Winter fill for a 2.5 NA Subie?

[fdcg27]

I'd like to hear your opinions on which 5w30 to use in the Forester for the coming winter.
In this area, we normally see a few below zero Farenheit mornings each winter, and the car is usually driven about twenty five miles each way five days a week, and may be used for around forty miles of shopping and errands each weekend.
The oil will go in in November, and will stay there until mild weather returns in April, so probably 6K or so.

The contenders, from the stash:

G-Oil
Synpower
PU
PP
QSUD

G-Oil and Synpower seem to have relatively weak TBN retention, but I don't think that should be a problem over 6K. Both have had good used oil analysis, although G-Oil had one good and two mediocre used oil analysis on here.
The SOPUS oils seem uniformly good.
Ultra may be a touch above the other two, but they all have solid used oil analysis on here.
The car is now on Synpower dyed blue, so to the extent that staying with a given oil for a few changes matters, Synpower would be the logical next oil.
Aside from that, what would all of you use if you had this selection laying around?
Please stay within the oils I've noted, since I have them ready to use.
Also, for the first time in many years, I have no M1 in my stash.

 

[addyguy]

Quaker State Ultimate Durability. It has just slightly better cold-weather numbers than the others.

 

[daves87rs]

Originally Posted By: addyguy
Quaker State Ultimate Durability. It has just slightly better cold-weather numbers than the others.


+1


This is going into the Cavalier's engine this week for the near same reason.


Ran it last winter with great success....

 

[cmf]

"R. Rhodes showed that mixing two well performing oils, commonly known as top-up, can result in a lubricant mixture failing low temperature pumpability."

Rhodes, R.B., “Low-Temperature Compatibility of Engine Lubricants and the Risk of Engine Pumpability Failure,” SAE Technical Paper 932831, 1993, doi:10.4271/932831.

Source: http://www.infineum.com/Documents/Crankc...icants-2010.pdf

I'm not sure how much the small amount of oil that remains in the pan after draining it effects the cold-weather pumpability, but my vote is for using Synpower.

 

[Xstang]

Run the G-oil, so we can all see a used oil analysis on it.

That outta the way, I think you could flip a coin and have any of the oils listed here be excellent. If you got a stash like I think you do, I might pick the one you've had the longest.

 

[Rand]

I think part of the problem g-oil has with UOA is that its ester based and it seems to clean and show higher wear with the first oil change and no one runs it back to back. Redline sometimes has the same thing happen.

I wouldnt be worried about 1 mediocre uoa on g-oil.

And what I'd like to see is someone use it for 3-5 intervals in a row with UOA.

Personally I'd use anything you already have in 5w30.. or buy a 0w30 for those extra winter mpgs while the engine is warming up.

With your drive to work you should get fully warmed up pretty much every day so thats easy winter mileage for any oil.


PS, I vote g-oil.

 

[fdcg27]

Hmmm...
Maybe the G-Oil did some cleaning in the two not overly good short run used oil analysis, while in the one good, long run UOA, the engine was already pretty clean.
I wasn't really worried about a couple of iffy used oil analysis, since it is still an API SM oil, so it should be fine in use.
I have enough of the stuff for four changes, so it's tempting.
I would like to see GET survive and prosper, so maybe I should use some of the FAR oil they were kind enough to provide.
Incidentally, it is my wife's daily driver, not mine, although I have come to really like Subarus.

 

[dparm]

I don't think you need to be rotating to something different in the winter for a DD.

 

[fdcg27]

I agree.
I have enough of any of the oils I've listed for at least three changes, and winter is unfortunately the coming season, so I thought I'd use something suited for the winter, the following summer and then the winter after that.
Any of these oils would work just fine through the year here.
I'm just curious about what members prefer and why.
I will probably UOA the third change of whichever I use, just for grins.

 

[bodeh6]

My Subaru Legacy 2.5i is due for an oil change soon and it is going to be getting its second dose of Pennzoil Ultra 5w30 in about 6 weeks or so. That should take me til the spring time.

 

[bluesubie]

SOPUS FTW!

-Dennis