02 stage 2+ wrx oil recommendations

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Trying to get some recommendations from you guys for oil and filter combo. I've researched and it seems people recommend many different oils for these cars. Of course rt6 is common, also German castrol, euro m1 0w40, amsoil etc. What would you guys recommend? Being that this car is modified compared to stock I won't be extending the intervals very long. I believe subaru specs 5w30 for 3750 miles? What would you guys recommend for oil, filter, and oci?
 
Of course, there's always the Redline 10W-60
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Originally Posted By: A_Harman
How do you plan to use the car?

Commuting and spirited driving. I won't be beating the heck out of it, but it will be driven like the car it is every now and again
 
Originally Posted By: 02s4audi
Originally Posted By: A_Harman
How do you plan to use the car?

Commuting and spirited driving. I won't be beating the heck out of it, but it will be driven like the car it is every now and again


Occasionally going through the gears on the street won't stress the oil greatly. You can't run at high power long enough to get the oil hot enough to matter. Use a high quality synthetic oil and change it according to the severe duty schedule. If it makes you feel better, go up one viscosity grade. An oil with the Honda HTO-06 and/or Porsche A40 approvals would be good insurance. M1 0w40 has Porsche A40, and M1 5w30 has Honda HTO-06.
 
Lots of scoobaru guys like rt6. I like it as well. Although i prefer an engine oil with a higher film strength than rt6's tested 60,XXX psi ish. I throw in an ester based Motul or Redline, and when i am feeling cheap i use PUP Euro Spec 5-40. Its going into a stage "2" ej20 300 ish hp.
 
I just started running M1 HM 10w-30 in my turbo BRZ because its ACEA A3/B3 rated. I plan to switch to Redline eventually.
 
Originally Posted By: stevo585
I just started running M1 HM 10w-30 in my turbo BRZ because its ACEA A3/B3 rated. I plan to switch to Redline eventually.

That's a good thick 30
 
Any 0W40 from Wal Mart; Mobil 1, Castrol, or Pennzoil and you can run any of them for 5-6k miles.
 
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Originally Posted By: bluesubie
Any 0W40 from Wal Mart; Mobil 1, Castrol, or Pennzoil and you can run any of them for 5-6k miles.

I see you use m1, would you recommend m1 or castrol more? Also I've seen your name pop up a few times here and naosic refering to oils. Is there a reason you didn't suggest rt6?
 
Originally Posted By: 02s4audi
Originally Posted By: bluesubie
Any 0W40 from Wal Mart; Mobil 1, Castrol, or Pennzoil and you can run any of them for 5-6k miles.

I see you use m1, would you recommend m1 or castrol more? Also I've seen your name pop up a few times here and naosic refering to oils. Is there a reason you didn't suggest rt6?

I actually haven't used Castrol 0W40 very much so I don't really have an opinion one way or the other.

As for RT6, at the time it was gaining popularity among Subaru enthusiasts, I was running boutique oils like Motul, Amsoil, and Red Line (and before that the green and gold varieties of early German Castrol 0W30). And now that 0W40 is more popular in Wal Mart compared to a few years ago, I just went with those mainly because I like buying oil in 5 qt containers instead buying one gallon plus one quart.
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I also feel that much of the Subaru community went with RT6 merely based on viscosity and ZDDP levels without understanding that there are different options out there for a robust oil and without understanding that the HTHS levels in ACEA A3 oils are in a different ball park that GF5 oils. Many people also do not understand that ZDDP is not the only anti-wear additive available in oil and they automatically assume more ZDDP is better. Mobil 1 still gets a bad rap by a lot of Subaru enthusiasts that seem to lump experiences with Mobil 1 5W30 to all Mobil 1 oil, but they are usually just running the wrong viscosity for their application.

Here's a good history of Doug Hillary's use of HDEO's in petrol cars:

Quote:
Hi,
Dennis - I first experimented with HDEos in petrol engines in Europe in the early 1960s when working in Copenhagen for Caltex-Chevron in a Technical position

This was prompted by various experiences, excessive engine deposits in certain engine families, "poor" petrol engine lubricant standards and motivated by the results coming out of MB and Porsche. Porsche FF in the 1950s-1960s was a Shell HDEO

I've used HDEOs in petrol engine ever since - for nearly 50 years!

This was confirmed by extensive lubricants field testing for a number of Oil Companies over several decades

Modern appropriately classified lubricants as recommended by the engine's Manufacturer have almost effectively negated their use in petrol engines today IMO

My dealings and comparisons of HDEOs started in the early 1960s. I was always motivated by the MB and CAT lubricant specifications at a time when very few existed. I've always found that Shell and Delvac products produced the cleanest engines as the end result


https://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=2716911
 
Oops, wasn't finished!

And I'm not saying that RT6 is not a good choice for turbocharged Subies. There are just a lot of choices these days when a lot of people thought RT6 was the only option for a robust oil a few years ago.
 
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Originally Posted By: bluesubie
Oops, wasn't finished!

And I'm not saying that RT6 is not a good choice for turbocharged Subies. There are just a lot of choices these days when a lot of people thought RT6 was the only option for a robust oil a few years ago.

Thank you for your info! Having a tough time deciding. I've seen people state both oils are bad for your car lol. Just trying to get the best protection for my car. I've read motul is truly the best but it's expensive
 
Originally Posted By: 02s4audi
Originally Posted By: bluesubie
Oops, wasn't finished!

And I'm not saying that RT6 is not a good choice for turbocharged Subies. There are just a lot of choices these days when a lot of people thought RT6 was the only option for a robust oil a few years ago.

Thank you for your info! Having a tough time deciding. I've seen people state both oils are bad for your car lol. Just trying to get the best protection for my car. I've read motul is truly the best but it's expensive

Make sure you read the Best Oil sticky.
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I've used many different flavors of Motul (is "flavors" in the BITOG glossary?); Eco-nergy 5W30, X-Lite 0W30, X-cess 5W40, X-clean 5W30 and 300V 0W40/5W30. At the peak of my oil consumption I was adding about 2 qts of make-up oil per 6k OCI and decided to go with something cheaper. With the three 0W40's at Wally World meeting most of the same specs as Motul X-clean (M1 0W40 no longer meets BMW LL spec, but that's another thread) I decided that $25 or less for 5 quarts meeting similar specs to Motul X-cess was an easy choice.

For my application, Cobb Stage I OTS and still running the turbo and AVCS banjo bolt screens (I live dangerously), I keep my intervals at 5-6k miles. No doubt all of the above oils may be able to go farther, but I had turbo failure when I pushed my intervals too far. No worries about the screens on a Bugeye WRX though.

Here's a good uoa discussion for X-cess on a 9,000 mile OCI in a Bugeye. Unfortunately it's now only a discussion since the uoa is no longer there.
https://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=2992480

What engine management are you running?
 
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I run Motul 300V 5w40 on my 2005 STI. Closed deck, E85, and JR Tuned. Motul X-Cess 5w40 or 300V works well with Subarus and provides stable oil pressure at high rpm and high temperatures.
 
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