Oil for 2010 Subaru WRX

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Apr 20, 2010
Messages
16
Location
Seattle, WA
1. What kind of vehicle you have
I have a brand new 2010 Subaru WRX w/only 2000 miles on the odometer. The only mods that it has is an SPT cat-back exhaust. Everything else, turbo, engine, etc. is stock and will stay this way for awhile.

2. What your owner's manual says -- not just viscosity, but certifications (look for acronyms like API SM, ILSAC GF-4, etc.) and change intervals as well
Recommended oil grade:
ILSAC GF-4, which can be identified with the ILSAC Certification Mark (Starburst Mark) or API classification SM with the words “ENERGY CONSERVING.”
Recommended grade and viscosity under severe driving conditions:
If the vehicle is used in desert areas, in areas with very high temperatures, or is used for heavy-duty applications, use of oil with the following grade and viscosities is recommended: API classification SM (or SL): SAE viscosity No.: 30, 40, 10W-50, 20W-40, 20W-50


3. Where you live
I live in Seattle, WA. The winters (usually pretty mild) are usually 20's-50's and summers are usually 55's-80's. As you know, it is generally pretty wet, rainy, and cool. :)

4. How you drive (easy? hard? fast? slow?)
I drive pretty mildly and sometimes spirited, meaning, usually keeping the RPM's under 4k w/the occasional speed spurts (merge onto the freeway or when I feel like having a little bit of fun). I do not drag race or track the car, but I might try autocrossing in the future.

5. What your daily drive is like (short trips? long trips? city? highway?)
Being fairly close to work, my commute is mainly city driving (24 miles round-trip). So about 70% city / 30% highway. I love driving my car so I will often take short trips to the store, etc w/occasional longer commutes.

6. Whether your car has any known problems
The car is brand new, has about 2000 miles on the odometer and has not had an oil change yet. I check the oil at every gas fill up and noticed that the car has burned just a little bit of oil in the first 2000 miles. I hear it is normal to burn a wee bit of oil during the break-in periods while the engine is still new. The oil loss is only about ~1/4 below the F line on the dipstick (was at the F line but went down after a long, spirited trip to the mountains). Other than that, no known issues.

The car is well taken care of and garaged every night. I make sure the car is up to operating temperature before getting into boost. I would like the best protection as possible for my turbo car. I am not opposed to using synthetic or conventional and am open to all suggestions. All suggestions and comments are welcome. Thanks in advance!
 
Last edited:
I am pretty sure that the viscosities you listed arent the only allowed ones. I would think that they would also allow a 10w-30, perhaps a 5w-30, etc.

What Id be looking for if I were you is an ILSAC GF-4, API SM oil that is robust enough to take turbo applications. To me, that drives us towards an ACEA A3 oil.

I'd personally try to find a 0w-30, 0w-40 or 5w-40 oil to use.

Something like GC may be the best of all worlds, and the various "euro" oils might be good. Definitely give M1 0w-40 a look.
 
welcome2.gif


A lot of Subaru turbo owner's wait until 10k-ish to switch to synthetic since these cars take a while to break in and oil change intervals (oci's) are kept short. I would recommend a good conventional 10W-30 like Havoline, Chevron, Pennzoil, or Rotella conventional 10W-30 (if you can find it) for the first 8-10k.

Popular synthetic choices are robust 30 grades (e.g. Syntec 0W-30; aka German Castrol) and Rotella T 5W-40.

Are you intending to stick with Subaru's turbo oci of 3,750 miles?

19.gif

-Dennis
 
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
I am pretty sure that the viscosities you listed arent the only allowed ones. I would think that they would also allow a 10w-30, perhaps a 5w-30, etc.

What Id be looking for if I were you is an ILSAC GF-4, API SM oil that is robust enough to take turbo applications. To me, that drives us towards an ACEA A3 oil.

I'd personally try to find a 0w-30, 0w-40 or 5w-40 oil to use.

Something like GC may be the best of all worlds, and the various "euro" oils might be good. Definitely give M1 0w-40 a look.

Good catch. I think the OP left out 5W-30 is preferred for fuel economy, and 10W-30 and 5W-40 is allowed in higher temps.

-Dennis
 
I would consider Castrol Syntec 0W-30(GC), Mobil 1 0W-40, or one of the 5W-40 HDEO oils such as Rotella T6. I know that none of these are on your owner's manual recommended list of viscosities, but this is what I would use. You could also consider Rotella T5, which is a HDEO 10W-30 synthetic blend. Also, Schaeffers, Redline and Amsoil make some fine oils that would work well in your application. I am not a big fan of energy-conserving oils in turbo-charged engines, even though that is what seems to be what your owner's manual calls for.
 
Oops, you guys are right. The 5w30 is the recommended grade. I must have overlooked that! Reading the Subaru boards, it seems like Subaru's burn Mobile 1 for some reason, so that is out of the question. For whatever reason, there have been more than a few WRX's drinking Mobile 1 like water and then spin a bearing.
 
Originally Posted By: bluesubie
welcome2.gif


A lot of Subaru turbo owner's wait until 10k-ish to switch to synthetic since these cars take a while to break in and oil change intervals (oci's) are kept short. I would recommend a good conventional 10W-30 like Havoline, Chevron, Pennzoil, or Rotella conventional 10W-30 (if you can find it) for the first 8-10k.

Popular synthetic choices are robust 30 grades (e.g. Syntec 0W-30; aka German Castrol) and Rotella T 5W-40.

Are you intending to stick with Subaru's turbo oci of 3,750 miles?

19.gif

-Dennis


Yes, I intend to stick w/the OCI of 3,750. I heard very good things about Rotella 5W-40, but hear that the high level of zinc is bad for the catalytic converter?? Is that true or is that issue non-existent with the new blends? If the pros outweigh the cons, I am all for it. Also, being in Seattle, can I run the said 5W-40 or 0w-30 all year round or should I run something different for winter vs summer? Thank you for the quick replies!
 
Last edited:
High levels of zinc, sulfur, and phosphorus can be bad for cats, but RTS is SM rated so it should be fine. You would also have to be burning a lot of oil for it to get to the cats.

A lot of guys are running mixed fleet (gas/diesel) oils and are very happy with them. I would probably stick with 5W-40 in winter unless you have very short trips. Although it doesn't get too cold there anyway.

-Dennis
 
Last edited:
Is it still beneficial and/or cost effective if I were to use full synthetic, but still change my oil every 3750 or so? Does my short OCI impact the effectiveness or anything? Can you tell I am a newbie regarding oil usage? :)
 
If 5w-30 is the recommended grade then stick with it. Put a few miles on it then switch to a synthetic 5w-30. Stay away from those 40 and 50 weights like some people love to recommend on a newer car.
 
Originally Posted By: Hemi426
If 5w-30 is the recommended grade then stick with it. Put a few miles on it then switch to a synthetic 5w-30. Stay away from those 40 and 50 weights like some people love to recommend on a newer car.


Do you have any input on brand/kind for my turbo-4?
 
Last edited:
Mobil 1, Pennzoil Platinum, Pennzoil Ultra is really coming on. You could also try Amsoil or GC(0w-30).
 
With your intended shorter oci of approx 3750 miles, the I would definitely consider one of the more economically priced conventional HDEOs such as 10W-30 Delo 400 LE, or even a synthetic blend such as the Rotella T5 10W-30. These will be more robust than a PCMO for anti-wear, high temp viscosity retention, and maximum cleanliness in the turbo and engine.
 
Originally Posted By: Hemi426
If 5w-30 is the recommended grade then stick with it. Put a few miles on it then switch to a synthetic 5w-30. Stay away from those 40 and 50 weights like some people love to recommend on a newer car.


Subaru themselves recommend heavier oils depending upon application. It isnt just a recommendation based upon thin air.
 
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Originally Posted By: Hemi426
If 5w-30 is the recommended grade then stick with it. Put a few miles on it then switch to a synthetic 5w-30. Stay away from those 40 and 50 weights like some people love to recommend on a newer car.


Subaru themselves recommend heavier oils depending upon application. It isnt just a recommendation based upon thin air.


Right! It's in the actual manual! It's one of the few new car manufacturers that still believe "application" can be a deciding factor on oil viscosity.
 
I really wish delo 10w30 was easily available, same goes for Rotella 10w30. Either of those oils would be a good choice for the 3750 mile oci.

For synthetic there are a lot of options. Amsoil, GC, RTS, PU, etc. For your driving and application you could stick with a solid 30 weight.
 
Originally Posted By: webfors
I really wish delo 10w30 was easily available, same goes for Rotella 10w30. Either of those oils would be a good choice for the 3750 mile oci.

For synthetic there are a lot of options. Amsoil, GC, RTS, PU, etc. For your driving and application you could stick with a solid 30 weight.


Can you get them at let's say a Shucks or automotive hardware store? That would be nice since it is near my house.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top