On what basis do you recommend which oil to use ?
05 July 2010, 10:10 PM
#32
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so malaysia will have different recommendations for servicing due to the climate, but still the oils use will be pretty similar, they also state about the use of 5w30 oils in classics with a big warning sign on there.Tony
06 July 2010, 11:40 AM
#35
I agree with some of the things said above, but not with others.
You do get what you pay for with a lot of oils, but you need to know a little bit about the oils. A good example is Amsoil, it's more expensive than anything else we sell and is a good oil, but it's not as good in performance terms as Silkolene etc as it's not ester based. The reason Amsoil is expensive is that the cost of shipping it to the UK is already in the price and the tests done to meet manufacturer specs are very expensive (BMW, Mercs, VW, Renault etc). In Subarus those specs are pretty irrelevant.
Really cheap oils usually have a lower quality basestock and always have a lower quality additive pack, meaning the oil is less stable, doesn't last as long, not as good a lubricant etc etc etc. The additive pack is as important as the basestock in oil, but people rarely consider that.
Why are so many people determined to use a 10w-60 oil in anything with a turbo? Oil that is too thick (as a 10w-60 is in most cars) is a bad thing. The oil flows too slowly meaning there is a build up of heat (a guy emailed me yesterday to say that his Skyline was running 10C hotter after the mechanic used a 15w-50 instead of a 5w-40), there is an increased pressure, meaning the engine is under more strain. It's like a body trying to deal with high blood pressure. We're getting a lot of comments from people that think they need a 10w-60 as they've put an induction kit on their car. You only need to go for a thicker oil when there are some serious mods or heavy track use, the first step is an increase in quality and only on very rare occasions do you go for an oil so much thicker than standard.
Below are some guidelines, they aren't definitive, certain modifications mean that a different oil is needed. These are based on experience and Imprezas are one of the most popular cars we deal with
Classics are designed to run on a 10w-40 semi as standard, so if they are lightly modded, used on track a little or you just want better protection, a 10w-40 synthetic is a good choice or 10w-50 if you like to put your foot down. If the car is heavily modified or used on track a lot, a 10w-50 is a good idea, possibly a 15w-50 if it's got a forged engine due to the increased tolerances.
In 2000-07 cars, 5w-30 is okay in standard cars driven sensibly, but a 5w-40 is also fine in those and allows for some track use and modifications. It's only when you have a fair few mods and track use that a 10w-50 is needed.
In the 07 onwards cars a good 5w-30 is fine for cars that are standard, or with a few modifications and some track use. A 10w-40 is fine for a lot of track use and a lot of modifications.
You do get what you pay for with a lot of oils, but you need to know a little bit about the oils. A good example is Amsoil, it's more expensive than anything else we sell and is a good oil, but it's not as good in performance terms as Silkolene etc as it's not ester based. The reason Amsoil is expensive is that the cost of shipping it to the UK is already in the price and the tests done to meet manufacturer specs are very expensive (BMW, Mercs, VW, Renault etc). In Subarus those specs are pretty irrelevant.
Really cheap oils usually have a lower quality basestock and always have a lower quality additive pack, meaning the oil is less stable, doesn't last as long, not as good a lubricant etc etc etc. The additive pack is as important as the basestock in oil, but people rarely consider that.
Why are so many people determined to use a 10w-60 oil in anything with a turbo? Oil that is too thick (as a 10w-60 is in most cars) is a bad thing. The oil flows too slowly meaning there is a build up of heat (a guy emailed me yesterday to say that his Skyline was running 10C hotter after the mechanic used a 15w-50 instead of a 5w-40), there is an increased pressure, meaning the engine is under more strain. It's like a body trying to deal with high blood pressure. We're getting a lot of comments from people that think they need a 10w-60 as they've put an induction kit on their car. You only need to go for a thicker oil when there are some serious mods or heavy track use, the first step is an increase in quality and only on very rare occasions do you go for an oil so much thicker than standard.
Below are some guidelines, they aren't definitive, certain modifications mean that a different oil is needed. These are based on experience and Imprezas are one of the most popular cars we deal with
Classics are designed to run on a 10w-40 semi as standard, so if they are lightly modded, used on track a little or you just want better protection, a 10w-40 synthetic is a good choice or 10w-50 if you like to put your foot down. If the car is heavily modified or used on track a lot, a 10w-50 is a good idea, possibly a 15w-50 if it's got a forged engine due to the increased tolerances.
In 2000-07 cars, 5w-30 is okay in standard cars driven sensibly, but a 5w-40 is also fine in those and allows for some track use and modifications. It's only when you have a fair few mods and track use that a 10w-50 is needed.
In the 07 onwards cars a good 5w-30 is fine for cars that are standard, or with a few modifications and some track use. A 10w-40 is fine for a lot of track use and a lot of modifications.
Last edited by oilman; 07 July 2010 at 09:55 AM.
07 July 2010, 09:54 AM
#37
That's not a bad choice, I should have mentioned that the standard classics are okay with a 10w-50 as well as a 10w-40, pretty much the same as the standard 00-07s are fine with a 5w-30 or 5w-40. I'll edit the post, I got about 5 phone calls when I wrote that bit yesterday and I guess I lost my train of thought
Last edited by oilman; 07 July 2010 at 09:56 AM.
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