzoil doesn't get much love is for its Euro / 40wts because they are hard to find for the average consumer or if you do they are priced high. In this segment here in NA, Mobil 1 and Castrol have the market locked up with great oils that are easily available at decent prices. What's not to like!

 

[Virtus_Probi]

I have a '14 Forester XT (WRXs are NOT the only Subie turbos!!!!) and am still trying to settle on an oil. Went with dealer changes until they really screwed one up and damaged the drain plug, leading to a big mess in my garage and wasted time...I assume they were using Subie synthetic 5W30. Used M1 5W30 at first and noticed right away that cold (like parked outside overnight on ski weekends cold, -10F or lower) starts were much smoother. Then I switched to Quaker State Ultimate Durability 5W30 because it had a bit better NOACK % than M1 with similar cold viscosity, no experience with it yet in the cold but I have been getting better gas mileage this summer than the last one with the dealership oil.
I have been poking around at some of the numbers for "boutique" oils and found that Redline and Royal Purple 5W30 are too thick at cold for my liking. Amsoil Signature 5W30 looks great by the numbers all around, but is expensive and I'd have to order it online and pay shipping. Seems like it should be a small thing, but I also don't like it coming in 4 quart instead of 5 quart jugs because I can't stand single quart bottles laying around (need almost 6 quarts for my change). If I tried it once and was happy with it, I'd be fine with ordering 4 gallon jugs at a time and getting free shipping, but I'm not going to do that for a first try.
Some have suggested using 0WXX oils due to my concerns about cold starts, but I have noticed that they tend to have higher NOACK %s than 5WXX oils from the same brand...I'd like to compare the numbers for M1 0W40 and 5W30 head to head, but they don't give NOACK % for either or the pour point for the 0W40 (they have the same flash point). I do see that Amsoil Signature 5W30 and 0W40 have the same pour point while the 0W40 has a lower flash point and a higher NOACK %...it is also quite a bit thicker than the 5W30 at "normal" temps, which I suppose is what most people are after.
https://www.amsoil.com/lit/databulletins/g2880.pdf

 

[Bigdaddyeasy]

Let us know how the qsud works out in the end. Great product and price. I guess a 40 weight is outa the ?? For you?? But if I were you I'd consider it.