Stirletz1 Posted October 29, 2019 Share Posted October 29, 2019 My manual indicates that the best OIL for my Vehicle is 5W-30. I am trying to decide between Conventional and Synthetic Blend Valvoline Brand for that viscosity. Any advice? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmdew Posted October 30, 2019 Share Posted October 30, 2019 Full Synthetic is pretty cheap. Amsoil is my go to for the 2006 and 2018 Forester. In my 2000 Impreza I use to use dino 5-30 Quaker State, but the last time Synthetic was almost the same price. If you figure in extended drain intervals going Full Synthetic is even cost effective. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted October 30, 2019 Share Posted October 30, 2019 (edited) Synthetic only. Repeat what LT just posted If it leaks or consumes oil or something else causes hesitation, change it often with regular oil and be additionally cautious if it ever overheats. blends are marketing tools designed for wallet access. If synthetic is valuable, this implies regular is inferior. blends are a blend of synthetic and inferior oil. It’s a stretch to assume the cost and ratio of synth to regular favors the customer. More than likely it’s just enough to include “synthetic” on the label, and if there is a standard I’m sure it doesn’t immensely favor consumers. Oil control rings are the chief cause of oil consumption and synthetic oil or frequent changes of regular Dino oil mitigate that just fine. Edited October 30, 2019 by idosubaru Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rampage Posted October 30, 2019 Share Posted October 30, 2019 Normally most engines do not have any problem with synthetic-blend. I was told it is conventional motor oil with a few chemicals added to it, so they could call it a blend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stirletz1 Posted October 30, 2019 Author Share Posted October 30, 2019 Aha, thats interesting my mechanic friend I already told you about said that filling up with full synthetic is a false comfort because with older machines and depending on road dust/pollution conditions the oil may need to be changed every 3000k ANYWAY, thus making full synth irrelevant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nvu Posted October 30, 2019 Share Posted October 30, 2019 more importantly, get into the habit of checking your oil level when you get gas. these engines tend to burn oil when they get older. you want to know if it's something troubling like having to add 1qt of oil every fillup. if doesn't burn more than 1/2qt between 3000mi oil changes, you have piece of mind and can check less often. it's game over when you see that oil light on your dash. betting your mechanic friend would have plenty of horror stories on this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmdew Posted October 30, 2019 Share Posted October 30, 2019 Yep, and please teach the young ones to check oil ever gas fill up! Take a good look under the hood check the fluids and check tire pressure as well. On Subaru watch that temp gauge, they run at the same spot all the time. If temp is climbing you have a problem. Check it! For fun, I've fixed and sold many Subaru, keeping them on the road. I always off to teach/show the new the owner above. If a Teen is interested in learning to change oil and do basic maintenance they are always welcome in my garage. Larry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Numbchux Posted October 30, 2019 Share Posted October 30, 2019 (edited) They've been making Foresters for 22 years, with a variety of different engines, some require synthetic, some do not. Please be more specific. The best oil is new oil. I do not subscribe to using better oil. I use cheap oil (my go-to lately is a blend, anyway) and change it more often then recommended. Edited October 30, 2019 by Numbchux 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rampage Posted October 30, 2019 Share Posted October 30, 2019 I found this article on pros and cons of full synthetic motor oil interesting because of the rollers on the rocker arms in our EJ22s. Does the following problem happen because of the extra pressure of dual valve springs and cam lift and duration? And, will this problem happen to a stock engine and if it does, does it really matter? https://www.carsdirect.com/car-repair/common-problems-associated-with-fully-synthetic-oil Problems with racecar type engines using roller lifters. Because of the less friction with the use of synthetic oil, these rollers actually slide instead of the rollers turning as designed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted October 30, 2019 Share Posted October 30, 2019 (edited) 18 hours ago, Rampage said: Normally most engines do not have any problem with synthetic-blend. I was told it is conventional motor oil with a few chemicals added to it, so they could call it a blend. No one is saying blends are a problem. There's just no benefit or point to using them. 17 hours ago, Stirletz1 said: Aha, thats interesting my mechanic friend I already told you about said that filling up with full synthetic is a false comfort because with older machines and depending on road dust/pollution conditions the oil may need to be changed every 3000k ANYWAY, thus making full synth irrelevant. Changing every 3,000 miles is a fine recommendation and has merit but it isn't due to dust/pollution. There's 10's of thousands of UOA samples showing that's not the case. Let the data speak and get a UOA if you're unsure - at 3,000 miles the oil will test way under limits on an average daily driver with no current issues. Manufacturers have intervals far exceeding 3k - often double or more. Subaru itself says 6,000 miles and most individuals exceed that as well, and Subaru's easily run 200,000 miles all day long many 10's or 100's of thousands of times across the united states. If an engine has so much silicon/dirt intrusion that the oil needs changed in 3,000 miles then something is terribly wrong and will probably damage the engine if it's continued to be run even with 3k change intervals. What was said earlier is spot on: 15 hours ago, nvu said: more importantly, get into the habit of checking your oil level when you get gas. 6 hours ago, Numbchux said: The best oil is new oil. I do not subscribe to using better oil. I use cheap oil (my go-to lately is a blend, anyway) and change it more often then recommended. Low oil is far more problematic than any other oil decision, changing often helps keep an eye on leaks/consumption. Edited October 30, 2019 by idosubaru 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stirletz1 Posted October 31, 2019 Author Share Posted October 31, 2019 All good tips and great info. Thank You guys! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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