Oil for Subaru BRZ for daily driving and track use

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Apr 9, 2014
Messages
4
Location
Ca
Hi, I've done a little bit of searching and haven't managed to find anything really close enough to an answer to make me comfortable relying upon it. Therefore please be nice if this has already been answered.

Anyway, I'm driving a 2014 BRZ with ~8000 miles on it and am thinking I should change the oil again before too long. This car sees use as a daily driver and also on the track every few weeks. In terms of the engine it is all stock except for oil catch cans. On the track I am regularly seeing oil temps in the 125 C range and repeated hard accelerations has gotten me up to 135 C (all of this on cool to mild days). I am going to get an oil cooler installed in the next few weeks which should keep the oil temps down a fair amount (Hopefully to less than 110 C). Also I live in a temperate area so I don't have too much exposure to extreme cold temps though some of the tracks I go to get pretty warm in the summer.

For the engine oil the manual calls for SAE 0W-20 ILSAC GF4 or GF5 (also says the oil should say "Energy conserving" or "Resource conserving" if that makes any difference). Currently I am using Amsoil synthetic matching those requirements. Is there an oil that will do better for my use case? I don't mind spending more to save alot of trouble and cost down the road.

As a side piece, I am also thinking of changing the diff and transmission oils. The diff calls for "Differential gear oil LX" or GL-5 75W-85 or GL-5 75W-90. The manual transmission calls for "MG gear oil special II" or "API GL-3 or upper grade and SAE 75W-90 specifications"

I think I am putting this car through some rather unusual conditions so I really appreciate the assistance.
 
Originally Posted By: Flareside302
get the AMSOIL dominator racing oil 5w20.


DON'T use that oil! It's a race oil which may not have the ideal anti deposit additives or additive levels for street applications. Amsoil has better oils for your car. I assume the OP is doing SCCA Solo II or the like. If you like Amsoil, use the Signature Series 0W20.
 
I would consider looking at the oil that engine uses in Europe.

I would expect it to be 5w30.

I would think that will give you some extra protection.

As it is basically a NA Impreza engine you could have a look round Impreza forums for some oil spec advice.

If i was giving it hard track use i would likely be using Mobil 1 0w40.
 
This is from page 416 of your owner's manual:

The 20 in 0W-20 indicates the viscosity characteristic of the oil when the oil is at high temperature. An oil with a higher viscosity (one with a higher value) may be better suited if the vehicle is operated at high speeds, or under extreme load conditions.

I wouldn't use any oil with a HTHS < 3.5 on the track.

Ed
 
When you say "tracked" , many will say a 20 grade oil is too thin. You may want to step up to a 30 grade, or even a 40 grade if temps are HOT.

As for the " Resource Conserving" requirement, some would advise you to look for a 30 grade that is NOT Resource Conserving (RC). RC oils, which are most common 20 and 30 grades, are typically on the thin side of the allowable thickness range, for improved (very small amount...) fuel economy. Thin oil is just fine right up until the point it becomes too thin...! And oil gets thinner as it gets hotter, when you track your car, you run the risk of pushing the oil too hot, thus too thin...and maybe.... bang rattle rattle engine failure.

Amsoil is a quality brand, you might want to try one of their 30 grades.

Remember, too thin, and you risk engine damage, too thick, and you will lose a tenth or two in mileage, and maybe a couple of hp...

But a racetrack is a VERY different environment than the street.
 
Last edited:
This is in reply to skyactiv's post:

Thank you, I looked into this after that post and if I'm not mistaken then that oil might also damage my catalytic converters! Also, I am still just doing many HPDEs with dreams of being good enough to bother with some TTs.
 
Last edited:
Regarding all the talk of the Imprezza/WRX/STI, save for the very latest Imprezza, the engine in the BRZ is an entirely different engine (FA20 vs EJ series). Even with the latest imprezza I believe that the top end is substantially different (all Subaru, no Toyota parts).
 
Originally Posted By: edhackett
This is from page 416 of your owner's manual:

The 20 in 0W-20 indicates the viscosity characteristic of the oil when the oil is at high temperature. An oil with a higher viscosity (one with a higher value) may be better suited if the vehicle is operated at high speeds, or under extreme load conditions.

I wouldn't use any oil with a HTHS < 3.5 on the track.

Ed


This is a very good catch with the user manual. According to the data sheet for the oil I am using now, the HTHS is 2.7

I should also add that I have no brand affinity, I am using Amsoil now because it was the best that the shop that did the oil change had.
 
Napa Synthetic 5w30 should work well for you. Another low-cost option is Mobil Super Synthetic 5w30 (AAP special for $20)

It is hard to believe that a high-revving Subaru engine would want you to use 0w20, especially since none of their other cars call for it! It must have been stipulated by Toyota.

Even Toyota and Honda's high-revving engines (2ZZ, F20C, K20, etc) call for 5w30, and all of Subaru's engines call for it as well, even the cheap lowly Impreza non-WRX.

If the SN rating doesn't matter to you for warranty purposes (and you have probably voided your warranty anyway by taking it on the track), then Castrol 0w30 is also worth considering--if you can find it!
 
Down under in New Zealand we upgrade our customers (I work at a Toyota dealer) from Motul H-tech 0W20 GL5 to the 5W30 variant if they're going to be doing the odd track day. I would suggest doing the same with your current choice of Amsoil. That way you'll retain the factory warranty (if it's still covered).

We have an 86 racing series over here, turn key package from TNZ http://www.toyotaracing.co.nz/category/tr86/. All cars run Motul 300V 0W20, Transoil Expert 10W40 in the gearbox & Gear Competition 75W140 in LSD. That should give you an idea of what to run.
I use the same 75W140 in my 6MT & Torsen LSD it's great stuff although coming into winter I will be changing back to Gear300 75W90 in the 6MT.
 
Off the top of my head, the Amsoil 5W-20's might be more stable than their 0W-20's. Look at HTHS and kinematic viscosity at 100C for the 5W-20's.

FT-86club.com is an excellent resource for uoa's (check uoa threads, not random comment threads
smile.gif
).
http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=13286

There are some forced induction applications there running Red Line and Motul 300V 0W-20 with track time. Not sure if those oils are needed on stock internals and if you're naturally aspirated though. 300V 0W-20 is lighter than Red Line 0W-20 IIRC. I would go with a robust 20 grade over a light Resource Conserving 5W-30.

Run any GL 5 in the rear diff (Motul Gear 300 is popular) and use a GL4 in the front since GL3 is a dead spec. Motul Gear 300 meets GL4 and GL5 (also popular on ft86 club) and there are other popular choices at ft86 club like Pentosin (it's very light though).

tommygun - The current U.S. Impreza indeed specs 0W-20.

-Dennis
 
Last edited:
I'd recommend the Eneos manual transmission oil in your tranny. It has seemed to cure a lot of owners complaints about their shifting in subaru transmissions and in scions like mine.
 
Hopefully it is ok to add my question to this thread instead of starting a completely new one.

I recently purchased a 2014 BRZ with a manual transmission and I live in Virginia.

I autocross about once a month. The rest of my driving is 50 mile round trip commute split between highway and city. I also do an occasional spirited weekend drive.

I do not plan on actual track use. I am staying with 0W-20, but I don't know which brand and type. I am thinking of an OCI of 5k instead of 7.5k. Suggestions?
 
Originally Posted By: travisb
Hopefully it is ok to add my question to this thread instead of starting a completely new one.

I recently purchased a 2014 BRZ with a manual transmission and I live in Virginia.

I autocross about once a month. The rest of my driving is 50 mile round trip commute split between highway and city. I also do an occasional spirited weekend drive.

I do not plan on actual track use. I am staying with 0W-20, but I don't know which brand and type. I am thinking of an OCI of 5k instead of 7.5k. Suggestions?


Use the cheapest synthetic on sale. Napa Synthetic is on sale this month for only $3.49/qt. AAP has Mobil Super Synthetic and a driveworks filter for $20 total.
 
Originally Posted By: tommygunn
Originally Posted By: travisb
Hopefully it is ok to add my question to this thread instead of starting a completely new one.

I recently purchased a 2014 BRZ with a manual transmission and I live in Virginia.

I autocross about once a month. The rest of my driving is 50 mile round trip commute split between highway and city. I also do an occasional spirited weekend drive.

I do not plan on actual track use. I am staying with 0W-20, but I don't know which brand and type. I am thinking of an OCI of 5k instead of 7.5k. Suggestions?


Use the cheapest synthetic on sale. Napa Synthetic is on sale this month for only $3.49/qt. AAP has Mobil Super Synthetic and a driveworks filter for $20 total.


I sort of agree. Using any major brand synthetic (Mobil, Pennzoil, Castrol, Valvoline, Kendall) that you find on sale is good. But don't cheap out on the filter. Pay the cost difference between the cheapo filter that the auto parts store is offering in the oil change deal and a better quality synthetic or synthetic blend filter.
 
Originally Posted By: ddeflyer
This is in reply to skyactiv's post:

Thank you, I looked into this after that post and if I'm not mistaken then that oil might also damage my catalytic converters! Also, I am still just doing many HPDEs with dreams of being good enough to bother with some TTs.


Wow, you've been bitten by the track bug. If you're tracking your car every few weeks, chances are good that you're going to burn out your cats anyway due to the high sustained exhaust temperatures, not necessarily the Phosphorous coming in with the oil. Engine protection is what you need. I think stout 30-weights like PU 10w30, Redline 5w30, M1 10w30 HM, Amsoil HDD 5w30, and GC 0w30 would be safe. Don't worry too much about keeping oil temperature below 110 C. 115 - 140 C is fine for good quality synthetics.
 
For the OP, I'd use M1 0W-40. For travisb, a 5W-30 full synthetic wouldn't hurt. In both cases I'd worry about oil starvation when turning, keep an eye on the oil pressure gauge.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top