Synthetic oil or not?

[F. Plant]

2001 legacy with 2.5l engine, 60k km. Parked outside in Canadian winters.
Thinking of trying a synthetic -is it worth while for this vehicle or just a
waste?

F.plant

 

[Josh Assing]

it wasn't required for the warranty? we have a 97 and it came with synthetic in
it; and it was a requirement for the warranty....

 

[zeromedic]

it wasn't required for the warranty? we have a 97 and it came with synthetic in
it; and it was a requirement for the warranty....

Say What? (some dealer or lube lab has scammed you.) zero

 

[David Reid]

I'm getting ready to by a 2004 Forester XS. I will be installing the
following as far as lubricants and filtration after about 2000 miles.

Automatic Trans:
http://www.synthetic-solutions.com/trans_atf.htm

Differentials: (I'm assuming they are not sealed)
http://www.synthetic-solutions.com/2k_75w90.htm

Engine:
http://www.synthetic-solutions.com/2k_0w30.htm


Air Filter:
http://www.synthetic-solutions.com/airfilters.htm

I assume that I will get a significant improvement in fuel economy as
I did with out 98 Dodge Intrepid. 31 to 32 MPG's HWY over stickered
28 or 29 MPG's
(Can't remember)

I'm excited to own my first Subaru. Been test driving Honda's CRV and
Forester and the Forester wins hands down!

Regards,

David Reid

 

[Rory]

Living in Ottawa. I've used synthetic for the past 5 years in my last car
and now my subaru. Makes a noticeable difference in -30degrees Celcius cold
starts.

Don't notice any other benefits, but that alone is enough for me to bear the
extra cost.

HTH

 

[Rick Courtright]

I assume that I will get a significant improvement in fuel economy as
I did with out 98 Dodge Intrepid. 31 to 32 MPG's HWY over stickered

Hi,

Over the years I've tried Amsoil, Mobil 1 and Castrol Syntec. They all
have their benefits over dino oil. Fuel savings of a "significant"
amount were not one of them. Best I saw was about 2.5% on long trips. On
a 25 mpg vehicle, that's all of ~0.6 mpg. "Normal" driving returned from
0% to maybe 1%. Any of these numbers are well within the range I see
with weather changes and other variables, so I never put much stock in
the claims of better mileage.

But... this is where YMMV originated! Every engine, every driver, and
all our driving conditions vary, so you MAY see much better results.
Please let us know!

Rick

 

[Edward Hayes]

After changing several cars (engine/transmission & differentials) I kept
track of mileage for ~ 1000 miles and found only about 0.5 % increase in
mileage.

 

[H. Whelply]

Cold climate operation strikes me as the most compelling reason to go
synthetic. My only reservation is that now, with my turbo, will synthetic
prolong engine (especially turbo) life? If so, is the savings from prolonged
life greater than the extra cost of synthetic?
HW

 

[Rory]

Re: Cold climate operation - I agree! - I can't stand the sound of an engine
struggling to turn over. Makes my teeth ache.

As far as prolonging life... Don't really know if there is an answer to this
one. My last car (86 Honda Accord) - was running strong at 365000kms - The
majority of that was dino oil.... I changed to synth late in engine life -
and no, I had no problems with leaks, as can occur when changing to
synthetic in a high mileage engine.

There's also lots of people out there with extremely high mileage engines
who have always run dino oil only. And of course, same goes for synthetic
oil users...

My personal opinion: Regular maintenance and oil changes are the secret for
long engine life. Use Dino oil or use Synthetic. Just change it regularly (I
change my synthetic every 5-6000 kms).

As far as your turbo is concerned, I'm fairly sure my dealership recommends
synthetic oil for the wrx... don't know what the owner's manual says though,
and don't know the reasoning behind it...



HTH

 

[TG]

There is a huge difference in the winters in different parts of Canada. What
are your other cold weather plans...screw in block heater? Unless the
conditions are extreme I think the synthetic would be a waste. TG

 

[TG]

I would like to see this, I think it is not legal for synthetic motor oil to
be required...do you have a document you could post please? TG

 

[TG]

That's better than my 0.0 TG

After changing several cars (engine/transmission & differentials) I kept
track of mileage for ~ 1000 miles and found only about 0.5 % increase in
mileage.

 

[F. Plant]

There is a huge difference in the winters in different parts of Canada. What
are your other cold weather plans...screw in block heater? Unless the
conditions are extreme I think the synthetic would be a waste. TG

TG, would be dealing with average lows of about -17C for Jan and Feb. Have
a block heater, but I have had times in the past when I have come out only
to find the plug had not made proper contact and had not come on (extension
cord female plug gets stiff in cold making it difficult to push male in -and
yes its a winter rated cord).

Also the car is not a daily driver so it gets used a bit more on the spur of
the moment, so the block heater isn't used a great deal of the time.

F.Plant

 

[TG]

OK, that's not too cold but still Synthetic would help. I am not a believer
in synthetic for the average driver, especially if you still change it
often. The extended drain intervals of some of the 100% synthetics is the
only advantage I really see. I do use synthetic in one vehicle and change it
every 35,000 miles (about 9 months).
I recommend the AMSOIL Series 2000 Synthetic 0W-30 Motor Oil.

 

[F. Plant]

OK, that's not too cold but still Synthetic would help. I am not a believer
in synthetic for the average driver, especially if you still change it
often.

snip
One of the problems I have moving to synthetic is that for me, for 3/4 of
the year it will be overkill. Since I'm under warranty I assume Subaru will
still require the standard oil change schedule. Any idea of the downside of
using regular oil for the off season oil changes and synthetic for only the
winter?

F. Plant

 

[FNO]

I would like to see this, I think it is not legal for synthetic motor oil to
be required...do you have a document you could post please? TG

<snip>

The STi comes with synthetic oil and Subaru Canada recommends MOTUL.
However, it is certainly not required for the warranty here. However, since
they do reccommed it for the car, I am using it.

 

[TG]

I switch back and forth all the time. Spring a slight leak now and then but
don't believe that's the oil. TG

 

[H. Whelply]

I switch back and forth all the time...

Why?

 

[TG]

Sometimes I'm due for an oilchange and the dealer is out of the synthetic I
use (Amsoil), sometimes Castrol or something is so cheap at Walmart I just
buy it. TG

 

[Brian McCloskey]

If you are parking outside and you are in any part of Canada where hell
freezes over in the winter, you will find it turns over and starts easier
with synthetic.
Try a quick test. Put the same amount of 5W30 dino and some 5W30 synthetic
in two small containers in your freezer. Leave it for a few hours, then pour
both out and see how long each takes to pour. You should see a big
difference on how the synthetic flows vs. dino at -20C.
Brian