I need oil!
 

I had my oil changed at the delearship @4200 miles, THEN I ran my first HPDE event and have not changed the oil since (now @5400 miles). It looks a little dark and after talking to a friend of mine who's pretty experienced with performance vehicles I asked him "do I need to changed the oil before my next event?' to which he answered "are you kidding? You should have changed it already after the first time AND before your next event!' He suggests that I should change the oil before AND after any kind of track day event. He's my good friend and I believe every bit of what he says, BUT he doesn't really know much about the FR-S. He is more of a drag guy. So I figured I had better ask some FR-S drivers who track their cars often, what kind of oil and filter are you using?

To put it a little differently, if I want to track my car, and follow the rule of swapping oil and filter before and after a long day at the track, AND all I am really interested in doing is going to my local O'Riley auto parts and picking this stuff up, what should I run?

I see some people say run Motul fluid and all kinds of imported stuff that Im sure is really good stuff but I don't like the high price and the fact I need to have it shipped. what can I buy at my corner store that is reliable and safe for this type of use? Castrol full syth? Fram filter? OEM filter? Royal Purple? Whats the best bang for my buck for frequent oil changing due to track use? Most importantly, how do you approach this and what do you use?

I get the european formula Castrol synthetic from Autozone. I would not run it in the winter in IL though.

I also don't change it after track events, just before.

Let me put it this way. Motul 300V is expensive. Horrendously expensive. But you just asked me, what is the best for your buck. Well, I track my S2000, and I'm pretty sure you know that I'll drive my car. I also change my oil every 10,000 miles.

So now what's cheaper? Spending $150 on a single oil change every 10,000 miles? Or, spending $30 on an oil change every track day? How much time are you spending to do the oil change?

As always, YMMV with oil change intervals, and I determined my oil change interval by getting my used oil analyzed. Not only do I get top shelf protection for my car, I get the convenience of not having to change it often.

Also, use a OEM S2000 filter. It fits on the BRZ, and is one of the best filters you can buy (it's a PCX part number, not a PCA, and is specific ONLY to the S2000)

I ran GC 0w30 for the last two events, and am giving the OEM Toyota 0w20 Synthetic a try, which is supposed to be a really good oil. I always run the OEM Subaru filter and make sure to pick up the drain plug gasket/crush washer.

There are a ton of choices out there, and as long as youre not putting crap oil you'll be fine. I haven't heard of anyone ruin an engine because they weren't running a high end racing oil like Motul or Redline. I just change it frequently since I'm pushing the car hard; I usually change after two full track days.

On the BRZ an oil change takes about 10 minutes.

What oil change interval does oil analysis indicate for oil that costs $8/quart (GC 0W30 for example)? Do we know that you can't have your cake and eat it too?

Thats an interesting way of looking at it. I still like the idea of changing my oil before a track day though, and thats why Im looking for a more affordable, yet reliable, and not total over kill type option. So what Ive gathered is I could pretty much go with anything that is full synthetic 0w30 (castrol, mobile, GC? [whats GC stand for?], redline, ect.) And an S2000 filter. so I can work into o'reily and say 'I need an OEM S2000 oil filter' and theyre going to have one? because like I said before, I just want to go to the store and buy some oil like a normal person, its 3 minutes from my house, Id like to walk in and walk out with what I need and be done with it. Also what does YMMV stand for?

^ The dealerships would carry an "OEM" Honda S2000 filter. That, or you could order on ebay/amazone.

YMMV = your mileage may vary (your experience may not match mine)

www.handaaccessories.com has the cheapest S2000 filters AFAIK.

While I don't know because we haven't done that, you can find plenty of lesser oils that break down under hard driving, even if its just the occasional street pull.

My experience (and UOAs) with Valvoline synthetic and Motul 8100/6100 is a perfect example of that.

GC = German Castrol

Sold at Autozone as 0w30 European formula. The bottle will say made in Germany rather than USA.

Do you use an S2000 filter as well?

I use the OEM Subaru black filter.

I'm running Mobil 1 or Amsoil (depending on what I have at the time) with 5K intervals, usually 40% of those miles are on track.

Changing before and after each track event is a giant waste of money.