Which Oil For Short OCI (3750)? Conventional?

[LeHieu]

First off, I drive a WRX and I want to stay within warranty compliance and so I am sticking with the OCI of about 3750 per the manual(until 60k miles). My earlier post had some very good answers, but a lot of the recommendations were synthetics. I know some synthetic blends will be better for my car (eg. Rotella 5w-40, etc), but is it really cost effective if I am changing my oil so frequently? Should I stick with some good conventionals, and if so what kind (decent price)? I have looked for some Chevron Delo 400 & Rotella 10w-30 (like some have suggested previously), but I could not find any around my area. Which other brands/weights would you guys recommend for a WRX? I also have free oil changes at my dealership for awhile - is it common practice to bring your own oil to the dealership to use on your car? I live in Seattle by the way, so it it pretty cool/mild year round, if that matters. Also, I drive pretty "spirited" but I don't track or race. I shift at around 4k RPMs w/the occasional speed bursts. Thanks.

 

[WishIhadatruck]

How hard do you drive it? If you don't drive it hard and you are sticking with such short intervals then any oil that meets the mfg. spec. should be fine since you live in a mild climate. I'd probably stick with a name brand oil like Pennzoil, Castrol, etc. What oil spec. does it require per the manual?

 

[LeHieu]

Originally Posted By: WishIhadatruck
How hard do you drive it? If you don't drive it hard and you are sticking with such short intervals then any oil that meets the mfg. spec. should be fine since you live in a mild climate. I'd probably stick with a name brand oil like Pennzoil, Castrol, etc. What oil spec. does it require per the manual?


It "recommends" 5w30, but says under high temperatures and conditions, you can use a 40, 50 weight as well. I drive pretty spirited, but I do not race or track. Just the occasional speed bursts and high revs while merging, etc.

 

[hate2work]

Personally I would only use a good synthetic in a car with a turbo. Plus you mentioned you do short trips.

Wait until AZ or Pep Boys has their Castrol sale ( it happens several times a year ). It gets you 5 quarts of oil and a filter for about $28 or so. Pick up some 0W-30 GC and change it at the mileage you want. That way you're using a premium oil, but not having to pay TOO much for it. The 0W-30 provides great protection for any temp we see around Seattle.

 

[LeHieu]

Originally Posted By: hate2work

Personally I would only use a good synthetic in a car with a turbo. Plus you mentioned you do short trips.

Wait until AZ or Pep Boys has their Castrol sale ( it happens several times a year ). It gets you 5 quarts of oil and a filter for about $28 or so. Pick up some 0W-30 GC and change it at the mileage you want. That way you're using a premium oil, but not having to pay TOO much for it. The 0W-30 provides great protection for any temp we see around Seattle.


Sounds good, thanks for the input!

 

[ncguy]

I was going to say definitely conventional until you said the word turbo. Honestly I would use one of the lower priced synthetics so you're taking care of your turbo without bleeding your wallet to death.

 

[fdcg27]

I would use GC in this car.
We use it in our NA Subie, although we run it longer than what is required by Subaru for any turbo app.
There are some good UOAs for Subaru turbos on here using RTS 5W-40, now called T6, so you might consider that.
It is everyday priced comparably to on-sale GC.

 

[WishIhadatruck]

Originally Posted By: LeHieu
Originally Posted By: WishIhadatruck
How hard do you drive it? If you don't drive it hard and you are sticking with such short intervals then any oil that meets the mfg. spec. should be fine since you live in a mild climate. I'd probably stick with a name brand oil like Pennzoil, Castrol, etc. What oil spec. does it require per the manual?


It "recommends" 5w30, but says under high temperatures and conditions, you can use a 40, 50 weight as well. I drive pretty spirited, but I do not race or track. Just the occasional speed bursts and high revs while merging, etc.


I'd agree with the others. Since you drive spiritedly at times and it has a turbo then I'd spend the extra on synthetic if you don't mind the cost. I'd probably look for an oil that meets the Honda/Acura HTO-06 spec. since they came up with that for their own turbo motor. Or search the site for others with turbo Subaru's. Rotella 5W-40 or GC are probably good ones based just on others UOA's.

 

[hate2work]

Originally Posted By: fdcg27

There are some good UOAs for Subaru turbos on here using RTS 5W-40, now called T6, so you might consider that.
It is everyday priced comparably to on-sale GC.


If it matters to the OP, GC is a true group IV oil whereas the T6 is group III. But you have to wait til GC goes on sale in order to get the price where it's somewhat palatable

 

[FZ1]

Synthetic only.

 

[Oregoonian]

With short OCI's (3750) to keep warranty...I would recommend..

Motorcraft Blend 5w30...it cheap ($11.50/5 qt jug @ WM)...and a good oil rated very high by BITOG people.

After warranty period is over...go to a SYN for longer OCI's.
________________________________________
2003 Ford Focus SE (2.3L Duratec)/ 83K
Valvoline MaxLife SYN 5w30 / OCI 7000+/-
Purolator PureOne

 

[LeHieu]

Based on the feedback from people that I have asked and also the great responses from this site, it seems that it would be worth my while to go out and search for GC or Rotella 5W-40 that are on sale, even with my shorter OCI's. Thank you everyone for helping me understand the subject and assisting with picking out my oil.

 

[DC84]

look into Maxlife 10w-40. Its ACEA A3 approved. Its easier to find and costs less than Rotella. I've been using it in my 06' with zero consumption at 3.5k OCI's. Its on sale at Advance for a few more days... 5qts with a PureOne filter @ $20 is a great deal.

 

[Oregoonian]

Originally Posted By: LeHieu
Based on the feedback from people that I have asked and also the great responses from this site, it seems that it would be worth my while to go out and search for GC or Rotella 5W-40 that are on sale, even with my shorter OCI's. Thank you everyone for helping me understand the subject and assisting with picking out my oil.


On 3750 OCI's, IMO your choices are just overkill...Both those oils can double the 3750 OCI's easily...so using them would be a waste of good oil and $$$.

But its your money...and you have every right to spend it as you see fit.

 

[LeHieu]

Originally Posted By: Oregoonian
Originally Posted By: LeHieu
Based on the feedback from people that I have asked and also the great responses from this site, it seems that it would be worth my while to go out and search for GC or Rotella 5W-40 that are on sale, even with my shorter OCI's. Thank you everyone for helping me understand the subject and assisting with picking out my oil.


On 3750 OCI's, IMO your choices are just overkill...Both those oils can double the 3750 OCI's easily...so using them would be a waste of good oil and $$$.

But its your money...and you have every right to spend it as you see fit.


Yes, it probably is a little overkill. If I can't find any that are on sale, I'll just go find a blend like max life / dura blend.

 

[Oregoonian]

Originally Posted By: LeHieu
Originally Posted By: Oregoonian
Originally Posted By: LeHieu
Based on the feedback from people that I have asked and also the great responses from this site, it seems that it would be worth my while to go out and search for GC or Rotella 5W-40 that are on sale, even with my shorter OCI's. Thank you everyone for helping me understand the subject and assisting with picking out my oil.


On 3750 OCI's, IMO your choices are just overkill...Both those oils can double the 3750 OCI's easily...so using them would be a waste of good oil and $$$.

But its your money...and you have every right to spend it as you see fit.


Yes, it probably is a little overkill. If I can't find any that are on sale, I'll just go find a blend like max life / dura blend.


Its a little early for MaxLife...its designed for high mileage engins (75,000+).

Consider the Motorcraft Blend...its an excellent product.

 

[jorton]

I don't drive a WRX so this is just an opinion.

Any idea how long it takes you to drive 3750 miles? Reason I ask is if it takes 5 or 6 months you can probably handle the cost of GC or Rotella T6. If you drive 3750 miles in 2 or 3 months, go with the new Rotella T5, or Motorcraft/Kendall blend during the warranty period.

 

[postjeeprcr]

Originally Posted By: Oregoonian
Originally Posted By: LeHieu
Originally Posted By: Oregoonian
Originally Posted By: LeHieu
Based on the feedback from people that I have asked and also the great responses from this site, it seems that it would be worth my while to go out and search for GC or Rotella 5W-40 that are on sale, even with my shorter OCI's. Thank you everyone for helping me understand the subject and assisting with picking out my oil.


On 3750 OCI's, IMO your choices are just overkill...Both those oils can double the 3750 OCI's easily...so using them would be a waste of good oil and $$$.

But its your money...and you have every right to spend it as you see fit.


Yes, it probably is a little overkill. If I can't find any that are on sale, I'll just go find a blend like max life / dura blend.


Its a little early for MaxLife...its designed for high mileage engins (75,000+).

Consider the Motorcraft Blend...its an excellent product.


People on here have used MaxLife in a vehicle before 75,000 miles and it worked fine.

 

[Robenstein]

Using Maxlife in a newer car wont break anything.

 

[gfh77665]

From the Valvoline website:

#3 Do I have to wait until my car reaches 75,000 miles before I can use MaxLife?

Valvoline MaxLife motor oil is designed for high mileage vehicles of 75,000 miles or more. However, it is perfectly acceptable for use in new or used vehicles with less than 75,000 miles.

Their site also says MaxLife is a 30% Syn blend. MaxLife is a great oil!