Engine/Power - EJ20T (pre-2006 WRX and JDM) There is replacement for displacement, it is forced induction - OEM 2.0 liter turbo engines in the USDM WRX. 90-94 Legacy Turbo EJ22 turbo engines can also be discussed here.

motor oil

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Old Feb 5, 2005 | 08:58 PM
  #1  
jcorrao's Avatar
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motor oil

I'm currently using Royal Purple 10W-30 in my 04 WRX wagon. I've heard that Redline is a better product. Does anyone have any input regarding which oil is the better of the two? Thanks for any information.
Old Feb 7, 2005 | 08:19 PM
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My only experience is that I've used nothing but redline since about 5000 miles. Now at 58k miles. No issues.
Old Feb 7, 2005 | 08:48 PM
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I have a friend who builds race cars and he's not a fan of redline for street use. He thinks it's too thin. I've been using Mobil 1, it's not as good, but I change it every 3K so no big deal.
Old Feb 14, 2005 | 04:43 PM
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10-30 Quaker state rocks.

Last edited by HellaDumb; Mar 8, 2005 at 01:13 PM.
Old Feb 15, 2005 | 11:30 AM
  #5  
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Why are u using 10w-30 and not 5w-30?
Old Feb 15, 2005 | 05:23 PM
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Shouldn't matter too much. Some people think that the 5w30 synthetic is a bit thin. I am running mobile 1 5w30 at the momenr
Old Feb 22, 2005 | 03:53 PM
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well in the long run royal purple will eat at your seels and stuff. but it did work the best for me.
Old Feb 22, 2005 | 04:33 PM
  #8  
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Car Info: 03 WRX Sedan MBP/17X7.5 SSR Comps/225 Kumho MX
Castrol GTX 5W-30 for me. Conventional oil works great if you keep up on it. I got 260K miles off of my '90 Eclipse GS Turbo using Castrol (20W-50 was recommended for that car) and all I did to the engine was change out the valves and seats at 196K when the original OEM turbo blew. The engine was still running good when I sold the car two years ago. I do oil and filter changes in the garage at 3-4K miles.
Old Feb 22, 2005 | 05:01 PM
  #9  
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im using amsoil 5w-30 full synthetic.... no problems and relatively cheap.
Old Feb 22, 2005 | 05:39 PM
  #10  
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i didnt like redline tranny oil, but i did like mobil one engine oil, and i did like GM synchromesh gear oil, and i did like castrol
Old Feb 22, 2005 | 09:39 PM
  #11  
meilers's Avatar
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Originally Posted by HomerJay
I have a friend who builds race cars and he's not a fan of redline for street use. He thinks it's too thin. I've been using Mobil 1, it's not as good, but I change it every 3K so no big deal.
I have to agree with this philosophy. Just because a lubricant is used in race situations doesn't mean it is a good idea for long-term use; after all, a race engine is rebuilt 5-10 times a season, perhaps even more. Performance is the focus of Redline and similar products, not duration or longevity.

A similar analogy might be using race-specific brake pads on a street car. They might stop you hard enough to rattle your teeth, but you'll burn through them in 10k miles and blow dust clouds from the wheels every time you stop. Yet a good street pad (such as Hawks or even the Subaru OEM pads) will last you 50,000 miles and have no major issues.

I don't think any modern synthetic is weak enough to break down in as mild of an application as the WRX or STI engine; I've been using Castrol syn and Mobil 1 synthetic since 10,000 miles and my oil comes out as clean as it goes in with very little loss between changes. The more race-specific oils (Redline, Royal Purple, Amsoil) don't seem to be necessary unless you are tracking the car and you've at least doubled your WHP.
Old Feb 22, 2005 | 10:28 PM
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yup yup..... i think anything synthetic (full or part) is good for most of our cars. but the peace of mind of having full synthetic helps me sleep. plus, its only 50 cents more. i think its a little over $4 a quart. i forgot the website but its pretty easy to find dealers.
Old Mar 8, 2005 | 12:58 PM
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I been using Mobil 1 fully synthetic 5w-30 since a year ago and stopped because their $$. I stopped because I don't drive my car that hard all the time and I don't take it to the tracks. I think if you're just a daily driver like me and only sometimes drive it hard, save your money and change your motor oil every 3k miles and use non-synthetic but use OEM oil filter so they can't void your warranty if a problem came up with the motor.
Old Mar 10, 2005 | 07:28 PM
  #14  
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Mobil 1 10w30 in the winter
Mobil 1 15w50 in the summer

Rush
Old Mar 10, 2005 | 08:46 PM
  #15  
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Hmm... I'm running Mobil 1 5W30 right now, but plan on switching to Amsoil 5W30 after reading a few good threads about it, and how it is supposed to be superior to Mobil 1.

<shrug>... In reality, though, unless you drive your car to the limits, and/or unless you do not change your car oil regularly, it probably doesn't make (nor will you notice) a difference. As long as you change your oil every 3000 miles (or ?4000 with synthetic) you should be good to go.

-C
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