[joshmikesad]

Oil... Synthetic vs. Regular ???

Pros?
Cons?

I have an 04 FXT in Alabama.

 

[2.5x_sleeper]

IMO it's a personal perference. What makes a difference, to me, is the frequency of the oil & filter change.

I use Valvoline MaxLife 5W-30 synthetic blend & WIX or NAPA Gold oil filter. I use the 3000 miles, or every 3 month oil & filter change. I figure it's cheap insurance for a long lasting engine.

Our '95 Neon Sport has had the same treatment since new & it still runs perfectly & has never required any engine repairs. :smile:

Bobby...

My MODding Journal

 

[bellatech]

oil

IMO-- 100% synthetic all the way. All pro no con, except for $$ that is.

regular oil is good just needs changing more often than synthetic.

Or, you could always go with a reg oil/synthetic blend to save $$.

 

[Subie 2003]

2003 2.5x

Mobil 1 FS 5w-30 with Napa Gold filter

Religious oil changes at 3k even though it suppose to go 6k between changes. I like my oil to look almost new coming out...so far so good.

 

[pleiad7]

This has been discussed in depth and at nauseum... please refer to the sticky in the Engine & Exhaust section: http://www.subaruforester.org/vbulletin/f113/synthetic-motor-oil-discussion-38348/

 

[bellatech]

oil

This has been discussed in depth and at nauseum... please refer to the sticky in the Engine & Exhaust section: http://www.subaruforester.org/vbulletin/f113/synthetic-motor-oil-discussion-38348/

I probably should have mentioned that as well.

 

[RayinAlaska]

It doesn't not matter if you use regular or synthetic oil. Just change the oil and filter at the intervals shown in the owner's manual. However, I have always changed the oil and filter every 3,000 miles on all the automobiles I have owned. Right now i am using Mobil 1 5W-30 synthetic, but only because it's cheap enough at Walmart (under $22.00 per gallon). Before switching to synthetic, on the first two oil changes I used regular Castrol GTX 5W-30 oil. Since the Forester is under warranty, I only use Subaru filters. These come with the crush washer for the drain plug, and only cost $4.00 at the local Subaru dealer.

Then on my '87 Civic Si I have been using NAPA 5W-30 during the winter, and 10W-40 during the summer. The odometer shows over 255,000 miles already, and going strong. Never used synthetic on this one, nor on any of my other vehicles. Just on the Forester.

 

[parad1mg]

go with synthetics.

pros - possible mpg increase, offers more protection, i have more peace of mind

cons - none in my case

with my own experience, after a month of switching to full synthetics all around was mileage gains. went from 20-20.1 mpg in full city driving to 23.5-23.8 full city driving. have yet to run it out in the beltway. the engine seems a bit quieter too but that cannot be confirmed and maybe just a placebo effect.

the 10 minutes it took to switch the engine oil to full synthetics was well worth it..

 

[sean85]

If your car has been using mineral oils for years, would it be ok to switch to a fully synthetic oil or would you recomend going with a 50-50 blend to "ease" it in. Thanks!

 

[adc]

If your car has been using mineral oils for years, would it be ok to switch to a fully synthetic oil or would you recomend going with a 50-50 blend to "ease" it in. Thanks!

You canswitch. Semi-syn is probably a waste of bucks.

 

[sean85]

Ok cool, thanks!

 

[AlleyCat]

go with synthetics.

pros - possible mpg increase, offers more protection, i have more peace of mind

cons - none in my case

M1 5w-30 GF4 is consistently shown to have much higher wear in UOA than premium conventional. The M1 0w-40 ACEA A3/B3-4 is a good, "real" synthetic and should do better than plain jane M1 - which is actually a synthetic blend. Many synthetic will trade good cleaning and sludge prevention for increased wear. The commonly used synthetic base stock is NOT as good a lubricant as group I/II "dino oil" basetocks.