Oil for 2009 Subaru WRX - recommendation request

[irish44j]

1. What kind of vehicle you have
2009 Subaru WRX. Engine/turbo/etc is stock and will stay that way for the foreseeable future.

2. What your owner's manual says
ILSAC GF-4 or API SM "ENERGY CONSERVING" is recommended. Table lists recommended viscosities of 5W30 or 5W40 for all temps, 10W/30/40/50 over 0*F, also notes 10W50, 20W40/50 for "severe driving conditions"

3. Where you live
Washington D.C. area - winters usually teens to 40*F, summers 80-90*F.

4. How you drive (easy? hard? fast? slow?)
I drive moderately for general commuting, though I get on it hard on occasion working into traffic, etc. I don't street race and generally keep rpms in midrange or lower. I also autocross about 10 times per spring/summer. I do not drag.

5. What your daily drive is like (short trips? long trips? city? highway?)
About 25 miles. First 5 are suburban with some lights and some stop and go. Next 15 are highway around 70mph with some backups. Last 5 are suburban with most of my "most aggressive" driving since people on that side of the river drive crazy.
I occasionally do longer trips 50-100 miles, but few "really long" trips in this car.

6. Whether your car has any known problems
None.

* I would prefer to stick with dino oil. I am pretty religious about 3k-4k mile changes with a decent filter (Mobil1 or Pure1), so I would rather not spend a boatload on my oil.
* I am not concerned with eke-ing every last hp out of the engine. I would rather have the best protection for longevity.
* In spring/summer I tend to warm the car up for about 1 minute before driving, and then am going 25mph for a few miles before ever getting into boost.
* In winter I'll give it a few minutes to warm up
* I don't mind using different oil/viscosity during cold and warm seasons.

suggestions?

 

[irish44j]

Also would prefer a brand/weight/viscosity I can get at the local Advance Auto, as it is right down the street, or at other general auto parts stores or perhaps wal-mart or something....

 

[d00df00d]

Welcome to BITOG, Irish. Done with the Maxima?

 

[sicko]

Turbos are rough on oil, so if you're going for conventional I'd suggest something a slight step up that isn't really that much of a step up in price. Maybe a semi-synthetic like Motorcraft 5w-30 or Valvoline MaxLife 5w-30.

The reason for these suggestions are b/c both are semi-synthetic and will hold up a little better against the heat and abuse the turbo creates on them. Both are quality oils that are great values.

If you're going with a pure conventional, I'd suggest something that has proven itself like Pennzoil yellow bottle 5w-30.

The thing is that UOAs have shown that turbo powered Subarus like thicker oils, so things like German Castrol (GC) which is a 0w-30 but is a rather thick 30 weight, or Mobil 1 0w-40 which is on the thinner side of 40 weights, have both shown to put up good wear numbers. Though i must say that since you have to change the oil every 3750 miles to maintain the warranty, it'll be a waste of perfectly good oil every time you drain it out.

You could also look into something like Shell Rotella T6 5w-40, it's a synthetic 5w-40 that should work very well in your Subaru. Though it's about $20 for 4 qts at walmart, and you're going to need about 4.5-5 quarts for your vehicle.

Honestly, if I was in your shoes I'd use a synthetic b/c the turbo could be rough, but I'd wait till there's a sale and then get 2 oil changes worth. Then once the second oil change goes in, I'd start looking for a good sale and then buy 2 oil changes worth again. There are good deals to be had if you keep an eye out, I'm right now doing oil changes for just under $15 using Mobil 1 and a PureOne filter b/c of the deals that were going on.

Also, you mentioned letting the car warm up for a minute when starting it up, but since it's a turbo I'd say to also let it idle for 30 seconds before turning it off too. This will allow the turbo to cool down some.

Well those are my initial thoughts, but I'm also jet lagged and tired so I'm not thinking the most clearly right now

 

[sicko]

Oh, one last thing, the reason for me suggesting MaxLife 5w-30 is b/c it's a semi-synthetic that has shown to protect engines very well, and despite being a "high mileage oil" it's safe to use even on new vehicles. Also, it's a thick 5w-30, and as I mentioned UOAs have shown that Subarus like thick oils

 

[irish44j]

Originally Posted By: d00df00d
Welcome to BITOG, Irish. Done with the Maxima?

sold it about 18 months ago...it's still on the org though, and still local.

wrx = much more teh fun!

Been browsing BITOG for years on various topics from lawnmowers to oil for my GT6, but don't think I've ever posted before...or not in a long time. Too much contradictory/opinionated [censored] on oil on the subie forums for my liking. So I come here...

 

[irish44j]

@sicko...thanks. I used MaxLife on previous high-mileage cars and was always pleased with it (and never had any engine problems in cars 250k+ miles). Good to hear that it's a bit thicker, that's what I was looking for if not changing to a 40 weight.

 

[dgee]

Most of the conventional oils out there are perfectly fine for a 3-4k OCI.
However, because you're running a turbo, a synthetic would be recommended.
A stout 30 weight such as GC or possibly a syn blend for your relatively short OCI's such as MotorCraft

 

[Pook]

5w40 RTS. If your on a budget, you can run 15w40 in the summer, and 5w40 winter. I actually did see a 30 wt rotella on the shelf at wally world. Your subaru suffers from a short skirt. Not a problem in women, but is one for your car. You'll notice old subaru's have a horrible knocking sound when they start up- but goes away when warm. This is just wear on the pistons, because of their short skirts due to the boxer design.

 

[irish44j]

I've noticed Castrol Edge full synthetic 5w30 on sale recently. That's what is in the wife's 4Runner (which goes about 5k miles a year, so don't change oil often and not concerned with cost as much as my wrx, which goes 20k/year). Thoughts on that?

@Pook - what is "RTS"? And would 10w40 in it be worthwhile as well?

@dgee - yeah, I pretty much never have an OCI over 4k. Doing OCs is a good excuse to get under the car and play with my suspension

 

[Steve S]

Any of the major brand proper rated oils will do the job. I do not know if the turbo is watercooled but idleing down after running hard is good for a turbo.

 

[cafasco]

Due to the turbo, Rotella T6 5w/40 synth, or any HDO 15w/40. Given your location in Va, maybe you can run 15w/40 year round?

Personally, I would run the 5w/40 but stretch the OCI to 5-6K in that car. The longer OCI would help cover the increased cost of oil while offering much better protection for the turbo(and rest of the engine) even out to 6K OCI or beyond.

 

[bluesubie]

If I used conventional, it would probably be a High Mileage oil or 10W-40 (or HM 10W-40) with a treatment of Auto-RX every 15k miles.

Ed Hacket runs conventional Rotella 10W-30 in his Legacy GT every 3,750 with good uoa results.

-Dennis

 

[Durango]

Irish44j,

Your driving habits appear to be normal and with the way your drive you drive out any moisture that can collects inside the engine.

You stated you want to stick with dino BUT indications are you also said you use Mobil 1 and aPure 1 oil filter. You realize that's a synthetic oil which is fine in my book if that's what you want to use. I'm a synthetic oil junkie myself and use M1 in both my car and truck.

If your thinking budget you might consider trying Quaker State "Q" synthetic as it's a little cheaper than Mobil 1 but is just as good. In addition their's Kendell "Full Synthetic" that is rpiced at my local parts store of $4.99/quart. Super deal no matter which was you wanna go towards. Both are excellent quality oils.


Durango

 

[shpankey]

I know u don't want synth. But another vote here for Rotella T6 5w40. It's on the cheap end on price but Scoobie turbo's love this oil.

 

[irish44j]

@Durango - just to clarify, I don't use Mobil1 oil, I use Mobil1 or PureOne filters....

 

[edhackett]

As Dennis said, I use Rotella Triple Protection 10W-30 in my Legacy GT. It works as well or better than any of the synthetics I ran in my 2003 WRX. I'm staying with the 3750K change interval until 60K. At that time I'll remove the turbo screen and switch to T5 10W-30 and a 5K interval.

I would not use any GF4 rated 5W-30 conventional or synthetic (Edge, M1's standard PCMO, etc.)in a turbo Subaru. It will thank you for using a XW-30-40 that meets ACEA A3, or has a HTHS rating of at least 3.5. The Rotella T6 5W-40 mentioned would be an excellent choice in a reasonably price synthetic. T6 is a "no brainer", don't loose a second of sleep choice at it's price/performance point.

You need to stay with a 3750K interval while the car is under warranty. The higher priced synthetics are hard to justify at such short OCI's when a HDEO like Rotella 10W-30 will do the job for less than or the same cost as any of the conventional PCEOs.

Ed

 

[irish44j]

Thanks guys - I have about 6qt of 5w-40 MaxLife out in the garage...had it for my vintage car...so will use that this time and switch to Rotella T6 next time around, since it appears to be a good choice. Appreciate the comments!

josh

 

[SilverGGA]

Why don't you use the OEM oil filter. No after-market filters meet Subaru's spec.

 

[irish44j]

Originally Posted By: SilverGGA
Why don't you use the OEM oil filter. No after-market filters meet Subaru's spec.


honestly, because the Subaru dealer is in the most inconvenient, traffic-choked, pain-in-the-[censored]-to-get-to area it could possibly be around here and I absolutely hate going there.

And the Advance Auto is practically walking distance.

By "don't meet Subaru's spec" are you saying that the OEM filter has superior filtering/construction to anything aftermarket? Or just that SOA only recommends their own filter?

My