The 12 best motor oils for Subaru Forester

*Review of the best according to the editors. Selection criteria. This material is subjective, not an advertisement and does not constitute a guide to purchase. Specialist consultation required before purchase.

The popular oppo station wagon is already in its fourth generation – and it’s already eight years old, so a large number of Foresters have already managed to get out of warranty, and it is logical for their owners to refuse expensive servicing at dealerships and original engine oil. Traditionally, when choosing a replacement, let’s start with the factory manual – it offers three options:

1. For gasoline engines without turbochargingyou have to use motor oils with a viscosity grade of SAE 0W-20, so our choice is directly limited to low-viscosity “energy-saving” oils, as the instructions show: they require an oil with API SM/SN certification, with the Energy Conserving label, or with ILSAC GF-4/GF-5 quality grade.
2. For turbocharged gasoline engine, as expected, requires an oil with a higher high-temperature viscosity – SAE 5W-30 with the same quality class requirements. In northern regions of Russia, of course, it makes sense to talk about choosing SAE oils 0W-30.
3. Forster dieselrequire the use of SAE 0W-30 oil, which must have ACEA C2 or C3 quality grades.
4. Let’s look at the last point.The fact that C2 and C3 oils have a serious difference in high-temperature viscosity HTHS – with the same SAE index C2 oil at higher temperatures and loads will have a lower viscosity than C3 oil. Naturally, under such conditions, all other things being equal, ACEA C3 oil will provide better engine protection – and since the factory allows the use of oils of both classes, we will choose the more viscous C3 oils.

Rating of the best motor oils for Subaru Forester

Best oils for Subaru Forester with an atmospheric gasoline engine

Shell He

x

tra SN 0W-20

Rating: 4.9

Domestic engine oil, developed specifically for specific Japanese requirements (SAE 0W-20, API SN ILSAC GF-5) – one of the most affordable in our market. At the price of a 4 liter canister in the range of 1700 rubles it can be quite forgiven for the expected shortening of the service interval. And the need for this is felt already by the claimed alkalinity (7.9 mg KOH/g – less than that of Shell and Idemitsu). High-temperature viscosity according to the manufacturer is 8.3 mm2/s, and pour point – minus 45 degrees. Not the best performance, but we must not forget that we are comparing oils with a decent price difference.

Actual analysis of a fresh oil sample makes it clear that the low-life concerns are valid. Alkaline oil measured at 7.75 mg KOH/g, high-temperature viscosity just above 8 mm2/s. At the same time the pour point is lower than stated (-48 degrees) – perhaps in a particular batch the percentage of thickener is slightly reduced, but in general we can speak about normal compliance with the statements. Since the base oil is inevitably hydrocracking at this price, we summarize: you should not change this oil less than 7-8 thousand kilometers, as well as more expensive Idemitsu. But because Idemitsu has a certain advantage in the form of a high alkali number, G-Energy goes down in the ranking: as the crankcase gases break through the rings as the engine wears, Idemitsu will “age” more slowly when using high-sulfur fuel.

Advantages

• Low price and widely available in the retail network and at Gazprom branded filling stations
• Good low-temperature properties

Disadvantages

• Moderate service life characteristics

SUBARU SN 0W-20

Rating: 4.6

We prefer to take factory-installed motor oils as a kind of benchmark for comparison: in many cases they are really the best choice for the engine. However, at the price of 3800 rubles per 4 liter canister (at the moment of writing this article) the original Subaru oil for atmospheric Forester already loses rating points taking into consideration the fact that such “environmental” and “energy-saving” oils really hold mileage of about 7-8 thousand, and it is not profitable to use the expensive oil of the “native” brand.

That said, there is nothing particularly impressive in a hydrocracking oil (judging by the viscosity index, which has ester additives – this partially explains the price) with a corporate logo on the canister. High-temperature viscosity for “twenty” is not bad – 8.4 mm2/s (with a standard tolerance of 6.9-9.32/The main content of the GTL hydrocracking oil is polyfaolefins, alkylated phthalenes are present – 7.74 mg KOH/g. This oil has a good margin for performance deterioration over the mileage – this oil will withstand the normal service life of this class of motor oil. However, the 15% Noak volatility is a lot, and the pour point for an oil with that viscosity grade is not the most impressive: -43 degrees. So taking into account the price, the original Subaru oil for the Forester is definitely not the best choice, it loses even to the cheapest oil in the ranking, offering nothing in return. The strangest thing is that the actual producer of the original oil on the Russian market is the Perm plant OOO LLK-International (read – Lukoil): the price cannot justify even the “imported” origin.

Advantages

• High for this class of oil – high base number
• High viscosity index (over 220)
• Good high-temperature viscosity stability

Disadvantages

• High price
• Not the best “winter” properties for SAE 0W-20

The best oils for Subaru Forester with a gasoline turbo engine

Mobil 1 X1 5W-30

Rating: 4.9

We consider this oil the optimal choice for supercharged and warm-loaded engines. In terms of quality classes it not just fits the requirements of Subaru, but overcomes them: according to API the most stringent to date SN Plus, there is certification under ILSAC GF-5.

In this case, the real alkali number of the oil on the laboratory analysis is high by the standards of its class: 9 mg KOH/g, high-temperature viscosity on different samples gives an average number of 11.5 mm2/s. For SAE class 5W-30 manufacturer managed to achieve excellent low-temperature properties: pour point at -52 degrees is even lower than what you would expect, and the oil can be considered a good option, even for the cold regions of Russia. Mass fraction of sulphur less than 0.2 percent, high base oil purity. The base oil itself is combined, judging by the spectrogram and physical characteristics – to the main share of hydrocracking oil is added GTL oil, there are polyalphaolefins and alkylated naphthalenes. Thus, the manufacturer has successfully balanced the price and life of the oil: the samples taken at the mileage of 15,000 testify that the oil has just “started to approach” the lower limit of alkalinity reduction, while the viscosity is within the limits specified for SAE 5W-30. The oil can be definitely recommended, especially against the background of a more expensive and of lower quality “original” Subaru SN SAE 5W-30 – it again was so pale that we decided not to include it in the rating at all.

Advantages

• Excellent stability of the characteristics
• High detergency properties
• Minimal depletion in a good-performing engine
• Low-temperature properties above average for this viscosity grade

Disadvantages

• Comparatively high price (almost the same as original)

Mot

8100 Eco-
• te 5W-30

Rating: 4.8

Taking into account that you can see the same information about the manufacturer on the canister with this oil as on the original Subaru oil for the Russian market the price difference is particularly impressive: if for the “original” you have to pay more than 3500 rubles (for 4 liters), for the “non-original” from the same plant – about 1800. Herewith Genesis Armortech JP oil, developed to the requirements of Japanese automobiles and having both required by us tolerances (API SN and ILSAC GF-5), and by its properties is very similar to Subaru SN SAE 5W-30. High-temperature viscosity declared in technical documentation – 10.4 mm2/s, freezing point – minus 41 degrees: here, unlike in Mot

, The company wanted to get the low-temperature properties that are important in Russia.

In real analysis, both numbers are shifted even lower: the oil freezes at a lower temperature but is also slightly “greasier” than promised at the working temperature. The similarity of these characteristics with the original oil is very high, but the measured alkalinity number of Lukoil (8.12 mg KOH/g) is higher than that of the original oil.

As a result, taking into account the price gap, “Lukoil” will be definitely a more profitable substitute for the original oil – it does not lose in anything. In our rating it scores below Mobil 1 and Mot

Only due to worse high-temperature properties compared to them, which is undesirable under heavy loads and in the southern regions of Russia – at least it makes sense to reduce the replacement intervals.

Advantages

• The oil is more than comparable to the original oil at half the price
• Decent alkali value
• Good low-temperature properties

Disadvantages

• Not the best high-temperature viscosity

ENEOS Premium Touring 5W-30

Rating: 4.6



This Japanese oil is offered in the same price segment as Lukoil – on average a 4-liter canister costs about 1800 rubles (at the time of writing). The declared characteristics are not record-breaking either: high-temperature viscosity at the level of 10.69 mm2/Excellent detergent properties: low alkali value of 7.33 mg KOH/g. ENEOS even lags behind the domestic oil in -36 degree solidification point – so if Lukoil’s decrease in high temperature properties was partially justified by better cold start properties, ENEOS loses in this aspect.

The lab analysis shows the oil is even worse than expected: the “underperformance”, however small, is both in viscosity and alkalinity, the pour point was measured only as -34 degrees. For an SAE 5W-30 oil, this is far from the best. The only thing where ENEOS was able to stand out was low volatility, but in the list of critical properties when selecting an oil it is not in the leading places and we would definitely call Lukoil the best choice for the same money.

Advantages

• In general, for its price oil is not bad in terms of performance
• Low vaporizability at high thermal loads can reduce consumption through the crankcase ventilation system

Disadvantages

• High pour point
• Little alkalinity

Best oils for Subaru Forester with diesel engine

Shell He

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tra ECT C2/C3 0W-30

Rating: 4.9



Castrol offers an oil that competes with Shell but loses out on price: a 4-liter canister costs more than 3,000. However, with an ACEA C3 quality rating on the performance list it performed admirably in our analysis. At a high-temperature viscosity of 12.09 mm2/Castrol is a 4-liter canister with a pour point of less than 3,000 rpm (close to the upper limit for SAE 0W-30) and has a pour point of -44 degrees: its characteristics are more shifted to higher temperatures compared to Shell, and we would recommend Castrol for harsh but moderate frost conditions. With an alkali number of 8.69 mg KOH/g, the oil is well compatible with high-sulfur fuels, which is confirmed by the analysis of the runoff – Castrol will withstand a normal service interval while maintaining sufficient alkalinity and viscosity. Sulfur in the oil is less than 0.2%, the volatility of 8%, the flash point – 245 degrees – this clearly indicates the absence of hydrocracking oil in the “base”, according to the spectrogram a pure polyalphaolefin oil is used here. The oil has no problems with thermal stability and service life, it can retain sediments in the engine at a minimum level.

But it is worth noting that Shell exceeds the upper limit of sulfated ash content according to ACEA C3 (0.06%) by only a fraction, whereas Castrol achieves 0.2%. We understand, of course, that in practice the service life of the particulate filter is much more severely affected by the fuel quality and the engine condition itself, but we cannot help pointing out that the actual oil sample clearly does not qualify the oil for the medium ash.

Advantages

• Excellent viscosity stability and high alkali number
• High detergency properties
• Low volatility

Disadvantages

• Dip in ash content compared to ACEA C3 requirements
• Not the best pour point in this class

Mobil 1 ESP 0W30

Rating: 4.7



Unlike Shell and Castrol, Mobil 1 perfectly meets the requirements of ACEA C3 for ash content (0.6%), but at a high price: the claimed alkali number – only 6.3 mg KOH/g, that is, we face a typical limited resource low viscosity medium ash oil, and costs more than Shell and Castrol. The particulate filter may last longer, but you will have to spend considerably more money for the engine oil during this time. Kinematic viscosity at 100 ° C is stated very high – 12.2 mm2/No data on pour point on the producer’s website, strange as it may seem.

The exhaust test partially rehabilitates the oil: it managed to keep a decent viscosity at 10,000 km run (11.6 mm2The base number is 3.91 vyu KOH/g and the base number is still within the standard range, although it hints at the time of replacement (3.91 vyu KOH/g). Markers of engine wear in the exhaust are miserable, i.e. we can recommend to change this oil just every 10 thousand kilometers and not to worry about the service life of the engine and particulate filter… but the temperature of oil freezing has not been measured, so we do not recommend it for the northern latitudes, just in case: the best option for them will be Shell He

• x
  tra ECT C2/C3 0W-30.

  Advantages

  • Good service life for a medium alkaline oil
  • Excellent engine wear protection
  • Minimal sulfur and phosphorus, low ash content
  • Viscosity at high temperatures

  Disadvantages

  • Uncertainty with low-temperature properties

  TOTAL QUARTZ INEO EFFICIENCY 0W-30

  Rating: 4.7

  

  The French manufacturer usually performs well on the market of medium ash diesel oils (which correspond to the quality class ACEA C3 required for diesel Forester): it is the joint work with Rena

  t, for the diesels of which Total produces “original” oils under the Elf brand. In our case the Total also has a strong position: with the price within the range of 2200 rubles for a 4-liter canister the oil fully complies with the instructions and has the declared alkaline number of 7,5 mg KOH/g, which is very good for a medium ash low-viscosity oil. High-temperature viscosity according to manufacturer’s data – 11.6 mm2/ s, the oil has a good margin to reduce the viscosity as it ages. With a low viscosity index (180) the pour point is given as acceptable – minus 45 degrees.

  Let’s go to the laboratory analysis. Solidification point slightly above (-42 degrees), alkalinity is noticeably lower: only 6.77 mg KOH/g. The result is still good for this class of motor oil, but such an alkali number when using high-sulfur fuel would definitely require a reduction in the mileage between services. At the same time the oil can last much longer on high-quality fuel: the main part of the “base” is not hydrocracking but polyalphaolefin-based.

  Advantages

  • Attractive price
  • High viscosity stability at high thermal loads
  • Slow drop in the alkaline number with quality fuel – in this case the oil is able to operate normally at a normal drain interval

  Flaws

  • Sensitive to fuel quality, especially on mature engines