Engine oil RED LINE or ELF
Red Line.
I like red line oils, because they have a bit more zddp which is nice for the rockers.
On chilly winter mornings (SF Bay Area) the car did not like reverse or first gears. Subsequently switched to Red Line engine oil. More power, better mileage.
Ran Redline 5w40 when it became purely a summer car in ~2013. ... Not seals are leaking, no issues of any form. Car has been Cobb stage 2 91oct tuned (OTS, not pro-tuned) almost 14 years, with a Crawford v2 AOS, Killer B oil pickup + windage tray being the only reliability mods, and it doesn't burn a single molecule of oil.
Redline is great, used it for years in a track car.
My STI also used it for a while (0w40), but then switched to Rotella.
Redline user have been since I picked up my 04 WRX wagon two years ago. Auto crossed and rally crossed. Works great have had zero issues, also at 170,000 miles on the original engine and still running strong.
I use Redline, similar quality and price to Amsoil, without the MLM BS.
In my experience of trying many different oils, what I think are the best, as far as the engine running cool and smooth shifting are: 1. Redline 15w50
I just put Redline 5w-30 into my 2011 STI at the last oil change. We'll see how it goes.
Engine was noisier with the mix vs. the previously used redline 5w40. Iron levels are up at 6.3 ppm/1000 miles Oil usage increased by 1/2 quart over the redline 5w40 TBN/TAN levels are worse than 5w40 at comparable mileage
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Which engine oil to choose — RED LINE or ELF?
If choosing engine oil across many manufacturers, check the part ranking. If your choice is down to two brands, the PartReview part comparisons help.
We compare engine oil across these categories:
- PR Score.
- Overall ranking.
- Vote balance.
- Average rating.
- Number of reviews.
- Feature ratings.
- Car owners’ choice.
Which engine oil are better — ELF or RED LINE?
In March 2026 on PartReview, engine oil RED LINE were overall better than ELF.
- RED LINE received a PR Score of 94 out of 100, and ELF scored 95 points.
- RED LINE ranked 9 in the overall ranking, and ELF ranked 23.
- The average rating is higher for RED LINE (4.6) than for ELF (4.4).
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Engine oil RED LINE have better feature ratings than ELF:
- Engine noise - owners believe, that this property for ELF is better than RED LINE.
- Exhaust smoke - drivers claim, that by this property RED LINE does not differ from ELF.
- Warning light - reviews suggest, that this property for ELF is preferred to RED LINE.
Which engine oil are more popular — RED LINE or ELF?
In March 2026 on PartReview, engine oil RED LINE were overall more popular than ELF.
By vote balance, engine oil RED LINE surpassed ELF:
- For RED LINE, the ratio of positive (232) to negative (13) votes is 219 votes.
- For ELF, the ratio of positive (38) to negative (2) votes is 36 votes.
By number of reviews, engine oil RED LINE surpassed ELF:
- For engine oil RED LINE there are 81 review: 76 positive, 2 neutral, 3 negative.
- For engine oil ELF there are 13 reviews: 12 positive, 1 neutral, 0 negative.
Which engine oil do car owners prefer — RED LINE or ELF?
In March 2026, according to PartReview, engine oil RED LINE led more car-specific ratings than ELF:
RED LINE are chosen by owners of cars such as: Audi S3, and others.
Engine oil ELF have not yet taken leading positions in car-specific ratings. You can help by adding a review and specifying your car.
Other comparisons of engine oil
If this comparison didn’t fully answer your question, there are many others on PartReview.
For example, comparisons of engine oil RED LINE with: Mobil, Castrol, LIQUI MOLY, MOTUL, Shell, AMSOIL, VALVOLINE, PENNZOIL, OEM Toyota, Mannol.
Also available: comparisons of engine oil ELF with: Mobil, Castrol, LIQUI MOLY, MOTUL, Shell, AMSOIL, VALVOLINE, PENNZOIL, OEM Toyota, Mannol.
You can also see who is better among other engine oil manufacturers: Mobil or Castrol, Mobil or LIQUI MOLY, Mobil or MOTUL, Mobil or Shell, LIQUI MOLY or Castrol.