Jackals

Thanks Tim,

Is it the Motul Gear 300 or will the Motul Gear 300 LS be better?

Also, I assume I have enough brake fluid...how much is needed?

Cheers

oilman

iTrader: (9)

It's the Gear 300 that you want, not the LS version.

Cheers

Tim

Jackals

Thanks Tim - ordered

oilman

iTrader: (9)

Thanks for the order.

Cheers

Tim

Diamanti

Subaru
Impreza STI Type UK PPP
2003
2ltr

standard (with ppp) 303bhp

daily use
99,000 miles
engine oil, plugs, filter changed every year.

What makes of fluids for high mileage (if that makes a difference):-

Engine oil
Diff oils (not sure if been changed ever)
Gearbox oil (not sure on make changed when clutch replaced 65k)
Brake fluid
Coolant

Thanks

oilman

iTrader: (9)

Hi

I would use a 5w-40 synthetic in the engine, unless it's burning lots of oil.

http://www.opieoils.co.uk/c-656-5w-40.aspx

Out of those, the best ones are the Fuchs/Silkolene Pro S, Millers CFS/CFS NT, Motul 300V, Red Line and Gulf Competition. The Motul 8100 X-Cess, Millers XF Longlife, Fuchs GT1 XTL/Supersyn, Gulf Formula G, Shell Helix and Mobil Super 3000 are good, cheaper alternatives.

You need a 75w-90 for the gearbox and diff.

http://www.opieoils.co.uk/c-673-75w-...ion-fluid.aspx

If you want to go for the best, the Millers CRX 75w-90 NT, Gulf Competition, Motul Gear 300, Red Line 75w-90NS and Millers TRX are ideal for the gearbox. The Castrol Universal/Universal Plus/Syntrans Multivehicle, Motul Motylgear and Fuchs Gear Syn are all decent alternatives. The Fuchs Syn 5, Millers CRX, Redline 75w-90 GL5, Motul Gear 300 and Gulf Competition are ideal for the diff. The Fuchs Sintopoid, Castrol Syntrax Longlife, Millers TRX, Motul Motylgear, Mobil SHC and Amsoil FGR are also good choices.

The best coolants are the Motul Inugel Optimal or Fuchs Pro Cool, but the Fuchs ESK, Millers Alpine, Castrol Radicool and Gulf are all fine as cheaper alternatives.

http://www.opieoils.co.uk/c-458-coolant-antifreeze.aspx

The best fluids for the brakes and clutch are the Castrol SRF, Motul RBF660 and Gulf RF1000. The Motul RBF600, Gulf RF800, Millers 300 Plus and Fuchs Pro Race are close to those, but don't have quite as high boiling points. The next step down (in performance terms), but still an upgrade over standard are the Gulf Racing 5.1, Motul DOT 5.1 and Castrol React Performance. Any of the other DOT4 fluids we have are fine to use as a standard choice.

http://www.opieoils.co.uk/c-450-brak...tch-fluid.aspx

Cheers

Tim

alastor555

I need to urgently change oil on a 1999 version V Impreza type-r, engine original, about 90k miles.
From reading previous posts I know that Millers and the other top oils are recommended in 5w-40... concerning the good but cheaper alternatives I'd like an opinion on whether Castrol Magnatec and Shell Helix Ultra, both 5w-40, are comparable in quality.

I'd also like recommendations for oil change on a 1984 Subaru Leone.

Cheers,

Marcos

oilman

iTrader: (9)

Hi Marcos

The Millers CFS and Fuchs Pro S are group IV and V blends, the Magnatec and Shell Helix 5w-40 are group III

http://www.opieoils.co.uk/pdfs/tech-...scriptions.pdf

The Magnatec and Helix are still good oils, but they are not top end performance oils.

A 10w-40 is ideal for your Leone.

http://www.opieoils.co.uk/c-657-10w-40.aspx

The best ones are the Gulf Competition, Motul 300V, Red Line and Millers CFS. As a cheaper alternative the Fuchs Syn MC, Shell HX7, Motul 6100 and Millers EE/Trident are good choices.

Cheers

Tim

oilman

iTrader: (9)

If you are struggling to find the right engine oil for your car, don't forget about our free oil advice.

All we need to know is

Make:
Model:
Year:
Engine type:
Performance modifications:
Driving style: (road / off-road / track etc)
Any other information that may be relevant: e.g. approx BHP if modified, oil temps if known

If you need help you can call us Monday - Friday 8:30am to 5:30pm on 01209 202944, email us at sales@opieoils.co.uk, or use our Recommendation form, or just ask here.

crazyspeedfreakz

iTrader: (92)

Hi oilman ...

I'm just about to place a order on your site
I'm currently using 10w/40 gulf comp engine oil... Without issue
Just wondering if it I'm due a change due to spec changing..

Details are :

1999 Impreza, type r
Standard 2ltr engine
Bhp 360
Standard oil temp. 90

Mods : sc38 turbo, loads of others not sure if relevent ecu, injec, exhaust system etc etc
Fast road use... No tracks.

Can u confirm if I'm still ok on 10/40 or if I'd be better on say 10/60
Also what quantity is needed for a full oil change..

Many thanks, Csf

oilman

iTrader: (9)

Hi

As the oil isn't getting that hot, I'd stick with the 10w-40. A 5L can will be plenty for a change.

Cheers

Tim

oilman

iTrader: (9)

If you’re in need of oil advice and recommendations then please just ask, we are happy to help. You can ask us here or by PM, drop us an email to sales@opieoils.co.uk or just give us a call this afternoon, we are here till 5.30pm.

It's a great time to buy from Opie Oils, until midnight Sunday we are giving an additional 15% Off our already discounted prices on all engine oils with voucher code 15OFF.

Cheers
- oilman

alastor555

Hi, after changing oil on my 2004 WRX Wagon (engine standard) and going from Castrol Magnatec 10w-40 to Millers Nanodrive CFS NT 5w-40 I noticed an increase in oil consumption, it went from zero (never had to add oil before) to burning about a liter every 5000km.
Is it normal? Do you recommend I go back to a 10w-40? Could you elaborate a bit on the differences between a good 10w-40 and a good 5w-40 for the WRX engine specifically? Can a 10w-40 (such as Millers Oils CFS 10w-40) be fully sinthetic?
Btw, I plan to add a PPP kit soon to my WRX Wagon, I guess this would reinforce the preference for a 5w-40?
Thanks,
Marcos

drummog

Marcus

The Magnatec is an old technology oil that is not great at low temperatures and also a bit higher friction overall and suitable to an extent to longer oil changes say up to 15,000 miles and very good in dirty diesel engines.

The main advantage of a 5W/40 oil and this one in particular is that they are much better at low temperatures, therefore protecting the engine better at start-up.

This oil also is advised to have less overall friction therefore possibly a touch higher power from the engine and less fuel used by the engine.

As this is a new technology you get the above advantages and the drawback is having to buy extra oil between changes or running with a lower level in the sump.

Neither oil will damage your engine but one of the oils is a bit of a hassle as you have to keep an eye on the dipstick.

Therefore unless you have noticed the car using less fuel than with the Magnatec or the engine having more power and I suggest both will be minimal then it's a case of what is the least hassle to use.

With all due respect to the Oilman they have yet to produce a strip down of two engine after lets say 100,000 miles with one of their "best" oils and another with say boring old Magnatec or Helix that shows a noticeable difference in wear therefore engine life.

Also most people here do not run there engines to 150,000 miles.

The PPP pack will make the car a bit faster but that will probably use more petrol.

Again advantages and disadvantages.

eddie

oilman

iTrader: (9)

Hi Marcos

With the Magnatec being a semi synthetic and the CFS being a full synthetic, it's a bit odd that the CFS is burning off quicker, but sometimes it happens.

While it's burning off quicker, the CFS is a synthetic, so provides more all round protection than a semi and lasts longer. Also, being a 5w rather than 10w, it will offer much better cold start protection.

I would suggest trying another 5w-40 synthetic as you might find oil consumption would be reduced with a different oil.

Cheers

Tim

oilman

iTrader: (9)

Hi Eddie

That would be very difficult for us to do, the time and cost of doing that is too much for us to take on. Based on feedback from customers and sponsored drivers, the better oils can make a big difference to engine wear though.

Cheers

Tim

alastor555

Thanks for the replies. If I understand correctly a 5w-40 is better than a 10w-40 for cold starts protection, and equivalent when warm. Does this mean that 5w-40 is always better than a 10w-40 then?
For instance for my 1984 Subaru Leone I was recommended to use a 10w-40 but then 5w-40 would be even better?

oilman

iTrader: (9)

Hi

In most cases a 5w-40 is a better option, but some older engines can suffer from piston slap when cold with a 5w oil.

Cheers

Tim

drummog

Tim

Agreed it would be very difficult to do and you can only recommend to an extent what your suppliers advise you about their oils and in a lot of cases they are less than open with the info.

Can you put some meat on the bones to the statement you made above when you said "the better oils can make a big difference to engine wear."

Any figures of the differences in wear on components between OK oils oils and "better" oils or before and after pictures between the wear of a component with an OK oil and with one of your "better" oils.

Sorry Tim but you did make that statement !

eddie

oilman

iTrader: (9)

Hi Eddie

Yes, we do get info from the manufacturers via the official route, but we also get unofficial information from the oil chemists and that is probably the most useful stuff.

There is a lot of anecdotal evidence to show that certain oils offer better protection than others, but it's difficult to remember all of them. One sponsored driver used to have a Sierra Cosworth, running a silly amount of power and at the end of each race season he would have a rebuild. He was using a PAO synthetic oil, then changed to an ester based synthetic and when the car went in for the rebuild at the end of the season, there was so much less wear, the engine builder thought it had only done a race rather than whole season.

There are a few cars that we deal with that have suffered a massive oil loss (without the driver realising) and have been driven (in some cases raced) and when the car has gone to be fixed afterwards, the engine builder has reported no engine damage due to oil loss. A non-ester based oil wouldn't cling to the metals and give that protection, without oil flow.

At the moment, I can't think of more examples applicable to the oils that we sell, but one thing that I think shows the benefits of top end oils over basic ones is that F1 cars use synthetics and they have the budget to do a lot more testing than us. They do not use bog standard mineral oils, but top end synthetics. The Fuchs Pro R 0w-20 has been used by F1 cars in the past.

Cheers

Tim

drummog

On the other hand the difference between Magnatec according to Castrol and other lower priced oils is that Castrol put in their specific Ester additives to Magnatec, not Ester based but Ester additives which they claim sticks to the metal due to its polarity!

I'm sure the other blenders in that price range also put in their own magic brews!

eddie

oilman

iTrader: (9)

Hi Eddie

When we spoke to them about it before, they said that there is a small ester content in the Magnatec (something like 2-3% if I remember correctly), but the proper performance ester oils are about 15-20% ester. It would surprise me if there were oil companies using esters that don't mention it in some way, it's a good thing, so worth shouting about.

Cheers

Tim

Tony Harrington

iTrader: (8)

Very helpful & informative thread is this. Cheers Oilman!

alastor555

Thanks for the very usefull info, I'll give another shot at the Millers 5w-40 and check the oil level a bit more often just in case.
For the next service to the WRX I'd like to change gearbox and diff oil (from the previous history it seems it has never been changed in 10 years!), is the Motul Gear 300 75w-90 a good choice all round? How many liters will I need, front diff and gearbox share the same oil i understand, so 4liters + 1 liter for each of the two diffs = 6 liters?

These very advanced gearbox-diff ester-based oils, how long do they last? Does the very high quality have a drawback in durability?

Thanks,

Marcos

oilman

iTrader: (9)

Hi Marcos

The Motul Gear 300 is a brilliant oil for the gearbox and diff on your car. As the gearbox and front diff share oil and you can use the same for the rear diff, you'll need 5L to do the lot.

There are certain high performance oils that are designed for race use that don't last very long, but the ones that we recommend for Imprezas etc, will last the standard service interval or a bit longer.

Cheers

Tim

Cheers

Tim

alastor555

Hi Tim,

I was checking the Redline 75w-90 oils, and found that the MT90 GL4 promises to cure notchy gearbox (which is the main reason why i wanted to do the change) while Red Line GL5 is better for diffs.
I was reading online that some people using Millers 75w-90 actually found the gearbox even MORE notchy especially when cold (even though better protected I suppose).
Would you recommend to go this Red Line route? In this case should I order 4 liters of MT90 (but then the front diff would be using a gearbox specific oil) and 1 liter of Red Line GL5/Motul gear 300 for the rear diff?

Thanks,

Marcos

oilman

iTrader: (9)

Hi Marcos

The MT90 is likely to be okay, although the Impreza gearbox requires a GL5 oil and the MT90 is a GL4, so the Red Line 75w-90 GL5 NS would be a better option for the gearbox. The normal 75w-90 GL5 is ideal for the diff (or you can use the NS version if you want).

With an Impreza, I'd probably go for the Motul Gear 300 for the diff and gearbox, it's so well proven. It's top end stuff, often helps with minor gearbox issues and is better value than the Red Line, but it's up to you, both Motul and Red Line are top end oils.

The Millers CRX 75w-90 seemed to have an odd batch for a time, we had a few people mention that it made cold shifts very stiff over a period of a couple of months and we sorted those people out with another oil. We spoke to Millers about it and they said people had reported the same to them, but weren't sure what was causing it. I haven't heard back from them about it, but I also haven't had people complaining about the cold shifts recently, so to be it sounds like one batch was slightly different for some reason.

Cheers

Tim

craigybaby

iTrader: (8)

Hi tim I'm currently running a classic impreza that's a 2.0 forged engine I've been putting in millers 10/50 as that's what the previous owner put in is this oil ok ie right grade ??

Cheers
Craig

oilman

iTrader: (9)

Hi Craig

That should be ideal, a very good choice.

Cheers

Tim

craigybaby

iTrader: (8)

Great cheers mate