What oil brand/grade for 99 gt forester?

Corax · Post by **Corax** » Thu Oct 28, 2010 10:47 pm

Right, been wandering around ozfoz for about the last half hour and had to give up as it was doing my head in, just couldnt find the right thread. So back to this site to ask the people who know:) As the title says I just want to know what brand/grade of oil you guys would recommend to chuck in my 99gt foz? She has done 232,000k and I think for about the last 30,000 she has had crap oil and fuel chucked in her, so going to hit her with new filters and upper engine cleaner in a couple of weekends but want advice on what oil to use. Thanks for your thoughts.

Cheers,
Corax.

d_generate · Post by **d_generate** » Fri Oct 29, 2010 2:21 am

Mobil full synthetic 5/50 seems to be most popular with the WRX boys, I'll be going from Castrol Edge 10/60 to that next time in both cars.

bobbyjimmy · Post by **bobbyjimmy** » Fri Oct 29, 2010 7:29 am

I'd use a 5w or 10w/40.
Most of the WRX's that run thicker than that are fairly modified or they use a heap of oil.

Post by **TOONGA** » Fri Oct 29, 2010 12:02 pm

the FSM for the forester says use either a 5W-30 or 10W-40 synthetic or mineral, in your engine and I would suggest a can of engine flush used to the manufacturers recommendations before the new oil goes in

TOONGA

Corax · Post by **Corax** » Wed Nov 03, 2010 12:50 am

Righteo, went to buy oil today and the bloke at the auto shop tried to flog me the following when i told him what i was driving. He recommended Valvoline SYNpower full synthetic 5w-40 motor oil. Read the label and certainly sounds like it ticks all the boxes but then again at $60 for 5L I would hope so. Your thoughts please!

niterida · Post by **niterida** » Wed Nov 03, 2010 2:54 am

Royal Purple = best oil you can buy !!

I saw a test where they ran two metal parts together and then measured the scratches. All the 'good' brands had huge wear marks like there was no oil at all and the Royal Purple test looked like the metal had been polished a little bit. It was an independent test so it wasn't PR bullsh!t. i think it was posted on RSLibertyclub.org.

RSR 555 · Post by **RSR 555** » Wed Nov 03, 2010 9:27 am

+1 for Royal Purple.. goddamn yankies get all the good stuff

For many years I've been using BP Visco 5000.. I read a report/test they did (albiet a while ago now) and they tested all the leading brands of synthetic oils and for value for money, BP came on top. After I started using it in my RS Turbo I found it ran quieter (very hard for a factor RS) and felt the engine wasn't under as much stress.

I use/sell Motul oil at the shop and find it quiet good too

I think anything fully synthetic will be fine

Post by **Alex** » Wed Nov 03, 2010 9:46 am

ive always used penrite syn5 in my liberty. Works a treat.

alex

ORX-18 · Post by **ORX-18** » Tue Nov 30, 2010 7:14 pm

i currently own and run a few ''performance'' cars and i wouldnt put royal purple in my moped

that said, i recomend for a forrester turbo, a 10/40 mineral with that many k's on the clock. something like gtx3 or fuchs 10/40.

I personally used mobil 1 super syn in my GTR's and my RX leone(740hp gtr and 320whp leone) although this stuff aint cheap. its about 23bux a litre.

Stick to the big name brands such as castrol, shell and mobil for a car of that age and km's

bobbyjimmy · Post by **bobbyjimmy** » Wed Dec 01, 2010 8:31 am

niterida wrote:Royal Purple = best oil you can buy !!

-1 Royal Purple.

+1 Amsoil.

Backyard_Brumby · Post by **Backyard_Brumby** » Wed Dec 01, 2010 10:12 pm

Definitely a big tick towards the Penrite semi synthetic (sell alot of it at work and have been running it in all three of my cars after trialling many different brands) It is also reasonably priced at $34 ish at super cheap. However if you have the money then Mobil fully synthetic or even the nulon full synthetic is worth a look

Corax · Post by **Corax** » Wed Dec 01, 2010 10:53 pm

Like it when an old thread springs to life! Ended up going with the SYNpower and its a vast improvment over the stuff that was in there. Then again that wouldn't be difficult as it was like Tar. On a related subject, my nephew bought a 2004 Magna the other day, biggest pile of crap you had ever seen and somewhere in its history one of its owners had set it up so that the oil filter was bypassed.LOL:lol: The things people do to save a few $ in the short term at the cost of the long term!

coxy · Post by **coxy** » Thu Dec 09, 2010 10:02 pm

Regarding many oils these days this thread seems to be about personal preferance but with no checkable evidence to back up any of the assertions.
Checkable facts only Mobil 1,Amsoil Redline and a couple of others tthat escape memory at the moment are true synthetic oils.
All others are hydrolized mineral based and due to a Castrol pushed EU court case they were allowed to advertise as full synthetic.
Latest SM standard for oils actually results in more engine wear,the reason being a reduction in ZDDP additive package,this package is the main anti wear additive in all oils but was deemed by the enviro nazi's to lower the lifespan of catalytic converters hence Govt mandated lowering of allowed levels,later is not always better.
All oil brands supply both average and higher quality oils,you get what you pay for but I personally would be looking for oils made to the earlier standard for the extra ZDDP levels.

Most reputable oil companies have on their web sites a product data sheet listing any components and whether or not they are considered hazardous,these are a goldmine of information regarding the capabilities of various oils,some googlefu ability should find the explanation for what the various items referred to in these PDS sheets are used for .
One of the best threads on oils can be found on the Ducati Monster forum for those interested and interestingly motorcycle oils are generally superior to most car oils these days as they are made for a more extreme use and all have a higher ZDDP percentage like the older better car oils.

Subaru like BMW flat twins and the older flat four VW engines use low tension oil rings to make sure that there is lubrication on the cylinder walls for startup conditions this means they can use oil.
With a higher mileage Suby I would run a slightly heavier grade oil such as a 10W50 or possibly a 20W60 to control oil use.
The recomendations for 10w30 oils is all about getting better fuel economy figures to meet Govt requirements hence those annoying stickers plastered over all new vehicle windscreens,it will result in oil leaks and when the mileage climbs oil use increasing.
Older engines need heavier grade oils due to increased clearances in the engine,and when push comes to shove any oil is better than not enough oil.

All cars used in urban enviroments be they carb or FI will run for a greater time in cold start mode,this allows fuel dilution to occur in the oil even though the level may not seem to vary and little evidence of oil burning will be visible due to the after burn effect of catalytic converters.
Where you will come unstuck though is when you take a longer trip down the highway,then temperatures will be higher for longer,this will allow the fuel percentage in your oil to evaporate which does not occur during the urban commute.
The end result of this is the four litres of oil you thought were in the sump becomes two litres and you lunch an engine.
Ever noticed how cars with a dead engine always seem to be a fair distance from the start of the freeway when they die ,this is why and it is also the reason the RACV NRMA etc tell you to have your car serviced before going on holidays,something to bear in mind as Xmas approaches.
Cheers cxoy