Where the heck do you buy your oil?
Shortly after I bought my 2011 Outback 3.6R, I picked up a couple of qts of “conventional” Valvoline 5w-30, at Wal-Mart, and–to the engine’s credit–I still have 1 1/4 qts of that oil left.
I just went down to the garage to check the specification of this oil–that I bought over 5 years ago–and it is SN!
I also have a qt of Castrol “conventional” 5w-20 for my friend’s Rav-4 that I bought about a month ago (also at Wal-Mart), and I just checked that bottle also, and it is also SN.
The place where you buy your oil has some seriously old oil that they are still selling!
Motorcycle oil The API oil classification structure has eliminated specific support for wet-clutch motorcycle applications in their descriptors, and API SJ and newer oils are referred to be specific to automobile and light truck use. Accordingly, motorcycle oils are subject to their own unique standards. See JASO below. As discussed above, motorcycle oils commonly still use the obsolescent SF/SG standard.
Also I believe the the phosphorous and zinc levels in motorcycle and “Racing” oil is too high to meet recent automotive standards.
SJ and newer oils have lowered phosphorous and zinc levels to protect catalytic converters, especially on engines with substantial oil consumption.
I can see it since car makers say it’s acceptable for an engine to consume a qt or more in 2000 miles.
