Oil for Subaru Forester 2.5X ?

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I would hazard a guess that there are more Subies running aftermarket filters than Subie ones....with no oil filter related problems.

Bill from Utah seems to be the Subie oil and filter expert. Hopefully he will chime in.

My sons '07 2.5i has over 70,000 mile, most with aftermarket oil filters. I have used most name brand synthetics as well as Trop Arctic blend. Dealer uses Quaker State 5W-30 bulk which I have use a few times as well. Dino OCI's 5,000. Synthetic 7,500 give or take a few miles/

BTW the Subie runs and sounds better than new (have Pennzoil Ultra 5W-30 with Purolator PureOne Oil Filter PL14610 in it now)
 
Any 5w-30 conventional SM rated oil with a factory filter changed on a 3k OCI will be more than satisfactory for the life of the vehicle. Since it is a consumable item buy the cheapest SM rated oil.

That said, I use Valvoline Maxlife 10W-30 on a 6-7.5k OCI. I also court doom with a Purolator PL14460 filter (the only aftermarket filter with the correct by-pass rating) instead of the OEM because I don't like Honeywell. Works for me,YMMV.
 
The non-turbo Subaru engines are easy on oil. If Mobil 5000 is what you've got then that's what you should use, no reason to buy oil specifically for it. M5k is a quality oil that will serve you well.

As for the oil filter, I use Purolator PureOne oil filters on my Subaru. My previous Subaru went 9+ years on mostly third party oil filters and never had a lubricant related problem, or any issue that could have been caused by the oil or lack of filtration. The PureOne filters have the highest bypass setting (14-18 PSI) of any third party filter I've found, which brings them the closest to the OEM 21-23 PSI. I have no fears using the PureOne oil filter, but if you really want to get the 21-23 PSI bypass value, then you should go OEM.

Subarus are great vehicles, with great engines, and the non-turbo Subarus are easy on oil. Use whatever you have on hand and you should be fine.

BTW, owner's manual states 4.2 quarts, but I believe Subaru has since mentioned that that is without a filter change and that it's about 4.5 quarts with an oil change. Either way I have to purchase 5 quarts of oil when I do a change, I put in 4 quarts and then add from the fifth quart until its full.

Is this your first Subaru? Have you had a chance to take it out in the snow/ice yet? That's were Subarus really shine, the AWD system is excellent (but don't let yourself get over confident to the point you start doing stupid things). I gotta say though that OEM tires on my '09 Forester leave a lot to be desired. Even with the VDC it seems like the back wants to swing out when driving in snow. My old Forester didn't do that, so I can't wait till these are worn down enough to need replacing
 
Originally Posted By: sicko
The non-turbo Subaru engines are easy on oil. If Mobil 5000 is what you've got then that's what you should use, no reason to buy oil specifically for it. M5k is a quality oil that will serve you well.

As for the oil filter, I use Purolator PureOne oil filters on my Subaru. My previous Subaru went 9+ years on mostly third party oil filters and never had a lubricant related problem, or any issue that could have been caused by the oil or lack of filtration. The PureOne filters have the highest bypass setting (14-18 PSI) of any third party filter I've found, which brings them the closest to the OEM 21-23 PSI. I have no fears using the PureOne oil filter, but if you really want to get the 21-23 PSI bypass value, then you should go OEM.

Subarus are great vehicles, with great engines, and the non-turbo Subarus are easy on oil. Use whatever you have on hand and you should be fine.

BTW, owner's manual states 4.2 quarts, but I believe Subaru has since mentioned that that is without a filter change and that it's about 4.5 quarts with an oil change. Either way I have to purchase 5 quarts of oil when I do a change, I put in 4 quarts and then add from the fifth quart until its full.

Is this your first Subaru? Have you had a chance to take it out in the snow/ice yet? That's were Subarus really shine, the AWD system is excellent (but don't let yourself get over confident to the point you start doing stupid things). I gotta say though that OEM tires on my '09 Forester leave a lot to be desired. Even with the VDC it seems like the back wants to swing out when driving in snow. My old Forester didn't do that, so I can't wait till these are worn down enough to need replacing


First Subaru, and my wife is the driver 99% of time. I drive Chevy pick-ups. She previously had an S10 Blazer and likes the way the Subaru handles in the snow and on the road in slippery conditions. She is up to 25mpg and likes the vehicle just fine. I'll keep in mind the 4.5 qts of oil when I change.
 
The new Forester is not good in the snow compared to any of the 6 other subarus I've owned. May be tires but - its a tall empty box and I dont like the new rear suspension or the terrible VDC ETC. Thankfully there is an OFF switch. I wish there was an OFF switch for the hill holder too - that almost got me in the ditch too.
 
I've got a 2007 Subaru with the same engine. Cut open many a filter and posted the results here. Also a few UOAs.

I'd run any 5w-30 conventional with any CORRECT sized filter. (the longer filters get WAY too CLOSE to the header/cats on the engine)

Halvoline DS 5w-30 was a excellent fill as is really anything else I've tried.

Mine is the BEST thing I've EVER driven on ice and snow. (and I've driven for decades in the ice and snow) The Goodyear triple treads are AMAZING in every aspect. (the factory tires were good, but one was damaged in the accident so we had to replace ALL of them)

Excellent power train (a little quirky) and SAFE vehicle (ours was hit by a semi @ 8,000 miles and once fixed is like new 3 years later) A well thought out vehicle.

I was thinking about selling our Outback and picking up a Forester. If the current Forester was avail when we bought out Outback we would have ended up with one. For the $$ I feel its the best rig out there for most peoples use in 4 seasons.

We could not really justify spending another $6-8k for a newer vehicle when ours has only 36k miles and is like new.

We are going on a 6,000+ mile trip this summer and will be taking the Outback. Reports will follow.

Here are a few threads on my Subaru;

Rear diff fluids

Some things done to the new car

Subaru factory oil filter photos

Supertech filter opened

Here are UOAs of the factory fill, DS and PP.

PureONE filter cut open

Scroll down for PureONE filter off the Subaru

Thread on ATF for the Subaru

Goodyear triple tread ire thread

Another Supertech filter opened

That will give you all the threads that I've started on Subaru.
grin2.gif


Take care, bill
 
[/quote] I own one too(09), and have tried many oils. Rotella T 10w-30 works very well as does 3 quarts 5w-30 Mobil 5000 and 1 qt 10w-40 Mobil 5000. The 10w-30 for some odd reason doesnt work well. A Wix 51356 (not 65) is prob the larget quality filter that will fit. I would absolutely get the watery 20w break in oil out ASAP as we lost a rod bearing to this "water" Subarus like thicker oil. Good luck. [/quote]

The original oil caused a rod bearing to fail in a new vehicle??? Seems to me there has to be more to this story. Would you mind providing more of an explanation? Or maybe a link to a thread where you already explained it? Sorry if I sound like a disbeliever, but I guess I am.

Thanks,

Bob
 
Agree with Bill. My Forester is the simply amazing in the snow.

I'm using PP5w30, will be going to QS 5w30 conventional for the summer/fall, then use one of my remaining PP jugs for winter, and do the same cycle for another year before I need to buy more oil.

For the filter, I like the black tokyo roki filters, but you can't get them anymore. The OEM filter is a decent filter with the right specs. My next choice would be a Purolator Classic or PureOne. I'll be using one of them after my stash of roki's are gone.
 
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