wix or subaru oem
- Thread starter papang
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Good Morning Lawnman23,
I'm a fellow Subaru owner of a '21 Forester Limited. I appreciated your comments on different oil viscosities you're running and have a few questions.
What brand of 0w40 are you using?
What others have you tried?
How many miles are on your Outback?
Thank you!
Howdy,
I am running Mobil 1 0w-40 currently, the first time I have ran a 40 weight oil in the car. I only have about 300 miles on the oil so far. The engine feels/sounds very mechanically smooth with it, especially at high RPM's. I compare that with the 20 weight which, especially in the summer, would feel much looser/noisier under high RPMs and load. Not a surprise with that, thick vs thin viscosity...
Over the course of owning since new, I have run 0w-20, 5w-30 and 0w-30. Mostly 0w-20 for the first 5 years, then stepped up to 5w-30 for summers and 0w-20 for winters. This last winter I ran the 0w-30 for the first time, performed great and started good in the coldest sub-zero mornings we had. Well the few we had anyways...
As far as the brands that those consisted of:
Castrol Edge
Pennzoil Platinum
Pennzoil Platinum High Mileage
Mobil 1 AFE 0w-30
Mobil 1
The car has ~106k on it currently and has been a oil drinker its whole life. Not enough to fall under the oil consumption recall, but still more than it should be. Unfortunately, a common problem with the early FB25 engines due to Subaru's mechanical teething with the new engine design. Most of the miles were lots of highway miles at constant speeds, so mileage was great but it seems that was contributing to the oil loss due to prolonged light load on the engine.
Anywho, sorry for the wall of text, let me know if you have any other questions.
Hi Lawnman23,Howdy,
I am running Mobil 1 0w-40 currently, the first time I have ran a 40 weight oil in the car. I only have about 300 miles on the oil so far. The engine feels/sounds very mechanically smooth with it, especially at high RPM's. I compare that with the 20 weight which, especially in the summer, would feel much looser/noisier under high RPMs and load. Not a surprise with that, thick vs thin viscosity...
Over the course of owning since new, I have run 0w-20, 5w-30 and 0w-30. Mostly 0w-20 for the first 5 years, then stepped up to 5w-30 for summers and 0w-20 for winters. This last winter I ran the 0w-30 for the first time, performed great and started good in the coldest sub-zero mornings we had. Well the few we had anyways...
As far as the brands that those consisted of:
Castrol Edge
Pennzoil Platinum
Pennzoil Platinum High Mileage
Mobil 1 AFE 0w-30
Mobil 1
The car has ~106k on it currently and has been a oil drinker its whole life. Not enough to fall under the oil consumption recall, but still more than it should be. Unfortunately, a common problem with the early FB25 engines due to Subaru's mechanical teething with the new engine design. Most of the miles were lots of highway miles at constant speeds, so mileage was great but it seems that was contributing to the oil loss due to prolonged light load on the engine.
Anywho, sorry for the wall of text, let me know if you have any other questions.
Thank you for the great info on the oil weights, brands and history of your FB25, it is most appreciated.
This is the way....Alternative is to get the well known Mazda filter off Amazon.I use OE Japan Tokyo Roki Subaru filters.
Oil Filter - Filters - Maintenance & Accessories - Shop by Product Type
Flatirons Tuning, performance car parts specialistswww.flatironstuning.com
They are a better made filter and guarantee the correct flow and bypass pressure (IIRC 14 gal/min flow and 23 psi bypass). Subaru has had problems with their filters and filter suppliers so going JDM OE is cheap insurance.
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hello, long time lurker finally joined up a few days ago…
@Lawnman23 - I’m curious how you liked the 0w-30 M1 AFE…. Did it quiet the noise much or did that not come until you moved to a 40w?
I have a ‘21 crosstrek with the FB20 2.0L and 19,700 miles. It’s been on Valvoline Extended Protection 0W-20 since 3k miles when I did its first change myself.
Living in upstate NY on the Canadian border, I do believe I should stick with the 0 for winter starts, but wanted to move to a heavier weight for summer due to “severe duty” with a lot of travel, off-roading, and loaded with gear. Read hundreds of threads here and ultimately decided to snag a case of the Mobil 1 AFE 0W-30 to see if it makes a difference for me. It should arrive in a few days, I just did a oil change at 17,500 but I have a three mile drive to work which is rough on oil in these winters, so I’ll likely replace with the new m1 0w30 at 20k miles.
Very curious how you liked it, if you did an UOA, and if it quieted the engine at all. Would definitely consider the 0w40 also if you have good reason to believe it’s worth it, after you get some more miles on it. Any tips appreciated, thanks!
@Lawnman23 - I’m curious how you liked the 0w-30 M1 AFE…. Did it quiet the noise much or did that not come until you moved to a 40w?
I have a ‘21 crosstrek with the FB20 2.0L and 19,700 miles. It’s been on Valvoline Extended Protection 0W-20 since 3k miles when I did its first change myself.
Living in upstate NY on the Canadian border, I do believe I should stick with the 0 for winter starts, but wanted to move to a heavier weight for summer due to “severe duty” with a lot of travel, off-roading, and loaded with gear. Read hundreds of threads here and ultimately decided to snag a case of the Mobil 1 AFE 0W-30 to see if it makes a difference for me. It should arrive in a few days, I just did a oil change at 17,500 but I have a three mile drive to work which is rough on oil in these winters, so I’ll likely replace with the new m1 0w30 at 20k miles.
Very curious how you liked it, if you did an UOA, and if it quieted the engine at all. Would definitely consider the 0w40 also if you have good reason to believe it’s worth it, after you get some more miles on it. Any tips appreciated, thanks!
Howdy!
I'd go with M1 ESP 0w30 if you want a big box store oil. It carries some impressive Euro approvals. It's what I was planning on running before I decided to go with HPL.
Whereas the 0w30 AFE only carry's D1G3 and Ford approvals.
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Hello, fellow Subaruxvforum member. I’m becoming active here somewhat because Montanan banned me yet again, for disagreeing with him. That forum seriously needs a moderator overhaul.
Anyhow, thanks for the idea, I considered this, but I am still under warranty for a couple more years and I don’t want to risk using non API spec oils… the M1 AFE 0w30 is API SN/SP and ILSAC GF6A approved, which is more than enough accreditation for me, or at least so I thought!
What would be the advantage of using an A3/B4 Eurospec oil that is not approved for American engines? From what I understand, our ILSAC and API spec certs are specifically due to the ethanol content in American fuel, and that using eurospec oil and be counter intuitive with our ethanol ridden gasoline…?
Howdy, I’ll update a little later when I’m at my computer, only on phone right now.
TL;DR 0w-30 ran great for my winter interval.
Certifications are not a cut and dry topic and very ambiguous. I personally believe US certifications are what they are with keeping CAFE in mind. I could be wrong. Lots of reading on the topic here with lots of links.
Why not just run a Euro oil?
From what I have been reading Euro oils are better then regular domestic motor oils. If that is true, why not just run Euro oils? What would be the disadvantage(s) to it?
bobistheoilguy.com
API and ILSAC are not approvals. And you say they are specifically due to EtOH content? Looking through the license requirements I don't see anything related to that. Can you tell me where?
A3/B4 has increased HT/HS requirements than grade designations require for ILSAC, plus generally higher requirements for oxidation resistance and deposit formation. Grade to grade it is better in multiple ways.
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I am not making the claim that the ethanol in our gasoline is the reason euro oils should not be used - I believe I heard this in a video from “the motor oil geek”
Ironically, it’s funny his channel is named motor oil geek, since technically, motors are electric, and engines run on combustion of some type of fuel or expansion (coal/steam)
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Interesting… I’ll have to look into this more I guess… as far as warranty, this would be a no no though right?
Sorry for the delay. I have not run UOA's on my oils, mostly due to the cost and relatively low mileage of my OCI's.
On my FB25 I noticed much more frequent valvetrain/tensioner clatter when first starting in the morning on the 0w-20's. It wasn't every time, but often enough. After hanging out and researching on various Subaru forums, I discovered that its a fairly common issue that is more or less considered "normal". As I also mentioned, in the summer heat and high RPM/high load scenarios, the engine always sounded lighter/looser/more metallic for lack of a better term. I have already had to hose clamp my heat shields due to the infamous rattle that they all develop so I know it wasn't those.
After reading the various Subaru forums and BITOG about how the 0w-20 was mostly, if not completely, a CAFE/efficiency thing and how other markets all called for 5w-30 in the FB engines, I switched to running 5w-30 in the summer. At this point I was driving a lot more and was changing oil twice a year, in the spring with 5w-30 and in the fall with 0w-20. With the switch to a 30 weight, the clatter was reduced to once in a great while rather than more often than not with the 0w-20. Whether this was just due to the heavier weight/more viscosity or just different/better blend of oil that the 30 weights brought is unknown but its what I observed.
Swearing off 20 weights altogether, I went with the AFE 0w-30 this last winter for the best of both worlds. 0w for the cold Minnesota winter morning starts and the 30 for the reduced clatter and better engine protection. Ironically this past winter was insanely warm so we didn't get many of the subzero mornings that I was preparing for but even down into the single digits, the engine started quietly and happily as it always had.
Last month I switched to the M1 0w-40 for a few reasons. As I mentioned in my other post, my '14 has always been a drinker and heavier weights seem to reduce the amount of consumption. The 0w-40 has been regarded on here very highly and has a reputation for helping to clean oil control rings among other things. This effect may have been reduced due to the latest SP variant which has less calcium to meet that spec and LSPI prevention. But regardless, it has many Euro specs that go above and beyond what the engine calls for and has been used by other Subaru owners with no issues. I have only had the oil in the engine for ~500 miles now so I will monitor the consumption in the upcoming months to see if has made any difference. We did have a couple of morings down in the teens and the engine started normally and as quietly as it ever had.
Although unneeded for summer(or most winter temps in my area), I wanted to stick with a 0w just for the cold engine starts. Same with the 40 weight, unneeded for my conditions but if the oil overall helps with the consumption as well as being a great oil otherwise, im happy with that. Yes, I know its overkill but for the reasonable price I can get it at Wally World, it works for me.
I know the ESP 0w-30 is rated/considered "better" than the AFE variety(or any of the ESP viscocities for that matter) but I havent seen 5 qt jugs at Wally World in my area. I may have ran that instead of the AFE but I cant use what I dont have. The 0w-40 has all the Euro manufacture and A3/B4 specs similiar to the ESP(additive package may differ but regardless) and I have no doubt it will keep my FB25 happy going forward. Even if it indeed overkill
This is what completely took care of all the cold start valvetrain clatter for me and the OP of this thread on our Crosstreks.
Baxter Performance Oil Filter Anti Drain Adapter???
We now have 1500 miles on our 2022 Subaru Crosstrek Premium 2.0 6MT. We love the car and plan on owning it a long time. I'm thinking about installing one of these units on it to do whatever I can to prolong the life of the engine. I changed the oil in the car after the break in period at 1000...
bobistheoilguy.com
I’ve never seen a warranty that was predicated on grade. Warranty is dependent on damage and an ACEA A3/B4 oil isn’t going to damage the engine.
Where did you read the connection between ILSAC and ethanol fuels?
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Thanks so much for a thorough explanation and I appreciate the info! Sounds like I’m moving in the right direction.Sorry for the delay. I have not run UOA's on my oils, mostly due to the cost and relatively low mileage of my OCI's.
On my FB25 I noticed much more frequent valvetrain/tensioner clatter when first starting in the morning on the 0w-20's. It wasn't every time, but often enough. After hanging out and researching on various Subaru forums, I discovered that its a fairly common issue that is more or less considered "normal". As I also mentioned, in the summer heat and high RPM/high load scenarios, the engine always sounded lighter/looser/more metallic for lack of a better term. I have already had to hose clamp my heat shields due to the infamous rattle that they all develop so I know it wasn't those.
After reading the various Subaru forums and BITOG about how the 0w-20 was mostly, if not completely, a CAFE/efficiency thing and how other markets all called for 5w-30 in the FB engines, I switched to running 5w-30 in the summer. At this point I was driving a lot more and was changing oil twice a year, in the spring with 5w-30 and in the fall with 0w-20. With the switch to a 30 weight, the clatter was reduced to once in a great while rather than more often than not with the 0w-20. Whether this was just due to the heavier weight/more viscosity or just different/better blend of oil that the 30 weights brought is unknown but its what I observed.
Swearing off 20 weights altogether, I went with the AFE 0w-30 this last winter for the best of both worlds. 0w for the cold Minnesota winter morning starts and the 30 for the reduced clatter and better engine protection. Ironically this past winter was insanely warm so we didn't get many of the subzero mornings that I was preparing for but even down into the single digits, the engine started quietly and happily as it always had.
Last month I switched to the M1 0w-40 for a few reasons. As I mentioned in my other post, my '14 has always been a drinker and heavier weights seem to reduce the amount of consumption. The 0w-40 has been regarded on here very highly and has a reputation for helping to clean oil control rings among other things. This effect may have been reduced due to the latest SP variant which has less calcium to meet that spec and LSPI prevention. But regardless, it has many Euro specs that go above and beyond what the engine calls for and has been used by other Subaru owners with no issues. I have only had the oil in the engine for ~500 miles now so I will monitor the consumption in the upcoming months to see if has made any difference. We did have a couple of morings down in the teens and the engine started normally and as quietly as it ever had.
Although unneeded for summer(or most winter temps in my area), I wanted to stick with a 0w just for the cold engine starts. Same with the 40 weight, unneeded for my conditions but if the oil overall helps with the consumption as well as being a great oil otherwise, im happy with that. Yes, I know its overkill but for the reasonable price I can get it at Wally World, it works for me.
I know the ESP 0w-30 is rated/considered "better" than the AFE variety(or any of the ESP viscocities for that matter) but I havent seen 5 qt jugs at Wally World in my area. I may have ran that instead of the AFE but I cant use what I dont have. The 0w-40 has all the Euro manufacture and A3/B4 specs similiar to the ESP(additive package may differ but regardless) and I have no doubt it will keep my FB25 happy going forward. Even if it indeed overkill
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You win. I just ordered one.
No, you won.
gudentyte on the XVForum has been running one for a few months now too. He PM'd me over there asking me a couple questions. It took care of his start-up noises too.This is right after he installed it: