10W40 or... 10W50?!

Ratbag said:
Both Penrite and Shell sell a 5W-40 FS, but it isn't cheap! Around $10-13/litre in a 5 or 6 litre bottle.
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Supercheap has the Penrite on sale "Enviro+" fully synthetic for modern cars 5w40, there's a bit on the back about it being recommended for previous 2010 engines to pass emissions?
7 litres for the same price as 5 litres of the Shell.

Gaah. just checked the Penrite website, it recommends 5W40 HPR not Enviro +. :(
I wonder what the difference is.

I guess I should swap it over again. not on discount at all that one, same price as the Shell 5W40 FS
 
I can personally vouch for the Shell Helix Ultra 5W-40 FS.

Have used it for 20,000 kms in our SG and about 50,000 kms in our SH.

The SG uses no oil at all. The SH leaks about 0.5L/5,000 to 10,000 kms because it weeps a little from the head gaskets.
 
Ratbag said:
I can personally vouch for the Shell
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I heard they dilute their oils with blood...
plus Penrite are Australian (which probably means they dilute their oils with blood too, but maybe less than Shell, or for that matter, more.)
 
I use a penrite 10/40 semi synthetic in both our subies and change every 10,000ks.
 
Matt said:
I use a penrite 10/40 semi synthetic in both our subies and change every 10,000ks.
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Read your owner's manual, Matt.

FS engine oil is recommended for all the Subarus I'm aware of since about the mid-1990s.
 
Was told by a fellow mechanic who specialised in suby's to run semi synthetic and change at 12500 . The oil analysis came back ok with that amount of running
 
Ben Up North said:
just checked the Penrite website, it recommends 5W40 HPR not Enviro +. :(
I wonder what the difference is.
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To answer my own question, the HPR has a higher zinc content than the Enviro+ so better for older engines (not so good for the environment)
 
But no matter numbers oil is not same as other maker oil. I can find same 5w40 for 20 euros or for 40 and more. So it depends i guess. And depends is it original or not , then why pay more at all
 
Recommended in the owners manuals here in NZ, as well as in Japan, is 5W-30 and I stick with fully-synthetic. I use Castrol Edge 5W-30 ACEA A3/B4 or API SL and get a 5L one for around 50 to 55 NZD. I can use the same oil for turbos but API SN is much more stable for anything with forced induction.

Fully-synthetic has better sludge protection as it breaks down much slower than semi or mineral. The use is particularly important when I used to drive Toyotas, as they had the proper sludge/gunk problem in the 90's and early 2000's. The manuals indicated fully-synthetic but people still used mineral or semi-synthetic. I had a 5SFE with a mild gunk/sludge buildup and least disruptive way to remove the sludge is by the use of fully-synthetic oil, where slowly and slowly, the oil removes the sludge. After 6 oil changes, the gunk was significantly less.

When I was looking for a 2ZZ-GE to go inside a ZZW30 MR-S , the importer I went to has the Japanese history of the donor car. On that engine the previous owner of the donor car only put fully-synthetic 5W-30 and upon opening the valve cover, everything was just gunk-/sludge-free.
 
ABFoz said:
Fully-synthetic has better sludge protection as it breaks down much slower than semi or mineral.
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That makes sense but it seems that full synthetics aren't all the same by any stretch, because Penrite recommends the HPR for some Subarus, and Enviro+ for others. Both FS.

Edit: I'm waiting to hear back from Penrite as sto what they recommend for my specific car. Hopefully hear today.
 
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Ben Up North said:
That makes sense but it seems that full synthetics aren't all the same by any stretch, because Penrite recommends the HPR for some Subarus, and Enviro+ for others. Both FS.

Edit: I'm waiting to hear back from Penrite as sto what they recommend for my specific car. Hopefully hear today.
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It would be nice to know too. I haven't used their 5W-30s on petrol engines yet, probably because the ones in our shelves come in 4L bottles. ACEA A3/B4 and API SL both appear on their HPR 5 specs. Enviro+ is the newer ACEA C3 and I haven't got any experience with such spec yet.
 
Their initial response is that I can use Enviro+
Hi Ben,
For a 2005 Subaru Forester 2.5L n/a the information provided to us shows the manufacture requesting the use of an API SL specification oil in a 5W-30 to a 20W-50 viscosity.
With this information our Enviro+ 5W-40 can be used in this vehicle ENVIRO+ 5W-40 (FULL SYN.) | Penrite Oil
Kind Regards,
Tate
Technical Support
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Just asking them now why the recommend HPR over Enviro+ for other Subarus with the similar/same engines.
I reckon because of the zinc content. There is a potential that the 'tech support' is just reading from fact sheets.. ;)
 
I guess, according to this information, I could be using a 10W50HPR... which is a lot cheaper on special than the 5W40 Enviro+
Dang it's confusing!
I do like the idea of it being more viscous at lower temperatures for @Ratbag's reasons not that this car will ever see -20°C!

edit: finally linked the post I wanted to, rather than just random @Ratbag posts..
 
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Thanks, @Ben Up North

What with 0W and 5W being extremely similar in viscosity at around -30°C, I reckon the viscosity around Australian temperatures at startup wil be adequate with either. However, the 5W will provide slightly better lubrication for those vital couple of minutes after a cold start.

-40 will provide better lubrication when ambient temperatures are in the high 30s°C, let alone the high 40s°C.

0W-30 is too thin at startup and at over 35°C.

5W-40 gives adequate lubrication and protection at startup, and protects at up to the high 40s°C. Hence my choice. I know that I can trust Shell to not do anything shonky, and that's worth $10-15 extra per 5 litres.
 
Well here's a thing... Doing the oil change, and have discovered the filter used in the last change by the guy that did the heads is a ZW456 whereas the filter recommended (which I've got) is a ZW436...
Hmmmm. Internet isn't telling me the difference, apart from the fact that a Z456 is for a triton 2.4l petrol.
 
Not a good thing!

Ross is happy with Ryco filters, but not Repco. Just FWIW.
 
I’ve found the genuine oil filters from the local dealer to be cheaper (including the crush washer - a separate item you need to ask for) than a Ryco filter from any of the local parts stores! Go figure, but I’m not complaining that’s for sure.

Cheers

Bennie
 
Bennie, Ryco filters are available almost everywhere. OEM filters not so much ...

I always recommend OEM parts, when available.
 
Ratbag said:
Bennie, Ryco filters are available almost everywhere. OEM filters not so much ...

I always recommend OEM parts, when available.
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True. But if you don’t have access to a dealer as I’m sure many smaller towns and some suburbs don’t (without a decent drive) they can be ordered online from OS much, much cheaper again too. I have five sitting on the shelf atm. Got them for about $AU9 plus postage with the rest of my parts order.

Buying from OS does require some planning ahead and having the coin to buy in bulk to save on postage. Same for buying oil when on special, that’s what I try to do, buy two or three bottles when the shops have their deals going rather than paying full rrp. It’s all about having the coin available (well for me anyway, we don’t like doing/using credit).

Cheers

Bennie
 
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