"Run the oil for your climate" is pretty much the only answer you need for any car

Totally, absolutely agree with your assessment! I live at Puerto Rico, where the average temperature during our "Winter" is 8O°F; during Fall/Summer, it averages 90-95°F...Conclusion, I'll protect my two engines with 5W-2O-5W-30, depending on the Season!!!

I've been using *0W-20* down in the _TEXAS_ heat for almost 20 years now, without any problems. All my cars have been running excellent for hundreds of thousands miles. Seems to me that the quality of the oil is more important than its viscosity, not all oils are created equal.

I have been down the oil weight and brand rabbit hole and talked to many engine builders. Currently the GF-6 5W-30 is where it's at.

Got dang it man! Again right on time with this info as well! All great points especially running thicker oil in the summer! Appreciate the info sir!

good stuff man, my engine builder and I got into this discussion a year ago. He said the exact same thing as your tuner and for a guy whose seen hundreds of blown motors I valued that advice as well. So far I have 8400 miles on my new fa20 engine using motul 5w40 and its doing great!

I always just use what is recommended for my climate when it comes to oil. Your definitely right about everyone and their grandpa will have a different opinion lol. Also thank you for the story about the AOS vs catchcans from your tuner. Appreciate learning this stuff and it is a great article.

really like this video. Always questioned using 0w20 in my impreza and wanted to go thicker as well and believe ill be going 5w30 just like my 2018 wrx

Yet there are mechanics that tear down and fix engines constantly say to use the specified oil because of the oil passages are designed in such a way to except a certain oil weight. These mechanics also say to make sure you change the oil every 5k and not 10k. Using the right oil weight has been a question for consumers, mechanics, tuners, and manufactures for as long as I can remember, so I say good luck to you and everyone else.

Over 350k miles in my v8 tundra running 0w20. Engine runs like a clock. 4-5K intervals is what I like to run. I live in texas so it gets nice and toasty down here and have never had any issues. Thought about running a 5w30 but ultimately decided to stick to the 0w20 and so far so good!

Im in the north east. So 0-20 for winter 5-40 for the summer.. thats all i needed great vid and thank you 😎

Again thanks for the video , lots of info rattling in head, and still waiting for delivery. I got a million questions lol 😅

I run synthetic 5w-30 all year round in AZ. Wouldn’t touch 0w-20 oil, it’s only there to meet CAFE standards for vehicle manufacturers.

I would say that the metal shavings you saw were possibly also first oil change metals from initial assembly. Ive found them in all of my new cars. I think, for my FA20 wrx it took one or two oil changes to not see those anymore. And that FA was a very happy motor and made great power with consistency. My tuner used it as a test bed and it never had an issue or metal in the pan after the first 2 changes

Great video, man! Thought about doing the same with my Outback but I’m just not sure yet.

Solid logic- thanks for the vid

Most engine wear occurs during cold start, and a thinner oil at cold temps will lubricate sooner. Thinner oil is also more easily pumped and has less parasitic losses, so OEMs leverage that fact to improve fuel consumption. I personally put a lot of weight, (no pun intended) on the cold viscosity because that is the most important aspect of a road car - cold start wear. As for high end temps, even if you drive the car hard, your engine temp likely isn't going above 100 deg C which is where the cooling system keeps it. Ambient temperature is irrelevant as the cooling system keeps the engine temp low. If you track your car and the cooling system can't keep up, then yes, you need a thicker oil at higher temps.

A 0w-30 will have a much more consistent viscosity across the operating temperature rage that a 5w-30. Everyone always focuses on the bearings when that issue was solved 50 years ago. What needs to be talked about when comparing oil viscosity is where and how the piston rings contact the cylinder wall. A higher viscosity oil requires a lot more force to remove from the cylinder walls. With the thinner, lower tension rings that are used today, they simply cannot effectively remove a higher viscosity oil from the cylinder walls. The other side of this conversation is about the additive package in the oil. The reason ZDDP has been slowly phased out is because what makes it a great anti-wear additive, the fact it sticks to metal surfaces so well, causes it to wreak havoc on emission equipment. This is why it's more commonly found in race oils. The detergent package also plays a huge role. Modern oils have moved away from calcium based detergent to a magnesium based detergent. This is largely based on the LSPI requirements. So by using a higher viscosity oil you have more oil is making it's way into the combustion chamber. If that oil is using an incompatible additive package you have the ZDDP decomposing in the combustion process leading to the sulfur and phosphorus coating the emission components downstream. If the additive package is calcium based, that oil being thrown into the combustion chamber is going to cause LSPI. Federal regulations drive changes by the manufactures, these changes drive oil formulation. That's how we ended up here, not the other way around. At the end of the day the viscosity really doesn't matter too much as long as you are using an oil with an additive package compatible with your vehicle. Which for a WRX an API SP or ILSAC GF-6 oil would be appropriate.

I absolutely agree with this post.

I changed my oil at 1000 miles, and then at 3000 miles. I had the dreaded Fuel Pressure Sensor failure at 2000 miles, but the dealer warrantied it, no problem. Going to take it to the dealer for the 6000 mile oil change to put the onus on them for the RTV issue. So far, so good. LOVE the VB, FWIW and YMMV… only mods so far are K&N air filter. VA guys bust my balls about “Nice Civic” but they really are jealous, because…. She rips! Love the vids and keep up the good work!

Thanks for taking the time it was helpful.

Im in Scranton now. You have me thinking the same

Good to know i live in va and probably going to go 5w-30, i have seen from various places it supposedly could void warrenty.

I live in Sydney, Australia & Subaru recommends 5W-30 synthetic in the handbook of my VB.

I agree with what you said. Similar gov regulations also are to blame for the bad exterior designs.

If you drive spirited, let alone track use, switching to a 5w-40 or 0w-40 is a must. In my VQ37VHR motor it really helped as the motor already struggles with oil temps.

I switched to Motul 5W30 at 1500km. I was also surprised to see how bad the oil was and the amount of crap on the magnetic drain plug. At 10,000km I changed the Trans/diff fluid to Motul 300... oil was clean, but lots of crud on the drain plugs.

During your time at IIR I began to use their oil change kit for the VA chassis and that is Motul 5 w30 I live within high altitude cold climate but will be moving back to sea level and feel like that s boule be good all the way around.

Make sure you do an oil analysis. Personally run 5w40 motul or 10w40 Puröl in my 20 STI

Thinking about moving my tundra from 0-20 to 5-30. In South Carolina

Dude great Video I don’t know 🤷🏾‍♂️ why people get butt hurt on this oil Topic I am with you lighter Oil is ok for Gas mileage & newer cars but when that engine ages with time in certain climates, it’s going to break that lighter oil down quicker, Specially Turbo power vehicles I have a sport 19 Accord 2.0 my next oil change I am running Thicker oil that simple I stay in FL GOD BLESS MAN….!!!!!!

I did the same through a KZfaq channel. 5-30 and 5-40 in summer.

first oil change i noticed on the invoice the dealer used 5w30, i questioned the change because the manual and oil cap clearly say 0w20; girl said "no , that's what we run in the new wrx." i asked if it were because of the summer months, and she reiterated her statement. not a big deal, but the book says one thing and the dealership another.

Arent the second number is for operating temperature not the climate temperature?

A interesting oil review, here in Australia Subaru recommends 5W/30 for my four Subaru WRX from 2006 to my present 2020, i would prefer to use 5W/40 due to our usual hot summer temperature ? So far i have had no issues using 5w/30 👍 Au

0W-20 drops it's kinematic viscosity from 8 to about 6.5 cSt at 100 degrees over time in most engines which is bad. 5W-20 stays pretty much at the same level of viscosity during the entire service interval which is good. This is what you need. Using a very high viscosity oil won't help anything. It won't hurt either except for the fuel consumption. But using a shear stable oil is important.

I have a 2001 LS 5.3 with 120k miles and it started the infamous lifter 'tick'. I ran a can of Liqui-Moli engine flush to clean out deposits and changed to 5w-40. The tick is GONE!

The most reputable tuners recommend 10W40 oil. I would love to see some analysis done on your rotella. The difference isn't much but at low temps the 10 weight is optimal.

I would’ve like to hear the engine run on both oils out of curiosity

These thin oils also tend to burn - so you have to keep a closer eye on the level. Annoying. I'm with you on running something more reasonable like 5W30 or 5W40.

I found your video in my quest for the ultimate oil for most purposes. I also was skeptical on the 0W-20 oil being used in most engines the last 10-12yrs. I ran up on this blogger who is a mechanical engineer by trade and a lifetime engine builder. In one article he says to use the thinnest oil ideally no thinner than 5W-30 while still making acceptable hot oil pressure. He also torture tested at least 278 individual oils. His current #1 is Quaker State “Full Synthetic” 5W-30. Barely edging out Amsoil Signature Series 5W-30. Our beloved Rotella T6 5W-40 ranks a very low #251. German Castrol 0W-30 #244. I switched all my cars to Quaker State Full Synthetic 5W-30 from dino HM oil. Now that I’ve seen Subaru in other parts of the world recommend 5W-30 (0W-20 in the US) I’m gonna recommend EVERYONE in a normal car run the QSFS 5W-30. NOTE Quaker State Full Synthetic 5W-30 is #1 NOT the newer “ultimate durability” 5W-30 which falls to #36. Scroll down 20% to the ranking list: 540ratblog.wordpress.com/2013/06/20/motor-oil-wear-test-ranking/

if the manual says '''under harsh driving conditions, we recommend using [OIL GRADE blah blah]" could they still deny your warranty if you specifically used one of those oils? assuming all other conditions were met.

I used Rotella in my 6.0 powerstroke build, it's good stuff, I'm in MN so now you got me thinking about atleast moving to 5-30w. This rtv stuff is bothering me, and if your oil is only 1500 miles then I think I'm due since I live on gravel and at almost 4500. Also do you use stock oil filters or a specific brand, heard good stuff about wix.

5w30 is good and best fit in FA engine. 02-11 manual are for ej engine. However I using motul 5w30 in my 21 sti never shear down to 20. No oil lose. Change every 3k miles.

granted, 0-20 was for fuel economy numbers; but personally, you shouldn't need to run more than a x-30 oil. One thing I've noticed w/resource conserving (RC) oil is the tips get black w/soot quickly. I switched to pennzoil euro-L 0-30 (Porsche C30 rating w/3.5 HTHS) a non-resource conserving oil and noticed my tips don't get as dirty as quickly. also noticed my car's overall mpg and miles to empty numbers are closer to real world numbers and not as inflated w/RC oil.

If the owners manual allows for such a thickness, you won't void the warranty.

My buddy had bad experience with Rotella oil. I use motul 5w40 on my second oil change at every 3k and never look back. So far no issues

it's kinda crazy, but this similar issue are popping up not only in auto industry but in heavy industry and manufacturing side as well. Oil refiners had to change the refining method or using different formula to create different kinds of oil, but with resulting performance specs matching what the grade of oil used to be. They are still classified, labeled as same oil. Now we are getting insane varnishing build ups or oil dropping its viscosity far too quickly than the older formulas used to be, and requires many different kinds of PMs and CMs to address them. I am assuming the adaptation of OW-20 oil went under similar thought process. I don't mind swapping my oil to 5W or even 10W for higher viscosity, but I shall be using engine block heater to keep the oil warm to prevent bearing wiping during engine start up.

No argument here. My last TunerTalk we talked about oil and Graham said for performance just do 5-30. I actually had an interview with Tanner from Smeedia as well and he said the same. For performance 100% go higher. Tanner said he runs EVEN HIGHER on his EJs. That's a surprise to me haha

I was curious, do you have a oil temperature gauge? I was just wondering if there was a temperature difference with using the thicker oil

Is your tuner going to provide warranty coverage on your engine? Every man and his dog is an armchair scientist now. For me, I'm just gonna stick to the recommended viscosity. Appreciate your video, thank you, it is interesting food for thought. I agree about the environment, MPG and lighter weight oil and what's next, sewing machine oil?

Won’t void warranty the manual says if 0W-30 isn’t available you can use 5W-30

Wish I had learned all this info before a few days back 😂 Just did a Motul 0w-20 change. Planning on going Cobb AP in the next week so I guess I need to swap to at least 5W-30. Should I change the oil filter out too when I swap oils or since the filter is only a few days old is that okay? (Sorry if that’s a dumb question)

id run the oil recommended by the manufacturer especially since VVT uses the oil as a hydraulic fluid i’ve heard stories about people changing oil viscosity causing vvt issues idk

yeaaaa BROTELLA LETS GO

You are right! That oil looks cruddy for 1500 miles. I try to change new car oil before 1000 miles. As, I understand it, the 0-16 oil is a better grade oil. Recommended for turbo 4's etc. I used it on my Honda Accord 2T without any problems. I am now using 0-16 (GF-6) on both our CRV's. One turbo, one hybrid. No problems. I change oil every 5,000 miles and do not use any brown oil. (used oil refurbished from used oil and used as new, especially at new car dealers. Brown oil usually referred to as bulk oil or oil from a brown barrel. I am an average driver. As an aside, only 30 weight oil for my John Deere mower. It has been running flawlessly for over 30 years. It is a Kawasaki liquid cooled engine.

I literally had to run out to the garage, pop the hood and stare in wonder at the numbers on the oil fill cap! I traded my 2018 in for the 22 and it ran 5w30 at least. 0w20 is insane to run in any engine let alone a "performance" engine. Thanks for the heads up and if my dealer wont use 5w30 for my "free" oil changes for the next 2 years then I guess I will be back to doing my own again. Really appreciate the heads up!

I use 0W30 or 0W40 in my Crosstrek. I bought it used with 60K miles, so no warranty. I also use Duralube. It gets great fuel economy. I haven't had consumption issues. It starts great at -10°F. Those viscosities flow great as synthetics during cold startups. They should protect better at high temps.

I had just posted this but, my 2023 VB just hit around 214 degrees F on the oil temp, and I baby my car as I’m still breaking it in (500 miles on the dash, not passing 3600rpm) the outside temps were 79-82 degrees; givin we were driving for about 45-55mins . However my wife said she saw some sort of temperature warning on the screen flash. Didn’t see it myself but now I’m starting to research what to do without voiding warrantee…

I just did my 5k oil change 2 weeks ago with 0W-20. Between then and now, I’ve seen your video and a few other sources that convinced me to go up to a 5W-30/40 - can I just drain and refill do you think? Or do I have to put a new filter on even though it’s only been in for about 300 miles so far?

Something doesn't add up for me here... How can an oil has a maximum operational temperature that is lower than the engine operating temperature? Most cooling systems keep the engine at around 95⁰c, and this is what ANY oil that you put inside your engine will experience. Now, for the winter rating, I can understand the lower number because the engine will be started at the lower temperature, but the engine will never be started at the higher temperature than its operating temperature.

Other than marginal mpg decrease, have you seen any other disadvantage of using thicker oil? Like more wear at cold start ups? Or that's not quantifiable enough to tell the difference.

honda VN, tropical, recommend 0w16, 20, 5w30......still should use 40?

VW in their manuals calls for VW spec oil not weight, so i ran VW 0W-30 because it was actually cheaper than the usual 5W-30 on my TDI engine, oil quality and spec is much more important than oil weight i think and i just go with the price

he is a wise man 0w20 it is stupid to use it above 0 degrees C especially in turbo charge engine

I'm reading all these people worrying about which viscosity to use because of weather climates. As a mechanic I recommend people use the viscosity your vehicle requires for. If your oil cap says 0w20 use 0w20, if it say 5w20 use 5w20. Modern vehicles require for low viscosity oil because it will be nice and thin so as to work properly when the engine is cold. But it will maintain correct thickness and viscosity at normal operating temperatures. It doesn't matter how hot or cold it is outside, the normal operating temperatures is MUCH hotter around 90 degrees C. It won't get any hotter along the cooling system working properly.

If cooling system works correctly, engine working temperature is about the same unless you live in extreme areas and system can't keep up. Low viscosity oils are also fit better for engines that use oil hydraulics for their various systems like VVTI, lifters etc. In addition to faster circulation and action of these systems, it is more stable and have better capacity from evaporation leading to thickening. General rules of mechanics the faster the part rotates, the less viscosity oil should have to keep up with parts filling gaps etc. Like found in turbines etc. The slower and more loaded parts require heavier oil. Wide spread in viscosity require more thickeners which are polymers chains unwinding at higher temperature adding viscosity to base oil. In addition to wear out, they find way beyond rings with oil creating even heavier carbon deposits. Therefore wide spread viscosity oils better be avoided unless you have really legit reason. Viscosity drops with temperature, thickening due to evaporation, viscosity drop due to breaking viscosity improvers polymers and many other factors work together often in opposite directions. Remember everything in life is a compromise. You just have to know what you gain or sacrifice at what cost

thanks for sharing. I live in the extreme hot in the summer.

The low this year where I live was 20 degrees and the high was 115. Ugh. lol

So how often do you change this oil? You did not mention your intended oil change interval.with Rotella. Did you ask that tuner whether he has any proof that Rotella saved any WRX's rod bearings from failing?

For warranty as long as you have proof that you have been doing oil changes regularly then you should be fine. Where your warranty could be bodied is if you can’t proof that the service has been done

Thanks

I’m running 0-30w in all my 0-20w vehicles Thinking about about switching to 0-40w for my other 0-30w boost vehicles

Any particular brand of oil filter do you use and does the box comes with the new washer for your oil drain plug?

I have been considering switching to euro 40 weight oil in my new GTI. The light oil makes me nervous. But VW insists I have to use their oil.

Did you have a RTV problem?

The dollars saved by using 0W20 for the average person is very tiny. But when you do the math for the 1.4 billion cars on the road, it's a pretty big number. I figure it must be in the 70 million gallons range.

I live in socal and our winters aren’t really that cold but our summers get really hot. Which oil should i go with?

So i live in florida where most the time its hot with a gr86/ fa24 should i use 5w30 or 0w30? Ive been using 0w20 for the past 3 oil changes. im at 13, 700 miles, im about to have my 15k service (including oil pan + pickup inspection done earlier this time i had the oil change a little above 3k miles each time once i went 4.2k miles before a oil change. Getting worried for my car it seems fine though.

Actually 0W-20 can take outside temperatures better than you think. It can be trusted to withstand outside temperatures of 100 degrees Fahrenheit. That sounds like Texas and Arizona to me. If, you decide to ship your car to Alaska during the winter months. Your 0W-20 oil will be just fine. Over time the viscosity will lessen due to the mileage and time it sits inside your oil pan. The remedy to that is to change your oil and oil filter no longer than 5K miles. 0W-20 can take the hot summer heats, as well as the coldest winters. You don't need 0W-40 in modern new engines. Regardless how hot your summertime temperatures are. Including 100 degrees temperature Fahrenheit daily. I have driven my car in 105 degrees temperature Fahrenheit with no problems. Make sure your cooling system is working properly though. And your coolant tank is filled..

I was using 5w40 in my 2022 and 2021 wrx. I talked to few dealership service depts and they said if there is a warranty claim and Subaru finds that are using wrong oil they will deny any warranty claim for the engine. How true is this?

Just to add, I cut my oil filter open at my 1100 mile oil change and didn't find anything.

They can easily verify the oil all they do is send a sample to a lab and get the results. You'll need to be careful with oil with high zinc also it'll clog your catalytic converters. An example is mobile 1 racing oil has high zinc but race cars don't run cats. Engines using high zinc are running at 9 grand for 500 miles they need that oil you don't.

Hopefully this will stop all the “what oil do I run” posts 😂😂😂 who am I kidding

Can I ask why you were looking for RTV in the drained out oil.

Rotella bros unite! ✌

Your not free of RTV. Use a bore scope and look into your oil pickup tube. You'll find different. My pan was entirely clean but at my 5k oil change I looked with my bore scope and boom! Have fun!

is changing the viscosity of your oil voids the warranty? I know factory recommends 0w20, but It's gets hot in where I'm at in the summer (over 100F)

Interesting. I just bought a new 2024 cx5 and have not done an oil change yet. Only 450 miles so far. But i am not liking the idea of the 0-20. Long story but the dealer will not sell u their oil. They actually recommended using mobil one or similiar 5-20. Also they admitted using the junky made in mexico value brand oil filter. NOT the one that comes on the car new from japan. Boy does that raise some questions. I am definitely at least going with 5w30 mobil 1 full syn. Change at every 2500 at most

I thought there was a filter in the engine somewhere that catches the big pieces of RTV? Have you checked that?

Where are you located? What’s the temps get to in the winter and summer? Will you switch weights with season?

Hey, I absolutely beat the fuck outta my VB daily and I live in MN. We get hellllla hot but also hella hella cold, what oil would you recommend for me?

5w - 30 mobil 1, old school

Do you cold crank flood your car after an oil change?

I hate thin oil.....bought my Triumph T100 new in 2020....Triumph say use semi or fully synthetic 10/40. I put 20/50 semi it....gearbox sounds nicer with it.....may go down to 15/40 I dont know. I am convinced its just a fuel saving idea to please the tree huggers.

I don’t use oil because gretta said it’s bad

I like 10W30 all around. It is best all around. The 0W & 5W are too thin. They do not leave enough residue on the oil rings. I used this out in Arizona. I am in Missouri now. No problems in Arizona. It also cuts down on engine noise making it run smoother & quieter. Also, the lighter oils are harder on cold st arts & warm starts. I do agree that there is some oil blow by on all engines, even more on higher mileade depending on wear with these lighter oils. I think it is a conspiracy of our Federal Government so that we will have to buy another engine. It is all about control. The lighter weighted, it is a myth that you get better gas mileage. I use 10W30 Extended Fully Synthetic. I will use a Mobile 1 Extended Fully Synthetic 10W30. However I am wondering if the fully synthetic is just the same as the conventional oil repackaged.

Diesel oil has metals and other additives that are bad for sensors etc. There is a difference between oils for gas and diesel engines and you should stick with the proper type, for gas or oil, regardless of the viscosity arguments.

Saw an interesting video the other day on oil preasure tests 0w20 vs 5w30, less compresion with the 0w20! Stone The Crow!! I am very leary about this Down Grading Of Motor Oil. I fear we are going too see a generation of BLOWN ENGINS due to lack of lubrication.

There are lots of folks out there who reported engines started burning oil when they switched to greater viscosity products. If engine is designed for lighter oil, when you put a greater viscosity one in it, piston rings do not do good job removing the oil from cylinder walls and it simply burns. Stick to whatever your engine is designed for.