Quarts of T6 5W-40

I've done some research, and clearly the consensus is that Rotella T6 5W-40 is the only oil that should ever be used in any turbocharged subaru ever.

 

I picked up a few gallon jugs of the stuff, but I'm not having any luck finding quarts. A few different people have suggested Wal-Marts, Tractor Supply, and feed/farm type stores ("Southern States" in my region). I've checked the websites, and they don't have quarts listed, only gallons.

 

Has Shell stopped packaging quarts of T6, or am I just not looking hard enough?

I only recall seeing quarts locally at Sears, but they were priced ridiculously high (like $8.50 each IIRC)

The Walmarts in my area carry the quart bottles along with the gallon jugs. So far WalMart is the only place I have seen the quart bottles.

^, yeah, walmart, I have 2 quarts just in case

yup, local wal-mart here has it in bottles.

My walmart has quarts too. They are priced higher, so if I were running T6 I'd just split out a gallon jug into some re-labeled quarts to save about $8. (Or buy a single quart to have a bottle and then refill it from the gallon to keep in car)

My walmart has quarts too. They are priced higher, so if I were running T6 I'd just split out a gallon jug *snip*

 

(Or buy a single quart to have a bottle and then refill it from the gallon to keep in car)

This is what I do as well. There was one weekend I did an oil change and they were out of gallons so I bought up the quarts they had.

I have a little engine chatter so I was thinking of getting some t6. If I can't find quarts of it locally, is there harm in me buying a couple gallon jugs and having an "open" jug sitting around? Say I buy 3 gallons, use 1 and a little from the 2nd to top it off and keep a little in a single quart in the car in case. Then the next change using the 3rd gallon and some from the 2nd gallon again to top off. Any harm in that?

Not a problem. Just cap it off tight in the mean time.

I've heard mixed reviews of using the 5w-40 in a NA engine. Anyone have any experience or info on this? I have tried searching but can't find anything.

If your manual specs a 5w-30 and allows 10w-40 in the right temp range, then you can run 5w-40 year round in your NA subie. As to your specific engine the best thing to do is run it and check parameters. First an oil pressure gauge will tell you if a 40 wt is 'too much' oil for your car. Second oil analysis at a point half way between severe service and regular service interval would be a safe place to start. That can be adjusted based on your driving. If majority highway and you drive easy without any oil loss in an oci, then I'd push it to 7500 and uoa. If you are stop and go with heavy foot and autoX every now and then, I'd say 3750 uoa.

 

Chances are your impreza will do fine on T6. I'd also look at M1 0-w40, it's about the same price per quart at walmart. Both are excelent oils for $5 a quart.

Whoa whoa whoa ... who said anything about an impreza? I just have a Legacy 2.5i...

 

But thanks for the info. I'll have to look more into it. I have a pretty even mix of city/highway. Not really a heavy foot and I never autox. I'll double check what is recommended for different temp ranges and go from there. Car is also at 130k miles.

 

*edit*: Manual prefers 5w-30. 10w-30 and 10w-40 allowed for -5* and higher. Thicker oil than that (30, 40, 10W-50, 20W-40, 20W-50) is recommended for very high temps or heavy-duty applications.

Oopps...

 

Sorry, don't know where I got that from. with 130k on the clock you are fine going to a 40wt. At the same price, I'd run the M1 0w-40. It has a lot of factory certs and is a passenger car oil. There could be an argument for the T6 if you were thrashing your car, as it has a beefy anti wear pack. I'm not a Mobil fanboy, but the 0w-40 is a great oil for the price if your wally has the 5qrt jugs for $24.95. You don't have to worry about splitting a second jug or buying an extra quart. I'd wager money that a 7500mi uoa in your car with M1 0w40 would show life left in the oil...

I'll have to give it a try. Thanks so much.

My walmart has quarts too. They are priced higher, so if I were running T6 I'd just split out a gallon jug into some re-labeled quarts to save about $8. (Or buy a single quart to have a bottle and then refill it from the gallon to keep in car)

 

That's what I did, bought one quart and refill it. Double win, avoiding the rape price, and I don't have to go to WalMart anymore