2.5L oil recomendations

[Edward Hayes]

What does Subaru of Australia recommend for a 2.5L non turbo Subaru engine.
In the USA my book specifies 5w30 for temp of 100 F and lower and 10w30 for
temps from ~50 to over 100 degrees F. Some of us feel that the CARF law
concerning gas mileage may be influencing manufactures to recommend lighter
oils to the detriment of engine life. Comments from Australia please.
Thanks Ed Hayes

 

[Jkpoulos7]

What does Subaru of Australia recommend for a 2.5L non turbo Subaru engine.

In the USA my book specifies 5w30 for temp of 100 F and lower and 10w30 for
temps from ~50 to over 100 degrees

Same in US. I was using 5w30 in the winter and it was down to -10-to -20 F
with wind chill but usuallu in the 20-30F range. Once it warmed up I use 1ow30
and noticed the engine is quieter with no loss in economy.

 

[Losiho]

What does Subaru of Australia recommend for a 2.5L non turbo Subaru engine.
In the USA my book specifies 5w30 for temp of 100 F and lower and 10w30 for
temps from ~50 to over 100 degrees F. Some of us feel that the CARF law
concerning gas mileage may be influencing manufactures to recommend lighter
oils to the detriment of engine life. Comments from Australia please.
Thanks Ed Hayes

5w30 (preferred), 10w30 or 10w40 in high load / heat situations.

FWIW I'm using 0w40 at my next oil change (and no, warranty issues are of no
concern to me, because my Outback is out of warranty).

 

[y_p_w]

5w30 (preferred), 10w30 or 10w40 in high load / heat situations.

FWIW I'm using 0w40 at my next oil change (and no, warranty issues are of no
concern to me, because my Outback is out of warranty).

Really? Those are the same recommendations in the US. I was a bit
surprised at the 10W-40 weight as a "standard" recommendation. My
owner's manual also has recommended weights for extreme temps or
towing: 30wt, 40wt, 20W-40, 10W-50, or 20W-50. A few of these
weights are downright uncommon, but I suppose a 15W-40 (typically a
heavy duty diesel oil weight) might work in place of 20W-40.

 

[y_p_w]

5w30 (preferred), 10w30 or 10w40 in high load / heat situations.

FWIW I'm using 0w40 at my next oil change (and no, warranty issues are of no
concern to me, because my Outback is out of warranty).

OK - I don't have access to a "live" newsreader right now, so my
previous post might have been answered.

My 2004 US Impreza owner's manual states that 5W-30 is suitable for
year-round use for all climates, and that 10W-30 or 10W-40 is suitable
for use above freezing temperatures (maybe a bit higher). I find
it surprising because we've heard that similar Japanese cars that
come with 5W-30/10W-30 recommendations in the US come with 10W-40
or 20W-50 recommendations in other parts of the world. Some believe
that may be due to meeting the CAFE (corporate average fuel economy)
standards for a manufacturer's cars sold in the US.

In addition, my manual has a separate section relating to high
temperature or high-load operation, with several recommended
single or heavier multi-viscosity oils. When I get home, I'll
try to take a picture of the pages and post them here. I'd
be interested in how they compare with what our friends in Oz
deal with.

As for Edward, I'm guessing that his original question was posed
to those in Oz because it's an English speaking country where
Subarus tend to be popular, and where (perhaps) the drive for
government-mandated fuel economy may not be as big a concern.

So my question to our friend in Oz is:

Are you sure there isn't an additional list of oil weights
recommended for towing or extreme heat, beyond just the
5W-30/10W-30/10W-40 weights? It would seem a bit odd if
Subaru of America would have one, and your local distributor
doesn't - since we know that there are large parts of your
country which must deal with desert heat.

 

[Rick Courtright]

weights are downright uncommon, but I suppose a 15W-40 (typically a
heavy duty diesel oil weight) might work in place of 20W-40.

Hi,

Perhaps some of these weights are sold rather locally depending on
market? I know in the late '60's and early '70s, 20W-40 was marketed in
the US by Castrol under their "XL" brand. I believe it disappeared when
"GTX" came along. I ran it in several cars back then, but don't remember
that weight from any other mfr.

In answer to the 15W-40 idea, I've run Chevron Delo 400 (meets gas
engine specs as well as diesel) for many 10s of 1000s of miles in my '90
Loyale that's got 354k miles on the clock. It gets ever so slightly
better fuel economy than 20W-50 during what "winter" we have in SoCal,
and holds better oil pressure than either 10W-40 OR 20W-50 in the summer
(my car, of course, YMMV.)

From what I've been told of the climate in Oz, it's very similar to ours
in SoCal, so I'd imagine IF there's any difference in mfr's
recommendations, it would be, as Edward H suggests, probably due to
gov't regs.

Rick

 

[Losiho]

My 2004 US Impreza owner's manual states that 5W-30 is suitable for
year-round use for all climates, and that 10W-30 or 10W-40 is suitable
for use above freezing temperatures (maybe a bit higher). I find
it surprising because we've heard that similar Japanese cars that
come with 5W-30/10W-30 recommendations in the US come with 10W-40
or 20W-50 recommendations in other parts of the world. Some believe
that may be due to meeting the CAFE (corporate average fuel economy)
standards for a manufacturer's cars sold in the US.

Are you sure there isn't an additional list of oil weights
recommended for towing or extreme heat, beyond just the
5W-30/10W-30/10W-40 weights? It would seem a bit odd if
Subaru of America would have one, and your local distributor
doesn't - since we know that there are large parts of your
country which must deal with desert heat.

The oil recommendations here are identical to the USA. As I said, 5w30 is
still the preferred weight here, not 10w40, which is only recommended in
high heat and load situations. In extreme conditions, Subaru Oz also state
that 10w50, 20w40 or 20w50 is also acceptable.

I've never seen a 20w40 oil either.