A life of "syn" -- Idemitsu

You mean your Gen2 Prius did not require "syn" 0W-20? Is there any Subaru OEM oil out there? I am thinking of using Idemitsu Zepro 0W-16 on my PIRME when I run out of my stock of Toyota OEM 0W-20 oils.

 

Gen 2 was 5W30, comes in conventional or synthetic? And Toyota seems to steer clear of mentioning synthetic, just oil weight.

What year is it? I managed to find a complete pdf of the 2019 Outback Owner's Manual, and it doesn't seem to be saying you have to use synth. Well maybe: it strongly recommends it, with the 2.5 liter. A couple of excerpts:




Link to the manual. This seems to be third party source, and much easier to access than the PITA official Subaru site:

Download 2019 Subaru Outback - Owner's Manual PDF (508 Pages)

 

Split the difference.
Use a syn blend.
I think a really LOT of new models from all car makers these days does that when you use their shop for changes.

 

As long as the oil spec meets the car manufacturer's requirement, any brand will be fine.

Fully synthetic oils in the US still have dino oil in them, or at least any actually made here, and the Idemitsu is. Either way, it is the detergents and other additives that determine how well contaminates remain suspended in the oil.

A 0w- oil isn't possible in a non 'synthetic'. The 0w- ones probably have a higher portion of Group IV and V oils than other weights in the product line, if you are wanting a synthetic, or look for ones imported.

 

I am thrown off by the artistic tittle of the thread.

I am thrown off that I am getting the feeling that you have to use synethic or else

 

Our 81 Civic had a manual choke, never any problem. Our next car, an Accord, had an automatic choke, that would reliably stall the car, at the same red light, every morning.

 

Yah FB25 demands 0W-20 and I haven't heard of a way to make that which isn't synthetic. I think you're on the right track, thanks for sharing!

 

So, and I know this is off-topic -- so shoot me (please) -- but if cars were getting 50 mpg in the 1970s, we have seriously gotten nowhere in the last 40-50 years????
kris

 

My 1984 CRX got 52 mpg.

 

I think the actual margin of error included in the "Your actual mileage may differ." statement has gotten smaller in the last 40-50 years. lol

 

I thought that there still were two brands that are "real" synthetic......Amsoil and Royal Purple, maybe.
Are they not made in the US ?
Or have they gone down the dark path too ??

 

The goalposts moved. Now we can get the same 50mpg in a reliable, safe and durable car. More combinations available even if progress has appeared to stall for one attribute in isolation.

Also let us not forget that speed limits have crept upwards from a national 55 with heavy enforcement to "Is this a limit plus fifteen state or a limit plus twenty five state? Anyone?"

 

Weapons on safe.


Three things happened to the YMMV thing,

1. In 2008 the US EPA moved the goal posts for calcu-guessing the "official" economy numbers for vehicles for various reasons.
There's actually a web site (naturally!) for those who like to stare and compare with numbers:
Compare Original and New Fuel Economy Estimates
My beloved 94 Geo Metro Xfi stickered at 55mpg (53/58) and you know what?
It got every bit of that.
Today it would only net a still-respectable 47 (43/52) - because people who are educated at a level beyond their intelligence and drive in a laboratory cannot repeatably achieve the same fuel efficiency as I did back in '94 out in the real world.
YMMV....

b.) Cars ain't what they were in the 70's and 80's. The little ones are bigger and heavier and pollution standards are different which is one of the reasons that the B210 ad above has the caveat about "California mileage figures" being lower.
Now, pretty much all US vehicles are CARB compliant because it makes ECONOMIC sense to do so.

III.) Truth in advertising.
People actually check the numbers these days.
Ask Vee Dubbaya.

GM went this route with their Dexos and Dexos-2 recommendations.

Using the ETC(SS) theory of Walmart which states:
"All roads lead to Walmart, and are filled with road-rage about Walmart."

I selected the Mobil-1 product and halved the OCI for my CFO's ride. and we're repair free so far after 125,000 miles.
My theory is that if the M1 product that they push were substantially inadequate - real world, then Walmart being the evil, greedy capitalists that they are would stop selling it.....or?.....the landscape would be littered with dead and dying cars.
Since neither seem to be the case then this is a case of being "good enough."
Most people who sweat the oil thing, curiously, never CHECK THEIR oil and sell their cars after 3-4 years.
Mine have to last a little longer than that, so I let the 19-year-old kids fight the oil-wars.
That's why the average age of the average military service member is...........wait for it!..........about 19.


YMMV....

 

The change to figuring the window sticker values has been mentioned, but for example there is my 2005 Prius.
It is now labeled 48/45/46 mpg city/highway/combined on Fueleconomy.gov, but my window sticker stated 60/51/55. I was reliably getting 58mpg in nice weather, but many people, who likely weren't paying attention to what they got in their previous car, weren't. Their whining, and lobbying from other interests, lead to the 2008 change in the posted MPG of a car.

Plus they are much cleaner now. Many of the high efficiency cars of yesteryear were lean burning NOx factories.