Mike Rainbird

Harj,
I would have thought cooking oil would be suitable for you...

In the Cossies, we run Mobil Motorsport 15w 50 which is a fully synthetic. Mobil 1 is too thin for a YB turbo motor, as the pistons don't seal properly until the engine is up to temperature and this causes excessive oil consumption with a thin oil.....

Depends what cake you are making though...
Best regards
Mike

RichB

I would use factor 25, anything higher is a con apparantly.

harj

Im getting the car ready for Silverstone on the 30th, I want to know which oil should I use thats suited to Silverstone for the Scooby?

Thanks

Harj...

harj

Cheers guys!

Mike, Ive finished all the cooking oil in the house due excessive hunger problems and my belly always needs filling. Thats why my Scoobies out of oil as I had to use the oil to cook breakfast this morning!

Harj....

TonyBurns

iTrader: (3)

Hi Harj,
dont put 15w50 in your car, its designed for older motors (and it invalidates your warranty if uk car according to mobil) reccommend that you find mobil 1 5w40 or equivelant (graham goode racing do 5w40 for 25 quid, its made by comma) if not, subaru put 5w30 in mine....hmmm

Tony

sunilp

Harj,

1) Halfords Power Oil 20/50 is fine at 4.99 for 5l

or

2) Mobil 1 from Cheam Subaru - specially formulated

3) Mobil 1 Motorsport as mentioned above

4) Silkolene from Scoobysport is excellent

Sunil

Triggaaar

Popped to an import dealer yesterday - they said they recommended semi-synthetic oil for turbo cars, instead of fully, as they had been told it did a better job of dissipating the heat from the turbo.

Is this complete *rap, or not?

adrianl

One of the best thing to do when choosing your oil is to choose it then stick to it for all the time you own the car, as this will increase the life and performance of your engine! This is because if you change oil one might well contaminate the other especialy if the are made by different manufacturers.

adrianl

One of the best thing to do when choosing your oil is to choose it then stick to it for all the time you own the car, as this will increase the life and performance of your engine! This is because if you change oil one might well contaminate the other especialy if the are made by different manufacturers.

Mike Tuckwood

Ahhh, Oil again....

I hope no one minds as this is a long post, it is a reply from Mobil after a query from someone on this BBS some time ago.

I copied it to a word document ages ago; can't remember whose query it was but read and digest anyway.
Mike.

Just to let everyone knew regarding the big debate on MOBIL 1. I wrote a letter to MOBIL asking for an explanation on their oil with regard to the Subaru Impreza Turbo and SUBARU UK.
Well my wife has just phoned me to tell me that there is a 4 page letter waiting for me at home which includes details of all faxes sent between MOBIL, the Subaru dealers and Subaru UK. I will try and scan the letter in tomorrow but just to let you know that all answers regarding MOBIL 1 should be answered tomorrow, SO WATCH THIS SPACE!!!!

The reply from MOBIL:
"Mobil 1 0W-40
Subaru Japan have stated that all oils with a 0W rating will invalidate engine warranty. This is because 0W viscosity has not been tested by Fuji Heavy Industries and is unlikely to be tested by them in the near future. It is not a result of engine problems and is not related to synthetic technology or oil quality. This oil which operates at temperatures as low as minus 54 degrees exceeds the quality level required of Subaru vehicles. This oil was used by customers for 2 years in Subaru engines without any claims for engine failure before the Warranty Bulletin was produced regarding OW oils.
Mobil recommend Mobil 1 0W-40 for vehicles outside warranty.
Mobil 1 15W-50
Mobil 1 Motorsport 15W-50 uses the same synthetic technology which results in fast flow rates and reduced friction. It is designed for ardous race and rally use at the highest temperatures where a thicker more stable oil is required. Again this lubricant has not been tested by Fuji Heavy Industries so they cannot give approval.
Mobil recommend 15W-50 for use outside of the warranty.
Mobil 1 5W-40
Using the same technology as Mobil 1 0W-40, MOBIL HAS MADE MOBIL 1 5W-40 EXCLUSIVELY AVAILABLE TO SUBARU DEALERS.
This product fulfils the viscosity requirements of Subaru for use in all of their model range. Mobil 1 5W-40 makes available the same benefits achieved by Mobil 1 without the extreme low temperature capability and ulta quick circulation offered by the 0W rated product. Mobil 1 5W-40 will be available exclusively to Subaru dealers for routine servicing. For interim lubricant top-up, we advise customers to either return to dealer for top-up or use Mobil 1 Motorsport 15W-50 for DIY top-up. While Motorosport is 15W-50m, the viscosity will have negligible effect on the sump viscosity and the lubricants are totally compatible.
Semi-synthetics 10W-40
Mobil Super S 10W-40 and Duchams QXR 10W-40 have been accepted for use during the warranty period and whilst not delivering the optimum performance of fully synthetic engine oil, they still exceed the performance requirements necessary to meet the Subaru warranty.
Summary
During the warranty period and in order to adhere to the viscosity requirements of the Subaru warranty, Mobil recommend the use of Mobil 1 5W-40, Mobil Super S 10W-40 or Duckhams QXR 10W-40. Out of warranty, Mobil recommend Mobil 1 OW-40 or Mobil 1 Motorsport 15W-50"
My thoughts
It appears that the dealer CAN use MOBIL 1 oil, the 5W-40. However this is not available to the general public but only to SUBARU dealers. The other MOBIL 1 products will invalidate your warranty, the 0W-40 and 15W-50 types. However using Mobil Super S 10W-40 is okay for your warranty but MOBIL recommend the best oil to use outside your warranty is Mobil 1 0w-40 or Mobil 1 Motorsport 15W-50. So for the people who have wrote and said that their dealer uses MOBIL 1, then it is almost certain to be this exclusive 5W-40 rated oil which we cannot buy. At least the above should clear up everything regarding the use of MOBIL 1. The above is the official statement by MOBIL, it looks like to me that the Mobil 1 Motorsport is a good oil and is probably the best oil but if we put it in our engines we know that SUBARU will not honour the warranty.
Does anyone have any thoughts on the above?

Mike Rainbird

Cheers Mike T,
I think that answers EVERYTHING..
Best regards
Mike R

RobinL

My thoughts...

Put the best oil in your car that Mobil recommend from day 1. If they are producing oil specifically for Subaru dealers, they ae taking things seriously.

If someone asks what oil you are using, for warranty reasons - LIE BLATANTLY. How many dealers are going to sample the oil you are using in a lab and say, "sorry mate, we reckon you put the wrong type in." ?

Good reply from Mobil - they provide better customer service response than lots of autmotice suppliers.

Robin.

swa

TTTTRRRRiiiggggaaaarrr

I _think_ Pete Croney of SS said that it should be best to use the semi-synth for the 1st 7.5 K to help bedding in and then change to the synth of your desired taste. This is what I'll be doing....

Swa

Triggaaar

Swa,

Why does semi-synth help the bedding in process? What advantages properties does it have over a fully synth oil?

gregh

So can I buy the Subaru special mobil oil from my dealer?
I take it I should take some 'spare' along to Silverstone next week to protect the engine?

Greg

sunilp

Trigaar - smi synth is inferior...it allows more wear than full synth - hence helping bedding in.

Thanks for the detailed post Mike.

russell hayward

I rang Subaru UK two weeks ago and they said Mobil 1 Motorsport 15W50 was fine to use. The plot thickens ! Also, some months ago (Jan ?) I took my previous car (RB5) for a service at my local dealer armed with some Mobil 1 motorsport. Firstly, they thought I had just the 0w40? stuff. They then produce a fax from Subaru saying the Motorsport grade was OK, but the 0w40 was not. Anyway, they put it in the car, but unfortunately I didn't get a copy of the fax.

sunilp

Greg, what will you do with the "spare"...pour it over the engine

I ALWAYS carry some spare top up in the boot, along with some engine coolant...you never know what could happen - doesnt have to be a track day necessarily for something to go pear shaped!

johnfelstead

well, this may not help on the road car applications but everyone i have spoken to with regards to protecting turbo cars on track has recomended Castrol RS 15-60 oil.

The 15 means when stone cold it takes a little longer to pump up the hydraulic lifters on a UK car or cossie, in summer this is not a problem, only shows up on very cold days and lasts a very short time. STi's use solid lifters so this doesnt come into the equation at all.

the 60 means it can cope with very high temperatures without burning and breaking down.

I always use Castrol RS on my cars, i spoke to Ahmed about the oil i should use and he would not recomend a specific manufacturer, he did say however that a low viscosity oil 0-40 for example burns very easily and should not be used on a track day.

He said thet Castrol RS was ideal for the application of track day driving.

As a matter of course i replace my oil and filter after every track day, the temps the oil sees are very high on a turbo car on track and i see it as a cheep insurance policy.

Personally i wouldnt dream of using Mobil 1 0-40 or 5-40 for a track day. I used Mobil 1 Motorsport 15-50 for a couple of events this year just to try it out and then swapped to my usual Castrol RS and i noticed that the cam followers were much quieter after coming off track, the oil pressure on idle was also higher with the castrol RS after a good thrashing, the mobil 1 was too low and i had to sit for 5 minutes at 1200rpm until the oil presure came back up to spec to allow me to let it iddle at 800rpm. That tells me it cant cope with very hard track use, i will not be using mobil 1 motorsport ever again on track.

Track use is not the same as road use, its a very different app, use castrol RS harj is what i would suggest for your WRX, make sure you give the car a gentle first lap (as you should anyway) and do a cooling down lap (as you should anyway) and you will be fine.

Chris L

As a side issue - check the recommended oil charts in your local Halfords. In mine, it was still recommending Mobil 1 0W40. I did tell the parts manager, but I'm not exactly holding my breath to see any changes.

I, like many people on this board are very grateful for the expert advice that John F / Stef and others provide. We are the lucky ones - I'm sure there are a lot of Scooby owners who don't subscribe and are not aware of the potential damage you could be doing to your engine (not to mention invalidating your warranty).

It is concerning that a major oil reseller like Halfords is giving out the wrong information.

russell hayward

Chris

Well said mate. Such a huge amount of really useful info, only through the power of the Internet and everyones willingness to share their knowledge and experiences. !!!

russell hayward

Chris

Well said mate. Such a huge amount of really useful info, only through the power of the Internet and everyones willingness to share their knowledge and experiences. !!!

gregh

So still not got any oil for 'top-up' at Silverstone.

Car is 3 months old, dealer has done 1k and 7.5k service with Mobil 1 5w/40.

Should I buy some of this from the dealer, or Mobil 1 Motorsport 15W-50?

cheers,

Greg

grale gav

DONT use Mobil 1 0w/40 - it could **** your engine!! (That's probably why mobil produced the Mobil 1 5w/40).
Turbo cars get bloody hot (as if you didn't know), and thinner oils lose their viscosity, especially near or in the turbo. Just ask most integrale owners - number one cylinder fails as it is closest to the turbo.
Mobil motorsport 15/50 should be ok, but as John says Castrol 10/60 is regarded as better and is used in lots of grales, but THE BEST oil is Motul 300V (you can get it from demon tweeks and other motorsport suppliers).
their 'competition' grade is 15w50 and is excellent (and has been in my modified integrale for two years with no problems). They also make a 'Le Mans' spec, 10w/60, which a race engineer described to me as 'bulletproof'. It has survived temps of 250C at Le mans. It is also cheaper than most!

Finally (!), don't believe the hype - lots of race teams, esp. touring cars, use Motul decanted into sponsors oil containers!!
I should add I've got no connection with anyone, but hope I can stop a few engines blowing up, especially on track....

cheers,
Gav

Stef

Greg.

Stick with the same oil if poss. If Mobil have developed that oil especially for Scoobies, it can't be bad for them I guess.
My dealer couldn't offer me that one, so I used 15w 50 anyway. My car is still in warranty but they said nothing.
It is probably the best oil Mobil make for road car use, I fail to see how it can be causing any harm.

Stef.

Chris L

I just had the 7500 mile service at Cheam Motors. They asked me what oil did I want to use and I said Mobil1. They confirmed that they use the Motorsport version.

As Stef says, this is probably the best oil you can buy (for road cars) and I can't see how this would be bad for your car - especially when well respected dealers are using it.

Chris

[This message has been edited by Chris L (edited 28-07-2000).]

Mike Tuckwood

Grale.

That's utter scaremongering and will help nobody.

Mobil 1 0W40 is of higher quality than OEM approved oil, this should be suitable for all but the most persistant of the high speed track people.

Mobil 1 Motorsport 15W50 then takes over comfortably where higher speeds, stress and temperatures are likely to be seen.

If you read my post above and you will see why Mobil produced the 5W40 grade oil.

Mike.

sunilp

Chris L

You have the specially formulated Mobil 1 for Subaru in your engine NOT MOBIL 1 MOTORSPORT 15/50!!!

Chris L

Yep Sunil

I was incorrectly informed. I checked with Jim last week and he told me about the specially formulated Mobil1. He is even going to get me a litre to keep in the car - bless him

I was going to correct this last week, but then Scoobynet disappeared!!

Chris

jeff

Forget about blend synthetic oils.
After years of research done in comparisons of synthetics Vs Blends and Standard Dinosuar oils, the Best is always 100% synthetics.
Most blends are about 30% synthetic per quart..meaning, of 4 quarts, you get about 1 qt. synthetic.. Sound a bit low? It is. Although it helps Marginally,its really not worth it. Its just too close to standard oil in performance to the cost.
There is a problem Older engines have with synthetics which is leakage through older gasket materials, and worn engine parts. I mean older, By around 100,000 miles and up. Though most cars (subaru in particular) are just breaking in . As a rule, if you introduce a Synthetic into a engine that didnt use it for its whole life, I guarantee it will both leak, and use oil due to its unusual Flow characteristics.
I have sold many, many cases of Castrol Syntec, as well as Mobil one, and all Performance minded fellas like the 15w40. It has a heavier filming factor, yet, still flows well as synthetics like to do very naturally.
Getting back to Some other things about Synthetics..They do last longer, but you still must change your oil filter at least somewhere around 3000 miles! Synthetics are tough, and clean mild deposits,butThey do not filter.Liquid Hydrocarbons(unburned fuel), Ash,Sulphuric acid,Phosphorus,metalic particles, and other trace materials are blown into the oil through normal combustion. Heat is only 1 factor amoung many. You still should change your oil no less than 3000 Miles(you would be wasting money on a synthetic going that route), and no more than 5000. That is for most people whom do not drive in "optimum" conditions. I do not agree with 7500 mile intervals period. Though the oil can still Lubricate, it cannot be expected to be an effective cleaner and suspender of All that an engine Produces in combustion for that amount of mileage.Of course this changes considerably as the engine ages and becomes much more of a polluter of its crankcase oil with time. The oil filter by that time is pretty well used up and is slowly decreasing in performace allowing more crap to stay in the crankcase.
I hope this is a bit more clear to those that are confused by the media. And of course, you must know that all Car companies like to sell cars. And 7500 mile intervals makes that happen. Ive seen it time and time again. I will never condone that kind of interval, and it is based on real facts of people that followed the manual, and had serious engine complications very early on, but of course just out of the 36,000 mile warranty period.
5/30 oil recommendation is so that The car companies can reach Cafe (Corprate average fuel economy)ratings, and to get Tax breaks for these cars and trucks that meet these ratings. 5/30 is for Emmissions, and so the Epa wont Get all huffy about them dirting up the atmosphere (funny how 1 mpg increase in fuel economy and a tiny reduction in emmissions can be so important and that cars today pollute 20 times less than they did 30 years ago). All I can say Is Bs. Its not for the average folk. Most of us drive interstate, and maintain fairly high cruising speeds. 5/30 is just too thin. Ive seen the differance moving to a 10/30 conventional oil makes, and a Huge differance with syntetic.
Anyway, sorry about getting a bit off track there, but its still a valid point about not always believing what you read from the manufacture. They are under the thumb of the Epa. And they each will "try" and act conservative by saying to the customer 7500 mile intervals, and 5/30 Oil just to avoid taxing. Sounds logical doesnt it? The Epa can shut any company down that isnt in compliance. wouldnt you do the same? Notice how many companies Dont mention Synthetics for use in their cars yet many dont say you cant use them? Food for thought.
Take care.
Jeff




[This message has been edited by jeff (edited 05 August 2000).]