Turbo Subaru owners, which oil do you use?

[edyvw]

Originally Posted By: 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

NOACK:
M1 0W40: 8.7%
Castrol 0W40: 9.1%

All MB 229.5 oils have to have NOACK of 10% or less.

 

[Virtus_Probi]

Originally Posted By: edyvw

NOACK:
M1 0W40: 8.7%
Castrol 0W40: 9.1%

All MB 229.5 oils have to have NOACK of 10% or less.


Good info, thank you! Fine numbers for both.
Do you know if I could find the full set of "standard" test results for M1 0W40 and 5W30 somewhere so as to compare them down the list? Seems odd to me that Mobil is apparently a little stingy with info while I can find it pretty easily for brands like Red Line and Amsoil.
I would certainly consider using 0W40 if I can see an advantage to it...

 

[wemay]

I wouldn't base my choice on Noack alone. HTHS would be more of a consideration if i still owned a WR...(oops) i mean a Subaru Turbo that was driven hard.

 

[bluesubie]

Originally Posted By: wemay
I wouldn't base my choice on Noack alone. HTHS would be more of a consideration if i still owned a WR...(oops) i mean a Subaru Turbo that was driven hard.

Virtus, I presume you've seen the nasty fuel laden Forester and WRX uoa's at subaruforester.org and nasioc. One DIT Forester came back with 6% fuel and that uoa is also posted in the uoa forum here.

While the EJ turbos are notorius for shearing oil, we can't figure out if the FA20 DIT's are shearing oil due to all of the fuel contamination! Lots of DIT Subaru owners are going with low SAPS 5W30's so the viscosity holds up better. And some that aren't concerned about running 5W30 are running M1 0W40 and RT6.

 

[edyvw]

Originally Posted By: Virtus_Probi
Originally Posted By: edyvw

NOACK:
M1 0W40: 8.7%
Castrol 0W40: 9.1%

All MB 229.5 oils have to have NOACK of 10% or less.


Good info, thank you! Fine numbers for both.
Do you know if I could find the full set of "standard" test results for M1 0W40 and 5W30 somewhere so as to compare them down the list? Seems odd to me that Mobil is apparently a little stingy with info while I can find it pretty easily for brands like Red Line and Amsoil.
I would certainly consider using 0W40 if I can see an advantage to it...

When it comes to turbo engines, Subaru or not, I would stick to M1 0W40 and Castrol 0W40. You could also go with Castrol 0W30 BC. Whatever carries specification MB 229.5, I would get it.
M1 and Castrol 0W40 are also cheaper then T6 in Wal Mart.
T6 is not designed for these applications. Can you use them with good results? yes. However, NOACK is 12.6%, pour point is not as good as M1 or Castrol 0W40.
I think T6 became popular among Subaru owners before M1 and Castrol brought their 0W40 to Wal Mart in 5qt jugs with very popular prices.

 

[SR5]

Originally Posted By: 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.


Apologies, my initial response sounded a little trite. Sorry, not intended.

A mate I work with owns a Forster turbo and is now looking to buy a WRX STI as a reward to himself (house paid off, kids left home, etc). He asked me about oils.

He liked the advice of using M1 0W40 and Castrol Edge 0W40, as we can find both of these oils here. We don't get Rotella or Pennzoil.

However we do get valvoline SynPower 0W40 here. It's easier to find than M1, and much cheaper than Castrol Edge. Would the synpower be a suitable oil for his Forester / WRX combo ?

 

[Bigdaddyeasy]

Originally Posted By: SR5
Originally Posted By: 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.


Apologies, my initial response sounded a little trite. Sorry, not intended.

A mate I work with owns a Forster turbo and is now looking to buy a WRX STI as a reward to himself (house paid off, kids left home, etc). He asked me about oils.

He liked the advice of using M1 0W40 and Castrol Edge 0W40, as we can find both of these oils here. We don't get Rotella or Pennzoil.

However we do get valvoline SynPower 0W40 here. It's easier to find than M1, and much cheaper than Castrol Edge. Would the synpower be a suitable oil for his Forester / WRX combo ?


Yes its mb229.5 as well.

 

[Virtus_Probi]

Originally Posted By: wemay
I wouldn't base my choice on Noack alone. HTHS would be more of a consideration if i still owned a WR...(oops) i mean a Subaru Turbo that was driven hard.

HTHS sounds like one I should be concerned about, wish that the PQIA did that one and that I could even find the QSUD 5W30 product data sheet that I had tracked down online a few weeks ago to see if it had an HTHS result (although it was from 2010 and probably of marginal utility).

 

[Virtus_Probi]

Originally Posted By: bluesubie

Virtus, I presume you've seen the nasty fuel laden Forester and WRX uoa's at subaruforester.org and nasioc. One DIT Forester came back with 6% fuel and that uoa is also posted in the uoa forum here.

While the EJ turbos are notorius for shearing oil, we can't figure out if the FA20 DIT's are shearing oil due to all of the fuel contamination! Lots of DIT Subaru owners are going with low SAPS 5W30's so the viscosity holds up better. And some that aren't concerned about running 5W30 are running M1 0W40 and RT6.


Oh yah, and my used oil definitely had at least a whiff of gasoline to it.
What are considered to be low SAPS synthetic 5W30s?
On a related topic, has anybody ever seen a product data sheet for Subaru's synthetic 5W30? Can't find it online.

 

[edyvw]

Originally Posted By: Virtus_Probi
Originally Posted By: bluesubie

Virtus, I presume you've seen the nasty fuel laden Forester and WRX uoa's at subaruforester.org and nasioc. One DIT Forester came back with 6% fuel and that uoa is also posted in the uoa forum here.

While the EJ turbos are notorius for shearing oil, we can't figure out if the FA20 DIT's are shearing oil due to all of the fuel contamination! Lots of DIT Subaru owners are going with low SAPS 5W30's so the viscosity holds up better. And some that aren't concerned about running 5W30 are running M1 0W40 and RT6.


Oh yah, and my used oil definitely had at least a whiff of gasoline to it.
What are considered to be low SAPS synthetic 5W30s?
On a related topic, has anybody ever seen a product data sheet for Subaru's synthetic 5W30? Can't find it online.

Low-SAPS are designed for Euro diesel engines. They cary specs: ACEA C3, VW 504.00/507.00. Mid-SAPS are MB 229.51 and BMW LL-04, VW 505.01. They are designed with turbo in mind, and HTHS for those meeting ACEA C3 and these specs must be above 3.5cp.
For Subaru you do not need Low-SAPS since oil has low TBN starting number. They are great oils, you can use them, but do UOA after 3-5K to see TBN before extending oil interval.
When it comes to M1 and Castrol 0W40 I would not look further. HTHS is 3.8 for M1 and 3.7 for Castrol.

 

[bulwnkl]

'05 turbo Baja (EJ-255; STi long block w/smaller turbo & IC)
RLI 5W40HD was best in all respects: consumption, mpg, protection, and deposit control

 

[bluesubie]

There's an MSDS with some specs on the Subaru oil floating around nasioc. I think it may be in gpshumway's Oil Selection Guide sticky in the Service & Maintenance forum. Maybe he'll chime in here.

edyvw - Some 2011 and later Subaru owner's are reluctant to go with an xW40 since the manual calls for a "5W30 synthetic", although 5W40 is mentioned in the 2015 WRX oil chart but the language only refers to it for "replenishment" (and "5W40 conventional" at that

). DIT WRX UOA's are showing 5-6k mile OCI's are doable on ACEA C3 lower SAPS oils and 6k is the max for those models (most change at 3-4k miles).

As for the OP, his owner's manual allows 5W40.

And OP, I would definitley stick to a 5W40 with that Cobb reflash, especially if you're running an Off The Shelf map as they usually run very rich.

 

[oaklandish_wrx]

Originally Posted By: bluesubie
There's an MSDS with some specs on the Subaru oil floating around nasioc. I think it may be in gpshumway's Oil Selection Guide sticky in the Service & Maintenance forum. Maybe he'll chime in here.

edyvw - Some 2011 and later Subaru owner's are reluctant to go with an xW40 since the manual calls for a "5W30 synthetic", although 5W40 is mentioned in the 2015 WRX oil chart but the language only refers to it for "replenishment" (and "5W40 conventional" at that

). DIT WRX UOA's are showing 5-6k mile OCI's are doable on ACEA C3 lower SAPS oils and 6k is the max for those models (most change at 3-4k miles).

As for the OP, his owner's manual allows 5W40.

And OP, I would definitley stick to a 5W40 with that Cobb reflash, especially if you're running an Off The Shelf map as they usually run very rich.


Where's the **** "like" button 'round here?

 

[edyvw]

Originally Posted By: bluesubie
There's an MSDS with some specs on the Subaru oil floating around nasioc. I think it may be in gpshumway's Oil Selection Guide sticky in the Service & Maintenance forum. Maybe he'll chime in here.

edyvw - Some 2011 and later Subaru owner's are reluctant to go with an xW40 since the manual calls for a "5W30 synthetic", although 5W40 is mentioned in the 2015 WRX oil chart but the language only refers to it for "replenishment" (and "5W40 conventional" at that

). DIT WRX UOA's are showing 5-6k mile OCI's are doable on ACEA C3 lower SAPS oils and 6k is the max for those models (most change at 3-4k miles).

As for the OP, his owner's manual allows 5W40.

And OP, I would definitley stick to a 5W40 with that Cobb reflash, especially if you're running an Off The Shelf map as they usually run very rich.

I understand that. That is why I said Castrol 0W30 might be good option, or Castrol 0W40 since it is not that heavy.
If it is not turbo, then no worries about that.

 

[ChrisGuerrero]

Originally Posted By: 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.


Hey 4eat05wRX – Your vehicle can take anything from a 0W-40 to 5W-30, all the way up to a 20W-50 depending on ambient conditions. However, we recommend Shell Rotella T6 0W-40 Full Synthetic motor oil which will give your vehicle a little extra zinc/anti-wear protection as compared to current API SN/GF 5 engine oils. Hope this info helps! – The Shell Rotella Team

 

[Bigdaddyeasy]

Originally Posted By: ChrisGuerrero
Originally Posted By: 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.


Hey 4eat05wRX – Your vehicle can take anything from a 0W-40 to 5W-30, all the way up to a 20W-50 depending on ambient conditions. However, we recommend Shell Rotella T6 0W-40 Full Synthetic motor oil which will give your vehicle a little extra zinc/anti-wear protection as compared to current API SN/GF 5 engine oils. Hope this info helps! – The Shell Rotella Team


I think that's great advice. Personal experience with t6 in a turbo wrx supports this opinion

 

[bluesubie]

Originally Posted By: ChrisGuerrero
Originally Posted By: 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.


Hey 4eat05wRX – Your vehicle can take anything from a 0W-40 to 5W-30, all the way up to a 20W-50 depending on ambient conditions. However, we recommend Shell Rotella T6 0W-40 Full Synthetic motor oil which will give your vehicle a little extra zinc/anti-wear protection as compared to current API SN/GF 5 engine oils. Hope this info helps! – The Shell Rotella Team

Is T6 0W40 easy to find in NC?

 

[jeffie7]

T6 from walmart is what I use in my 05 STI with 95K miles on it.

$21-22 for 5 quarts.

intake, exhaust, injectors, access port, custom tune... list goes on...