[sportsguy83]

So for daily driving (No track once in the car's lifetime maybe), some spirited driving; what oil can someone recommend? I really don''t think I need Amsoil or Red Line or Royal Purple. I also don't want to go Mobil 1 due to bad reviews. So what would be in between the higher end and Mobil 1?

Thanks.

 

[Coheed]

German Castrol 0w30.

 

[Boxer]

So for daily driving (No track once in the car's lifetime maybe), some spirited driving; what oil can someone recommend? I really don''t think I need Amsoil or Red Line or Royal Purple. I also don't want to go Mobil 1 due to bad reviews. So what would be in between the higher end and Mobil 1?

Thanks.

Castrol oils are really good and priced a bit lower than Mobil. I used Castrol Syntec months later in a car I bought used, after driving around for a bit i noticed the car running better.

 

[sportsguy83]

German Castrol 0w30.

Car manual says 0w20, did you mean that or you purposely wrote 0w30?

If so why?

 

[bluesubie]

So for daily driving (No track once in the car's lifetime maybe), some spirited driving; what oil can someone recommend? I really don''t think I need Amsoil or Red Line or Royal Purple. I also don't want to go Mobil 1 due to bad reviews. So what would be in between the higher end and Mobil 1?

Thanks.

Keep in mind that you need to compare apples to apples when talking about oil. Are there bad reviews on Mobil1 in a BRZ? Probably not. Are there bad reviews in turbo Subarus? Definitely. Why? Most Resource Conserving 5W-30 oils are not ideal in a turbo because they are designed to shear for fuel economy. IMO, people get too hung up on brand but they are not running the ideal viscosity for their application.

Car manual says 0w20, did you mean that or you purposely wrote 0w30?

If so why?

0W-30 was probably purposely written since he specifically mentioned German Castrol 0W-30 and that is only available in 0W-30. It is a thick 30 weight with a thick High Temp High Shear viscosity to meet several Euro specs. It also meets the older API SL spec sinc it has higher levels of anti-wear additives than current API SN oil. It's very popular among the turbo crowd because it maintains it's viscosity well due to the high HTHS viscosity and high kinematic viscosity (it starts at close to a 40 weight).

IMO, it's probably a bit thicker than necessary in a daily driver unless these cars start shredding oil due to the direct injection. Thicker viscosities than 0W-20 are allowed in certain conditions though. See my previous thread above.

-Dennis

 

[brianch]

A 0W20 and 0W30 are the same viscosity when hot. It's only cold when they are different.

 

[bluesubie]

A 0W20 and 0W30 are the same viscosity when hot. It's only cold when they are different.

Actually, it's the other way around. See my post above from the owner's manual. All 0W's must pass a cold cranking viscosity test at -35C, so they're useful for those of us that live in the North Pole.

And "0W" isn't necessarily the viscosity of the oil either. It signifies that the maximum mPa of the oil is no higher than
6200 mPa's. Resource Room
The 20 in a 0W-20 means that the viscosity of the oil at 100C/212F can be anywhere from 5.6 to <9.3 cSt's. The 30 in a 0W-30 means that the viscosity at 100C/212F can be anywhere from 9.3 to <12.5 cSt's.
Resource Room

The numbers on the bottle represent a range and is why you sometimes see people referring to "thick 20 weights" or "thin 30 weights". To see the actual viscosity of an oil at any given temperature, you need to use a viscosity calculator and enter the 40C and 100C viscosities from the oil manufacturers product data sheet.
Graph your oils

-Dennis

 

[sascuderi]

so who here changes there own oil.

I do on all my cars and plan to continue with this one...always use mobil one oil and filter.

 

[BRZfan]

on new engines, it is recommended to use non-synthetic for the first oil change to allow the rings to seat properly. When I rebuilt my engine in the 240, I ran non-synthetic for the first 3,000 miles. Then changed to full synthetic from there on out. Im at around 7,000 miles on the build, and everything is running and looking perfect. Odds are its going to have conventional from the factory for that very reason. After your first oil change, I would switch to synthetic. Superior wear protection, but still will change 3,000 miles. Sure synthetic oil may break down slower, but what has changed in the oil filter that says it still is functional past 3000 miles? Personally, Id rather not risk it. I've cut appart an oil filter before, and was kind of surprised to see how low-tech they are. Looks like crumpled cardboard with a bunch of particles in it....After that, Im all for changing more often that not. Also, I have read that most low end filters use cardboard media and some have no check valve to retain oil at shut off so it has to fill back up when you first start the engine, meaning 0psi of pressure for a few seconds at start up. K&N filters use cotton media in their filters, but I'm unsure of whether or not they use the check valves (but I'm going to guess they do). The only ones that I know for sure use check valves are the OEM dealer filters.

Hope this info is useful for you guys.

1. What if the engine comes with full synthetic, 0w-20 when vehicle is purchaed new?

2. Doesn't the BRZ come with full synthetic?

 

[bluesubie]

1. What if the engine comes with full synthetic, 0w-20 when vehicle is purchaed new?

2. Doesn't the BRZ come with full synthetic?

Yes, the BRZ comes with 0W-20 full synthetic.

-Dennis

 

[Cozw0rth]

motul 0w-30

 

[Mr. Clean]

I've heard/read the Toyota brand synthetic 0w-20 is among the best if not the best...

 

[Subieman]

Subaru oil until the warranty is up. It isn't even particularly expensive at my dealership.

 

[Subieman]

motul 0w-30

Should not use 30 for street use. You should use 20. You may void your warranty using incorrect oil.

 

[donwrblue13]

I'm using Redline 0w-20, but it's $11 per quart.

 

[sportsguy83]

Should not use 30 for street use. You should use 20. You may void your warranty using incorrect oil.

Warranty will not be voided, the User Manual says 0w-20 or higher grade depending on driving conditions. The difference between 0w-20 and 0w-30 is nothing to worry about.

 

[Subieman]

Warranty will not be voided, the User Manual says 0w-20 or higher grade depending on driving conditions. The difference between 0w-20 and 0w-30 is nothing to worry about.

I think the manual says 30 is ok for severe conditions or something to that effect. Generally speaking this would refer to running the engine continuously at high temperatures and high loads. A hot track day might warrant a precautionary oil change for example.

The decision to be made on which grade of oil to use should be based on using the lowest summer weight number you can safely use. There are no reasons to use 30 weight for the street unless you are driving flat out across Death Valley. There are very good reasons not to use 30 unless you need to.

 

[sportsguy83]

I think the manual says 30 is ok for severe conditions or something to that effect. Generally speaking this would refer to running the engine continuously at high temperatures and high loads. A hot track day might warrant a precautionary oil change for example.

The decision to be made on which grade of oil to use should be based on using the lowest summer weight number you can safely use. There are no reasons to use 30 weight for the street unless you are driving flat out across Death Valley. There are very good reasons not to use 30 unless you need to.

I understand what you are saying and agree. Now, my point here is, the difference between 0w-20 and 0w-30 is so small, he will be fine.

Now, if we were talking about 10w-40, that would be a red flag. 0w-30 if you are one of those people that constantly push the car, will not harm it much. This is a balance between minimum friction (0w-20 which primary function is fuel economy) and the smallest grade you can use that will keep oil temps down and not breakdown under the high temps. I am running turbo, but do not track regularly and I'm running Motul 0w-30.

 

[Subieman]

If you fit a turbo or supercharger then I agree you are definitely running the engine under "severe" conditions. I am fully familiar with turbo engines (SAAB and Audi) and using oil tough enough to take the heat inside the turbo bearings is critical. Even a mechanically supercharged engine can benefit from tougher oil due to increased heat rejection from the combustion chambers. Either form of supercharging (turbo being a variety of supercharging) raises the effective compression ratio whenever boost pressure is delivered.

BTW, although it is true that 0W 20 oils are used in search of fuel economy the racing teams use similar low viscosity oils in search of horsepower. Fuel economy and horsepower are two sides of the same coin.

This is why I say you should use the lowest viscosity oil you are permitted, especially if you are a power freak.....always remembering that a broken engine produces the least power though.

 

[donwrblue13]

IMO, on NA engines that are going to see track use I'd suggest running 0w-20 but fit an oil cooler kit to keep oil temps in check. You might want to run a little bit higher viscosity on turbo/sc engines though.