Newbie with 2006 Impreza WRX

[G1-Focus]

Hello all.

I just bought a 2006 WRX. The build date is February 2006 and I bought it early August 2006. It had 51 miles on it as a test drive car (I also test drove it). So I figured it should have an oil change and I did so 50 miles later.

I put in 4 quarts of Mobil-1 5w-30 and 1/2-quart of Marvel Mystery Oil (I've done this on other cars I've had); and I used a CarQuest oil filter.

Apparently Subaru uses (or will use) a 10w-50 oil that is changed by the dealer to 5w-30 when it gets to the States due to emissions standards. I also have read that the Subaru will also eat oil and thus the reason for the manufacturer switching to the 10w-50. (???)

None-the-less, this is my first turbo car and I want to do right. I don't race the car, but I will drive it hard from time to time after I break it in.

I do a mix of driving with most of it local and I do an average of 25 miles a day. I will try to take the car out on weekends and go for hour or two long drives. I live in Connecticut and most of the local roads here are slightly winding, hilly, about 30mph and there is stop and go driving. So I would say that I fall into the "severe" category of driving

I understand that the 5w-30 should be fine for this time of year through the winter. But if I read correctly, I would want to change to the "thicker" oil in the spring through the summer. I believe that I could switch to, for example, Mobil-1 15w-50.

I also read about oil filters, but see little information regarding the Wix filter that Carquest carries.

If I tip the scale one way, I would say that the 5w-30 and the Wix filter, year round, would be fine. If I tip the scale the other way then a different oil for summer and a different filter with "better" filtering abilities, are in order.

To give you an idea, I had a 1990 Mustang LX-SC that I sold with 113,000 miles on it. It burned no oil and the engine ran quiet and smooth. The underside of the valve covers were still mostly aluminum colored.

I changed the oil & filter every 3,000 miles. The fuel filter every 10,000 miles. The air filter every 30,000 miles. The power steering fluid every year. The brake fluid every two years. The coolant and thermostat every two years. The T-5 trans fluid (ATF) every year (no scoring on synchros @ 89,000 miles) and the differential oil every year and the axle bearings every 50,000 miles.

Obsessive, maybe? Yes!

I'm trying to give you some insight to me so that you can give me some advice regarding oil, oil filters and other lubricants and fluids and I do appreciate it.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Rand]

About the only comment I have is I wouldnt use MMO in a new car.. it wont be any more beneficial
than regular oil..
5w40 seems like a good grade maybe?
you may lose a small amt of HP and MPG if you
go above 30wt.

 

[gtx510]

I'd use GC or a synthetic xW40.
And Pure-One (Purolator) oil filters.

Add a turbo timer or cool the engine nicely before shut-off.

And I'd start thinking about changing the driveline fluids to Redline, Amsoil, Motul, SF, etc..

But I'd also add a turbo up-pipe, CAI, turbo-back exhaust, SMIC or FMIC, ECU reflash, BB turbo, etc, etc....

[ September 04, 2006, 02:21 AM: Message edited by: gtx510 ]

 

[carock]

With all turbo cars I recommend Redline oil because it keeps the turbo bearing clean. Doubtless the other top tier synthetics will work as well. If you run Redline 10-40 it will not have any EPA additive considerations as the EPA only inluences oils 30W or less. You should consider installing a bypass filter, they will double your engine life if installed correctly and extend the life of the turbo bearing indefinitely. See the bypass filter section. A board sponsor, Specialty Formulations, has a lot of fans for his transmission and differential oils.The latest Amsoil EAo full flow filters may be the best on the market if cost is not a problem.

 

[Titan]

One consideration you might want to consider is, the "better" the filtering capability, the more resistance there across the filter medium. If you get too high of a resistance, the overpressure valve will open....not a big problem, as long as your filter design doesn't allow the bypassing oil to sweep past the junk caught on the filter material.

For moderate use up to about 150,000 miles, that engine should be just fine using any SM-grade oil and changing it according to the owner's manual. If you drive it hard, be more selective in your oil choices and intervals. It should still run you 150000 miles with few problems. A buddy of mine tracks a 450+ HP WRX, along with a double-handful of other nuts, and they swear the engine lasts 50000+ before needing rebuilding at those output levels. Really tough engines, generally speaking.

 

[rjundi]

quote:

---

Originally posted by gtx510:

Add a turbo timer or cool the engine nicely before shut-off.

....

---

Do not add a turbo timer to a WRX. Its the biggest waste of money and not required as Subaru designed cooling to occur by convection if its very hot. In about 99% of your driving your turbo is not in boost for the last few minutes before pulling into a parking space or into a driveway or neigborhood. There is no difference between driving
Turbo timer = BLING

Lastly check out NASIOC.com for further info if not already.

 

[G1-Focus]

Thank you for the feedback.

It seems that I will stick to the synthetic 5w-30 for fall/winter and switch to the synthetic 5w-40 for the summer and no additives.

As for oil changes, it's either the 3,750 or 7,500 as recommended by Subaru. I understand why they have the two different schedules and I fall somewhere inbetween so I will split the difference and go with an every 5,000 mile oil & filter change.

I do let the car warm up for a few minutes and I drive off but I drive like grandpa. I do the idle cool down in the driveway as well.

I reasonably expect to keep the car as long as I can. I have had good luck with regularly changing the fluids & filters. Based on my expected needs & usage, the bypass filter won't be added.

Where can one find the Pure-One filter by Purolator and how much does it generally retail for? How is the Wix filter that I get from CarQuest?

Around here I have a CarQuest store that I frequent and plus I know the owners and they take care of me (a little bit in pricing and a little bit in getting me items that they don't get for others).

There is also an Autozone in the next town over. We also have another independent retailer and I think they carry Fram, but it's been a while since I've been there.

There is another independent over the line and I know two guys there that used to work for a local dealer. As I recall (haven't been there either for a while) they carry a more broad line of filters.

Again, thanks for your feedback.

 

[Mako]

I say run GC all year also, along with the Subaru oil filters. Even on a 100 degree day on the track, a good 5w-40 like Delvac 1 is plenty and will give lower oil temps than a 15w-50.

One thing nobody mentioned is you might want to break in the car with dino oil and use some boost during the break-in period to seat the rings. People that have oil consumption problems usually switched to synthetic too early or babied the car too much during break-in. The boxer engine design allows some oil to seep past the rings at rest if they're not seated well.

 

[Titan]

Wix is a better design, theoretically, than the PureOne, due to the location of the overpressure relieve valve. PureOne lists for 5.88 at Advance Auto. I think you can get the Wix for just a bit more. I think NAPA GOLD is a Wix...someone correct me if that's not correct.

 

[dave1251]

NAPA Gold is a Wix filter. You are correct but I don't have a prize for you Titan. Sorry.

 

[AndyH]

G1-Focus: I'd consider the excellent quality OEM Subaru oil filters as well (made in Japan by Tokyo Roki). They are pretty reasonable if purchased in bulk (packs of 6 or 12) from a number of online Subaru parts dealers.

Here's an interesting turbo Subaru-specifiec oil filter study posted over on one of the STi forums a while back:
STi Oil Filter Analysis Preliminary Data (Dimensions + Pics)

I'm using Castrol Syntec 0W-30 (a.k.a., "German Castrol" or simply "GC") year-round in my STi. It is a "thick" 30-weight oil that has a bit of a cult following here on BITOG. Check out the GC & Euro/Import Oils forum for more info on this oil. There really is no need to go thicker than a 40-weight oil in your WRX, unless you spend tons of time on the track. I'd highly recommend you try the Castrol Syntec 0W-30 before moving up to a 5W-40 oil.

BTW,

to BITOG!

 

[Titan]

quote:

---

Originally posted by dave1251:
NAPA Gold is a Wix filter. You are correct but I don't have a prize for you Titan. Sorry.

---

Just the satisfaction of being right once in a while is enough prize for me!

 

[falconman]

Keep in mind that CarQuest has two different filter lines- "Red" and "Blue." Red is the economy line. Blue is the premium line. Both are made by Wix and I believe the blue is the same as the Wix and the NAPA Gold filters.

 

[Dominic]

I'd run Valvoline 5W-40 Synpower or Mobil1 5W-40 for 5000mi durations and call it great. Any filter you want will be adequete. Any synthetic will handle your abuse for 5000 miles without worry. 5W-30 should also be adequate weightwise, but the 5W-40 euro formulas are a little "beefier"

If you need more beef than that, run a 5W-40 synthetic diesel rated oil.

Enjoy the WRX.

 

[Eddie]

Subarus' technical service department stated and recomended the first oil change at 3,000 miles and NOT before 1,000 miles. You want to do your new car good and don't follow the manufactures recomendations?

 

[BlueWorld]

quote:

---

Originally posted by rjundi:
There is no difference between driving strong>

---

There is actually a huge difference. Crusing @2500 with little to no boost will give you better oil pressure and flow and well as VASTLY better air flow to cool the oil/turbo.

Ending any drive with a couple minutes of low/no boost 2K cruise is the best way to ensure turbo cool down.

 

[Audity]

This is off-topic, but -

Lime Rock is just up the road a piece from Greenwich...

You might consider a driver-school day or two with one of the groups that run there (BMW club, SCDA, etc), where you're in a group with others of similar experience and have an instructor in the passenger seat the whole time.

A great learning experience, and the WRX is a whole lot of fun on the track...

 

[FD777]

quote:

---

Originally posted by G1-Focus:
I also have read that the Subaru will also eat oil and thus the reason for the manufacturer switching to the 10w-50. (???)

---

My Subaru eats about 1/2 qt. every ~3k miles. I have only tried 30 weights (0w-30, 5w-30, 10w-30).

In the future, I'll eventually try a 40/50 weight to see if that alleviates the problem. For now, I'm not too worried about a little consumption.

Based off of forums, many WRX's consume considerable oil.
Based off my friends, they have little to no consumption.
Just remember that when reading forums, you're more likely to see problems than praises.

As for your filter, I prefer the OEM (Subaru - Tokyo Roki). Someone did a comparison here - click on the .xls file.

[ September 06, 2006, 12:21 AM: Message edited by: FD777 ]

 

[G1-Focus]

Thanks everyone for the advice.

Honestly, I did not do my homework and took it upon myself to switch directly to the M-1 oil. I really thought that given the way cars are built today, and that more and more are filled with either blended or fully synthetic oil from the start that what harm could I do? Also, I do baby the car when I drive it.

I know that the car was built 2/06 and purchased by me 8/06 and it had 51 miles on the odometer. This means it had the oil in it for 6-months and the car was used for test drives. Who knows how the car was treated and if it were warmed up and cooled down. I also have a feeling that the window tint shop took it for a beat-on drive as well.

The car won't be on a track. It's a daily driver that I will push here and there when no one is around. Put simply, if I take it to the track and have an accident, I can't afford either the cost to fix it and/or be without the car.

Alright, I am here now. One month and 835 miles later.

Do I switch back to dino lube or leave the synthetic in there? Yes I know that it's ultimately up to me to decide.

Thanks again.

 

[Mako]

I'd say run GTX or another good 5w-30 dino for the first couple oil changes and switch back to synthetic somewhere between 5000 and 10,000 miles. Then consider a track day =).

You're missing a lot of the car's potential by not taking it to the track, it's really much too fast to push it (safely) on the street. If for no other reason, you can acquaint yourself with its handling quirks like lift-throttle oversteer in a controlled environment. That knowledge might save your car someday.