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What stock motor oil does the 2006 wrx sti have?

32K views 17 replies 9 participants last post by  gathermewool  
#1 ·
Anyone know what motor oil the subaru dealership put ina 2006 sti from the factory new. Any recommendations?
 
#4 · (Edited)
after 3000 miles on new car, i replace my '12 with Mobile 1 0w-40
or german casrol 5w-40
or rotella t6 5w-40
or any 10w-40 if you live up north. But most folks on here are from Cali. :)

see the trend here ?
me i personally use mobile 0w-40 ( live in texas, barely cold weather) on my '12 wrx. '09 i use rotella t6 5w-40 and refill it with mobile 0w-40. '12 refill with mobile 0w-40. :)

I replace my oil every 7500 miles. My car burn a bit more then 3/4 of a quart every 1500 miles. refill please !!!
 
#8 ·
green field why 30 viscosity? its just another way of government saying use more water down oil so we can save..... save the enviroment, or your wallet?

Anyway, facts 30 viscosity under instense auto-x will result in the lost of your viscosity of your 30 to 20. But why listen to me. Just send your oil sample .. and you will get back the facts .....

Gl
 
#12 ·
green field why 30 viscosity? its just another way of government saying use more water down oil so we can save..... save the enviroment, or your wallet?

Anyway, facts 30 viscosity under instense auto-x will result in the lost of your viscosity of your 30 to 20. But why listen to me. Just send your oil sample .. and you will get back the facts .....

Gl
We live in an extremely diverse climate. Just this past week we've had temps range from +31c to -1c. Summers can get near +40c at times and winters can dip to -40c.

The 5W30 accomodates all of this safely. I don't track the car and I don't want to switch seasonally - so this weight of a premium synthetic oil is capable enough for my needs.
 
#9 ·
#10 ·
Some people post with such fervor that most will assume they know what they're talking about. Remember that the interwebs is full of good and bad advice. With a little bit of research, you'll figure out in time which is good and which is bs.

IMO, the quality of an oil and its suitability for these engines is based more on the oil's properties, not solely on the viscosity. In other words, viscosity breakdown could be an issue, if it actually occurs. For synthetic (both boutique group IV/V oil and OTC group III+/IV) oils, the risk of viscosity breakdown to the point of risking damage or excessive wear is minimal, IMO (i.e., Amsoil HDD 5W-30 will provide more protection, longer than non-synthetic Napa-brand 10W-40.)

It's true that the Napa stuff will start with and probably end its life at a higher viscosity than the Amsoil, but that doesn't mean that it will perform or protect your engine any better or for longer. Speaking of longer, a higher quality oil will not only have a better base stock, which will resist breaking down in the short and long term better than a cheaper mineral-base oil, but may also have a better additive package. The use of higher quality base stocks allows synthetics to contain less additives used to achieve and maintain viscosity, and more additives used to minimize wear and keep things clean.

There is a trade off when you choose an oil, however. Just because a synthetic is thusly labeled does not mean it's equivalent to every other synthetic. As I mentioned, there are highly refined mineral oils that make up the bottom rung of "synthetic" oils like Mobil 1 0W-40 or Rotella T6 5W-40 (which may or may not contain some portion of actual synthetic oil or additives mixed in,) and then there are actual synthetically derived oils like Amsoil, Redline, Motul, etc. As such, it's safe to say that an oil like Amsoil or Motul, under certain circumstances, will be able to pretty easily go to 7,500 miles, while running a "lesser" oil like Mobil 1 OW-40 may not fair as well. While it may be fine, I most certainly would not run Mobil 1 OW-40 out to 7,500 miles unless my commute was mostly highway or I had a Used Oil Analysis (UOA) to back up that long of an interval.

As you can see, there are many choices, and while many will point you toward or away from certain oils, none of those recommendations is necessarily the right choice for you. The only advice that I can offer is that you should most certainly stay away from what called Resource Conserving oils, which are usually thinner and less shear-resistant under high temperature conditions. As the name implies, they're designed for max fuel economy, not necessarily max engine protection, and while the level of protection afforded to most motorists is more than adequate, the same may not be true for your turbo-charged Subie.
 
#14 ·
OP,

For my DD '06 STI here in the moderate climate of the Pacific Northwest, I choose Rotella T6. It works very well in our cars, it is well documented as doing so by the Subaru community, UOA, etc. ..., it is reasonably priced, and it is readily available at most chains or any WallyMart. My car's previous owner ran nothing but M1 at 3500mi OCI's for 26k miles, and drove the car very conservatively (known him for years, and the car since he bought it new). The first drive I took after switching to T6 was eye opening to say the least. My car ran smoother and idled better both on start up and when warm. My 63 y.o. Mom, who loves driving, is damn good at it, and wants to drive my car every chance she gets, noticed right away as well (She used to track and work on her own '68 L88 427 435hp Corvette back in her college days). I also noticed a decrease in oil consumption, 1/8-1/4qt. per 3k mile OCI, versus 1/4-1/2qt. per 3500 mile OCI documented by the previous owner. For other fluids, I recommend MOTUL Gear 300 in the front diff/tranny (works better in my car than Extra-S), MOTUL 90PA in the rear diff., Redline synthetic power steering fluid, and either MOTUL RBF 600, 660, or ATE Super Blue or Type 200 for brake and clutch fluid.
 
#15 ·
well there are 10w for -40c

I use 15w-40 rotella T6 or mobile 1 10w-30 during the 2 years i live in montreal. Yeah i know all about that cold. put up fine.

As far as what the Mod who post up mini essay. Im not trying to tell people what to do. Im just stating what i put in my car so people might have preference. People here are old enough to make their own decisions. I post up facts, and what works for me.

And you are right, this is the internet. Take it as a grain of salt? is that how the saying goes?