Oilman

CFS is the better oil by far, but it's up to you. Some people use really basic oils with no problems, but if you want to keep the car for a while, I'le suggest using something better than the Trident like the XFS or CFS. Cheers Tim

It is cheap as it's the basic option from Millers. It's not up there with the xfs or cfs

There are many running SAE60 when they dont need to. As it is in there get your moneys worth from it as it will be fine short term. However next oil change switch to a more suitable grade. Cheers Guy

Glad it's okay Cheers Tim

Hi Yes, it's too thick. The oil won't get hot enough to flow properly, meaning there is localised high pressure (leading to wear), reduced oil flow and less heat transfer. Is your car heavily modified and tracked regularly? If it's under about 350bhp and used on the road mainly, 5w-40 is the way to go. Over 350bhp, perhaps a 10w-50 is needed. A lot of Subaru specialists seem to forget that there are oils other than 10w-40 semi synthetic and 10w-60 synthetic. Cheers Tim

Yep, 10w-50 will be good. Silkolene Pro S or the Millers CFS are the best. Cheers Guy

If it is just road use then 10w-40 or 5w-40 synthetic as an upgrade, if used fairly hard then go for a 10w-50. Cheers Guy

It would be nice to be able to put together a stock article, but to do a nice one takes a fair bit of time. Heres a brief one Classics Use a 5w-40 or 10w-40 if standard/lightly modded or 10w-50 if heavily modded or tracked. Newage Use a 5w-40 on most of them, only need to go for a 10w-50 if the car is heavily modded and tracked. Gearboxes In normal gearboxes, a good 75w-90 is ideal, but if it has a DCCD unit, they can be very fussy, I'd only use the Motul Gear 300 or Millers CRX NT in those. Diff A good 75w-90 GL5, doesn't need to be limited slip specific oil, just make sure it's GL5. Cheers Tim

SAE60 is too thick for any Subaru, SAE40 or SAE50 are ideal depending on state of tune and use. For the OP, on an 03 model with basic mods and normal use/fast road I would look at a good 5w-40 synthetic for all year round use. If you plan to mod the car further and say use on track etc then 10w-50 or 5w-50. Cheers Guy

Thanks More to come. Cheers Guy

Brake fluid... Bit of a mystery topic! To help dispel some myths and for some good solid general info on the mysterious world of brake fluids I decided to contact Millers Oils up in West Yorkshire. Their Technical Director, Martyn Mann was on hand to give us some useful info… below is Martyn's article on brake fluids. There is a degree of confusion regarding the specification of brake fluid and this article sets out to clarify the situation. The Department of Transportation (DOT) classifies brake fluids to defined specifications. These specifications relate to their boiling points and chemical composition, both of which are important. All currently available brake fluids are covered by one of the following specifications; DOT3, DOT4, DOT5 and DOT5.1. The laws of thermo-dynamics dictate that the energy from motion is turned into heat through friction. A braking system only works efficiently if the fluid remains incompressible. If the brake fluid boils, it turns to gas, which is compressible and the braking system becomes “spongy” or in extreme cases fails completely. A brake system is not perfectly sealed and moisture can get into the system and be absorbed by the fluid. The effect is to reduce the boiling point of the fluid, which reduces the efficiency of the braking system, as described above. The DOT specifies two reference tests for brake fluids. * Dry boiling point - the boiling point of fresh fluid * Wet boiling point –the boiling point once the fluid has absorbed moisture (representing brake fluid after time spent in a real situation). There are two main types of brake fluids: * DOT 3, DOT 4, Super DOT4* and DOT 5.1 which are based on poly glycol compounds. * DOT 5, which are based on Silicone. Note the two types of fluid are not compatible and must not be mixed in a braking system. SILICONE BRAKE FLUID (DOT 5) Silicone based DOT 5 was originally introduced to give higher temperature performance over glycol DOT 4. Silicone fluid also has other advantages, it does not damage paintwork and it does not absorb water. However, silicone fluid is a poor lubricant and does not lubricate ABS pumps as well as PAG fluids. It is also more compressible than PAG fluids, which can result in a sluggish or spongy pedal. It therefore requires special design considerations in braking systems. Further, because it does not absorb water, any water remains as globules, which can pool in low spots in the system and cause corrosion. This water can vaporise when heated under heavy braking giving a disastrous effect on braking efficiency. DOT5 fluids are not recommended for motor sport applications. POLY GLYCOL BRAKE FLUIDS (DOT 3, 4 AND 5.1) Glycol based DOT 4 fluid is the current mainstream brake fluid, and you will see that the specification is considerably better than DOT 3 which it replaces. DOT 5.1 has higher specification still and is for fast road and occasional track day use. It has a similar spec to DOT4 for the boiling point (>260) but is a lot lower viscosity @-40C typically 900 centistokes (compared to 1500 - 1800 centistokes for DOT 4 and super DOT 4). Listed in the table below, are the minimum dry/wet boiling point specifications for each DOT level. BOILING POINT: DOT 3 - 205°C (dry) / 140°C (wet) DOT 4 - 230°C (dry) / 155°C (wet) DOT 5 (silicone) - 260°C (dry) / 185°C (wet) DOT 5.1 (PAG) - 260°C (dry) / 185°C (wet) Super Dot4 * - 300°C (dry) / 195°C (wet) (racing brake fluid) * Super DOT4: The main difference between DOT 4 and Super DOT 4 is the dry boiling point. Normal Dot4 is >260C whilst Super DOT 4 is more like >310C With thanks to Martyn Mann - Technical Director Millers Oils. Cheers Guy. Opie Oils

Hi Robert Last winter was a really bad one, but it is worth having an oil that gives the protection in the winter. If the car gets annual oil changes, a 5w-40 should be fine. If it gets a couple of changes a year, it would be best to use a 5w-40 through the winter, then either the same in summer, or a 10w-40. If you use a 10w-50 or 15w-50, stick with a 10w-50 all year round. Cheers Tim

At this time of year, it’s beneficial to use an oil that has good cold start flow properties as it will get to the parts of the engine that need it far more quickly when you turn the key on those sub zero mornings. The "w" number which means winter is the key here and the lower it is the better cold start performance the oil will have. A 15w or 20w rated oil will struggle to get around the engine in very cold temps and we would strongly recommend using a 10w, 5w or 0w for better cold start performance. It is a fact that around 90% of all engine wear occurs on cold start because the oil is at its thickest. The colder it gets the thicker the oil becomes and this affects the rate of flow which affects the rate of wear. These numbers help to explain the oils thickness and therefore cold flow performance at various temperatures. Grade.................At 0C.................At 10C..............At 100C 0W/20.............328.6cSt...............180.8cSt............9cSt 5W/40.............811.4cSt...............421.4cSt............14cSt 10W/50............1039cSt...............538.9cSt............18cSt 15W/50.............1376cSt..............674.7cSt............18cSt 20W/50.............2305cSt...............1015cSt............18cSt Centistokes (cst) is the measure of a fluid's resistance to flow (viscosity). It is calculated in terms of the time required for a standard quantity of fluid at a certain temperature to flow through a standard orifice. The higher the value, the thicker the oil. Winters in the UK are fortunately not too cold but, below zero temperatures are regular features in some parts of the country. Compare the thickness of the oil at 0degC and 100degC and you will see the big difference. Just something to consider on those frosty mornings. The Opieoils Team.

The competition to win £150 to spend at Opie Oils is now closed and correct answer was Bugatti Royale... so well done to everyone who answered correctly! There were only six Bugatti Type 41 Royal's ever made, first conceived in 1928 but the first Royal was not delivered until 1932. The competition picture was taken by myself at the Schlumpf Museum in Mullhouse, France, where they have three Royal's; two originals and one replica. However, the replica - other than the body work - is made of original Royal parts purchased from Bugatti. The Elephant mascot in the competition picture sits on the grill of the Esders Coupe type 41 Royal, the replica and arguably the most beautiful. Google for more info. The silver elephant mascot that sits on top of the radiator of the Bugatti Royal was cast from one of Rembrandt Bugatti's original sculptures (Rembrandt Bugatti was Ettore Bugatti's brother), Rembrandt Bugatti was an accomplished animal sculptor but killed himself in 1916, at the age of 31. His brother Ettore Bugatti (the car manufacturer) used the Silver Elephant on the Royal's in memory of his brother. The winners are... 1st is Stephen Coupe, a member of 'Mistubishi Lancer Register' winning £150 to spend at Opie Oils. 2nd is Andrew Muckle from club 'Boxertrix' winning £50 to spend at Opie Oils. 3rd is Ian Tomlinson from club 'BMW Land' winning £25 to spend at Opie Oils. Congratulations to all of our winners! As a consolation prize we are offering FREE CARRIAGE for a limited time only. Use offer code FREEJULY Cheers, The Opie Oils Team.

Don't forget to enter our competition for a chance to win a £150 voucher to spend at Opie Oils, Plus 2 runners up prizes of £50 and £25 voucher to spend as you wish at Opie Oils Just let us know which iconic vehicles does this bonnet emblem appear on? (image above) Enter Here! Oilman

It's Opie Oils competition time again! This time we're giving away £150 voucher to spend at Opie Oils, PLUS 2 runners up prizes of £50 and £25 voucher to spend as you wish at Opie Oils. Free to enter, no purchase necessary. How to win it? Easy! Just let us know which iconic vehicles does this bonnet emblem appear on? (image above) Answer on our web site here. It's free to enter and there's no commitment to buy anything, so give it a go! >> ENTER HERE << ...and dont forget to check out our Weekly Offers HERE! Oilman

Yeah, pretty much 800 forums at the moment

Our site and the Castrol one looks are only designed to give recommendations for completely standard cars that are driven sensibly. So if yours is modded or driven like it's stolen, go for a 5w-40

If the car is standard or near standard then a good 5w-40 synthetic is ideal Cheers Guy

We've got a special discount code to save you big money at Opie Oils over the Easter Bank Holiday Weekend. Use our 15% OFF code EASTEROFFER at the Opie Oils checkout to save 25 to 30% across pretty much everything we sell. Combined with club members discounts 10-15%. This offer is valid until midnight on Monday 5th April 2010. Big savings on top brands including NGK, Denso, K&N, UFI, Mahle, Castrol, Mobil, Silkolene, Millers, Redline, Amsoil, Fuchs, Gulf, Motul, Meguiars, Bilt Hamber and Muc Off. Make www.opieoils.co.uk your "one stop shop" for Oils and Fluids, Spark & Glow Plugs, Oil/Air/Cabin/Fuel filters and cleaning products. Happy Easter from The Opie Oils Team

Congratulations to the lucky winner Nathan Hawkins of Civic Type R Owners Club, who wins £150 worth of cleaning products. There are 2 runners-up who each receive a £50 Voucher to spend, so congratulations also go to: Helder Da Silva Simon Loyne The answers were Ascari for the make of car and KTM for the bike. Look out for our next competition in June 2010 when we will have an opportunity to win another great prize. Remember that we're always happy to offer impartial advice on oils and lubricants for cars and bikes (and outboards, jet skis... even lawn mowers!). The team at Opie Oils www.opieoils.co.uk

We are giving away over £150's worth of cleaning, polishing and detailing products and there will be 2 runners up prizes of a £50 voucher to spend at www.opieoils.co.uk. This Competition is free to enter with no purchase necessary. This is a great prize containing everything you need to get your car looking "tip top" inside and out! There's car shampoo and wheel cleaner, clay bars and polishes - a huge selection of quality products from Meguiars, Muc-off and Bilt Hamber. (There is no cash alternative) How to enter? Easy! Just let us know the make of the "mystery car" or "mystery bike" on our web site. If you like, you can tell us what model it is too, but you don't need to as there are no bonus prizes! It's free to enter and there's no commitment to buy anything, so why not give it a go! The competition is only open until 23rd March 2010, so get your skates on... If you're the lucky winner you'll get a pack like this We'll also give the winner the option to substitute the above for a more motorcycle-focused prize. Entries received after 6pm Tuesday 23rd March will not be counted and just the one entry per person please! >> Enter now << The Opie Oils Team.

Thanks to everyone who entered our Christmas competition! Congratulations go to Paul Canadine from MCR-VTEC (for Honda performance cars in the North West) who wins the Garmin Nuvi sat nav and to Kenny Adnitt from the SV1000 Portal (for Suzuki SV1000s) who wins the AGV K3 Rossi Gothic helmet. We had a great response to our competitions, with a high percentage of correct answers! The answers The mystery bike answer was Yamaha - the bike is a Yamaha YZF R1 (from around 2001, we're told!) The mystery car answer was Mazda - the car is a Mazda RX7 (circa 2002?) Better luck next time if you weren't one of the winners! A big thank you too to all our customers for their support during 2009... we value your custom. Our Christmas and New Year opening hours can be found on our web site at http://www.opieoils.co.uk/t-christmas-delivery.aspx With Seasons Greetings and all the best to you and your families for 2010, - The team at Opie Oils

Hey all, Our competition ends tomorrow, so make sure you enter our competition before midnight tomorrow(friday 18th December). Enter Competition Here!

It's time for the Opie Oils Christmas competitions! We've got some great prizes lined up for you, whether you're driving or riding... Enter our "mystery car" competition to win a Garmin nuvi 255w Sat Nav with full EU mapping and colour wide screen. Enter the sat nav competition here >> Or if you're on 2 wheels, have a go at our "mystery bike" competition and you could win a cool AGV K3 Rossi Gothic replica helmet!. With its distinctive shape and amazing design, it's a cool helmet that would normal set you back £160 or more. We'll get the winner a size to fit, so no worries there. Enter our Rossi Gothic helmet competition here >> Both competitions are free to enter, no purchase necessary and close on Thursday 17 December 2009 and we'll be contacting the winners on Friday 18 December 2009. Good luck and "seasons greetings" to you all! - The team at Opie Oils