Anyone using Motul or Amsoil 5W-40?

[Novator]

I am curious if anyone is using either Motul or Amsoil 5W-40 in their daily driven engines. I know that Evolution Racewerks uses Motul for their Time Attack car and I believe the H-Stock 135i uses Total motor oil (I'm not sure of the viscosity used). My question is will I suffer any adverse effects from switching from 5W-30 to 5W-40. Are there any pros? Will I free up any HP (even its as much as 1HP), will I notice faster revs, will oil temps be a bit lower? Will 5W-40 be more or less harsh on my engine and its components and will it be better or worse from a cold start. I understand I can search the forums or the Internet, but I would like personal feedback and experience from those who have been using it for the N54/55 engine. Thanks in advance from all those that can provide me with some sort of feedback.

[Novator]

Unless I read wrong, after visiting www.bobtheoilguy.com should I go down one and instead run 5W-20. After visiting the Motul page I saw this (note this is for the racing oil section though): It is broked down by product name, grade, profile, race type, and engine fuel dilution. I guess my question now after reading this is, which of the list mentioned would be the best for a daily driver that sees autocross, maybe the occasional track (when I get back to the mainland), and a few drag racing events (also when I get back to the mainland)

300V HIGH RPM 0W20: Pure Performance (Qualifying sessions, Drag racing, Short tracks) Low Engine Fuel Dilution

300V POWER RACING 5W30: Performance (Qualifying sessions, Short tracks, Up hill races)
Low Engine Fuel Dilution

300V POWER 5W40: Performance (Tracks, Rallyes, Up hill races)
Medium Engine Fuel Dilution

300V CHRONO 10W40: Performance, Reliability (Qualifying sessions, GT)
Medium Engine Fuel Dilution

300V COMPETITION 15W50: Reliability, Performance (Any Race)
Medium to High Engine Fuel Dilution

300V LE MANS 20W60: Reliability (Endurance)
High Engine Fuel Dilution

I read a few similar posts since writing this one, but I still don't feel like I have found my answer yet. Again anyone who can chime in and give me their opinion/advice would be much appreciated. I don't really have anything against the OEM oil that I am using now except that when pushed super hard for no more than 3 minutes I can easily see around 255-260*F oil temps. I know oil cooler is the likely upgrade, but could changing the oil I use suffice until then?

[nikijack]

Novator:
I've been using Amsoil for many years, and use 5w-40 on my 128. After my second oil change at 14,000 k, the thing is getting 39 mpg (imperial).

cheers,

Jack

[Novator]

I understand this and as I have read there are now LL-4 oils out there, but I am not so much concerned about warranty at this time. My car is about 3/5 to it original warranty mileage and I really don't want a warranty dictating what I do to my car and how I use it. I appreciate the tip though, but I am curious if moving up or down from 5W-30 would yield any positive or negative effects. I have been using BMW oils since break in and have changed oil every 6000 miles. Down the road I would like to improve certain characteristics of my car and power may be one of them.

[ErvGotti]

I've kind of researched it and came to this basic conclusion, If you are gonna go with an oil without the LL01 rating you'd have to change it often. That rating mostly deals with fuel dilution and our engines produce quite a bit of blow-by especially at WOT. I'd also change it after every autocross or such event. Me personally I'm using the BMW oil as I haven't really seen anything better for daily driving as I dont track the car much.

[Dackelone]

OP, you do a search on engine oils here. This has been beaten to death before. What you will find in the many oil polls here.

Most ppl here use the BMW synthetic oil sold at the dealers. Either BMW's oil(Castrol) or Mobil-1's 0w40 european blend LL1 oil(in the black bottle - that is the ONLY M1 oil that is LL1). It is like 50/50 split almost. Maybe a tad more ppl use the BMW oil. 85% of the ppl here, use one of these two oils. The rest of that 15% use many different oils. Like your Amsoil or Motul, or home brews or teh wrong Castrol or Mobil oils. lol I think its safe-est to stick with what BMW says to use. ie: BMW LL1 Castrol oil.

What ever you use... it MUST SAY: "BMW Long Life 1". Don't get too hung up on the oil thickness/grade. Just look at your owners manual or oil fill cap to see which oil BMW reccomends.

Dackel

I was using Mobil-1 for a few oil changes... I tried some German Castrol... and I will never go back to Mobil-1. The Castrol just makes the engine Soooo much quieter and runs cooler(two needle widths on the temp gauge). I am not the only one to say this.

[Novator]

Thank you nikijack for telling me your experience with Amsoil. I understand how the LL system for BMW works, but with BMWs less frequent maintenance intervals, especially on a turbo engine that has poor heat management after a few spirited runs, changing my oil often might not hurt in the long term. I am not making the switch to a non-LL oil anytime soon, but I plan too once I do some non-warranty friendly mods. I haven't used Motul, but from what I have seen from oil analysis results it seems superior to other oils. Maybe I should do the same with the oil in my car and see how things pan out. I have heard nothing but good things from those who have used Amsoil though. For future reference this thread is about those who have used oils similar to Motul, Amsoil, Redline, or Euro Castrol. So if anyone has used the former mentioned oils in either 5W-20, 5W-30, and 5W-40 I would like to hear about your experience with that particular oil compared to what comes with the car from the factory.

[Novator]

Okay, I apologize if I may have come off rude if in any sort of way with my response. I think now I know how I really want to phrase my question. What I would like to ask, is anyone who is not using the LL series of BMW recommended oils (LL1-LL4) how long do you go between changes? I personally have been changing around 5-6k because I feel that is as long as I'd like to go with the oil in the car per change. In addition to this question, who has done this sort of interval (or less) with Motul, Amsoil, Redline, Euro Castrol. Also the weights I mentioned before are not of importance, so whichever one you have used I'd like to hear of your experience from it. Thanks in advance.

[Novator]

Originally Posted by Boost_Nation

Why would you deviate from "BMW's special blend" of oil? For the same reason you deviate from BMW's suspension systems, exhaust systems, engine management, wheels and tires, short shift kits, intakes and inter-coolers, and everything else you change when you modify your BMW. And why do all that? Because just like the oil, BMW doesn't make the best everything, and there are far superior products out there. And before anything else, lets get one thing straight. I do agree that the oil weights should remain the same as what is recommended by BMW, so in most cases its 5w-30. I dont speak for regular consumer oils like Motul 800, Castrol Syntec, Mobil 1, or even Royal Purple's normal formulas. I'm speaking for the race/ultra premium oils that have been proven in some of the best cars and racing cars around the world. I'm speaking for Motul 300v, Shell Helix, Castrol Edge, Royal Purple XPR (race edition), and Lucas Oils.



"I've done extensive testing with motor oils in a lab. I can tell you this... Stay away form Castrol (North American ones at least) Castrol Edge in Europe is amazing.



Top 3 oils I'd recommend is Motul 300V or 8100, Shell Helix, Castrol Edge... Then Agip, Redline, AMS Oil and lastly Mobil 1



Motul 300V I've seen 15-25hp gain just by oil change alone (turbo charged rx-8) Motul is readily available and is affordable. Shell Helix... too expensive.... Castrol Edge... hard to find.



The base stocks used on the my top 3 picks are very very very good. They are all synthetic ester based a true 100% synthetic oil.



I used to be a fan of Mobil... But with recent formula changes... well you know how the story goes.



Oil formulations have (are) changed due to the new API SM rating and the EPA-mandated rules on cat life. This resulted in drastically reduced levels of ZDDP which is NOT a good thing.



The bottom line is that if the bottle has "API SM/SL" on it, its NOT the same good stuff as you've been using.



I went to a local auto store looking at various oils to see what was currently available. All of the Mobil 1 formulations were now the new SM, the Royal Purple was still SL (this may change). Look carefully at the bottles as that tells the tale.



if you can afford it go Motul 300V.... if not Motul 8100. never cheap out on oil and oil changes.... oil is cheaper than a new engine =O)"



LL just means Long Life approved, so unless your trying to get longevity out of your oil, which most e90post members are not and we're changing our oil far more often then most people. LL01 just means that its been approved for long life as of 2001, LL04 is the same thing but now approved for 2004 +. Racing oils are far superior to regular oils, they provide the lowest phosphorous and sulfur levels, offer the best protection, and are more performance and protection oriented where as regular oils are more economy and efficiency oriented. Keep in mind that "racing" oils are totally available for consumer use and recommended, and are perfectly safe as long as you follow the weight ratings, which in our case would be 0W-30 and 40 and 5W- 30 and 40. So don’t think that "racing" oil means that it must have some crazy un safe additives that are not safe for our engines, which also keep in mind are turbo charged engines that to a certain extent are considered high performance engines ( the N54 )



Ultra high end oils like Motul 300v, castrol edge, and royal purple XPR dont care about all the API, SM, SL, and LL ratings because those things are just industry standards and all of those top grade oils I just mentioned far exceed those standards and they mention it as well. I would pay attention to those standards if you are buying regular motor oils, but when going for the top grade stuff just know that the standards are being exceeded.

This quote alone has pretty much answered my question. Mods, feel free to close this thread if need be.

[Evolution Racewerks]

Oil is such a subjective topic...it's like asking someone if their GF looks hot.

As you mentioned, we run Motul. It's great. It dropped our oil temps. That's why we like it. I'm no chemical engineer so I can't honestly tell you anything else. But there is a lot of research out there that shows it's good stuff so...

BTW, you will not free up any HP going from 5w-30 to 5w-40. In fact you will lose power (though very little). the 40 is a heavier weight ("thicker"). Thus, causes more engine drag but the benefits are that it can withstand more heat. That's why endurance cars run high viscosity oil. They don't need the maximum power, they need maximum protection.

Nothing wrong running a 5w-40 in a daily. Just keep in mind it takes a little longer for the oil to get to operating temperature.

BTW, go Motul!

Originally Posted by Novator

I am curious if anyone is using either Motul or Amsoil 5W-40 in their daily driven engines. I know that Evolution Racewerks uses Motul for their Time Attack car and I believe the H-Stock 135i uses Total motor oil (I'm not sure of the viscosity used). My question is will I suffer any adverse effects from switching from 5W-30 to 5W-40. Are there any pros? Will I free up any HP (even its as much as 1HP), will I notice faster revs, will oil temps be a bit lower? Will 5W-40 be more or less harsh on my engine and its components and will it be better or worse from a cold start. I understand I can search the forums or the Internet, but I would like personal feedback and experience from those who have been using it for the N54/55 engine. Thanks in advance from all those that can provide me with some sort of feedback.

[Novator]

Fred by any chance do you guys sell the Motul 300V in 5W-30?

[Evolution Racewerks]

Yes, we do. I just noticed it's not on the website. Just e-mail us. The price is the same as the 5w40.

Originally Posted by Novator

Fred by any chance do you guys sell the Motul 300V in 5W-30?

[Cuz5150]

Motul 300 V ester 5w-40 is what i use on my Motorcycle.
Its moto specific.
Can i use this oil in the 135i?

[Evolution Racewerks]

Yep. It's what we use in our race car.

Originally Posted by Cuz5150

Motul 300 V ester 5w-40 is what i use on my Motorcycle.
Its moto specific.
Can i use this oil in the 135i?

[Cuz5150]

Originally Posted by Evolution Racewerks

Yep. It's what we use in our race.

O-rly I may have to visit a motorcycle dealership and pick up a few qts. Its gonna cost me a fortune me thinks

Thanks for the quick reply

[Novator]

I will definitely be picking up a few quarts come Jan/Feb.

[STR8-6IX]

Originally Posted by Dackelone

OP, you do a search on engine oils here. This has been beaten to death before. What you will find in the many oil polls here.

Most ppl here use the BMW synthetic oil sold at the dealers. Either BMW's oil(Castrol) or Mobil-1's 0w40 european blend LL1 oil(in the black bottle - that is the ONLY M1 oil that is LL1). It is like 50/50 split almost. Maybe a tad more ppl use the BMW oil. 85% of the ppl here, use one of these two oils. The rest of that 15% use many different oils. Like your Amsoil or Motul, or home brews or teh wrong Castrol or Mobil oils. lol I think its safe-est to stick with what BMW says to use. ie: BMW LL1 Castrol oil.

What ever you use... it MUST SAY: "BMW Long Life 1". Don't get too hung up on the oil thickness/grade. Just look at your owners manual or oil fill cap to see which oil BMW reccomends.

Dackel

I was using Mobil-1 for a few oil changes... I tried some German Castrol... and I will never go back to Mobil-1. The Castrol just makes the engine Soooo much quieter and runs cooler(two needle widths on the temp gauge). I am not the only one to say this.

you noticed a difference from changing to 0w40? come on man, with the temps our cars get to (120c+ TRACK temps ) anything past that, its basically overheating. what do you think your oil will look like at that temperature. 5w30 or 40 is what you need especially if you tend to drive the BMW "properly" I run 40 in my N52 which yes, is a naturally aspirated engine. however, turbo engines run hotter then naturally aspirated. this makes a case for the proper oil even more important. mobil 1 is shit, its watered down and not good protection.

[Dackelone]

Originally Posted by 6IX-F10-N52

you noticed a difference from changing to 0w40? come on man, with the temps our cars get to (120c+ TRACK temps ) anything past that, its basically overheating. what do you think your oil will look like at that temperature. 5w30 or 40 is what you need especially if you tend to drive the BMW "properly" I run 40 in my N52 which yes, is a naturally aspirated engine. however, turbo engines run hotter then naturally aspirated. this makes a case for the proper oil even more important. mobil 1 is shit, its watered down and not good protection.

I switched from Mobil-1 0w40 European Blend(US oil, bought on base at the PX here in Germany ~$8 per liter) LL1 oil and I switched to Castrol RS Edge 0w40 LL4 oil(German made, bought in a German store for ~$10 USd per liter).

I noticed on cold start, that my 135i's engine was far quieter with the Castrol then with the Mobil-1. Same oil viscosity. The engine has less of a metallic clicking noise on cold start in my garage.

I also noticed the oil temp gauge would read 1.5 to 2 needle widths colder with the Castrol.

That is why I switched to using German Castrol oil.


When I push the car on the Autobahn(over ~265 to 285 kph) or when I drive thru the Alps like going up Stelvio Pass or Sella Pass... my MAX oil temps are just above 260'F(just to the right of the middle)on my oil temp gauge.

Dack

[STR8-6IX]

nothing surprising to me, Mobil is shit quality oil. castrol is good. you should try using 5w-30 in hot weather, it will only make your engine sound and operate better while keeping temperature lower. 260f is very high BTW. 250F are track temps, and anything past that is basically overheating. not good for your engine. removing your plastic engine cover is recommended in this case. i dropped my oil temps by 50f by doing this.

[MightyMouseTech]

5w40 is an approved weight for our engines as listed in the owners manual, so BMW says it is OK. I use Motul 5W40, 8100 not 300V.

[PA135ii]

Originally Posted by MightyMouseTech

5w40 is an approved weight for our engines as listed in the owners manual, so BMW says it is OK. I use Motul 5W40, 8100 not 300V.

MMT, my Indy shop just changed my oil and used MOTUL 5w-40 8100 X-cess. I've noticed an increase in gas mileage and engine seems to run smoother? Why did you change to this oil.. I had heard it is very good.

[MightyMouseTech]

Originally Posted by PA135ii

MMT, my Indy shop just changed my oil and used MOTUL 5w-40 8100 X-cess. I've noticed an increase in gas mileage and engine seems to run smoother? Why did you change to this oil.. I had heard it is very good.

Actually don't use it anymore. Have since switched to Castrol 0W40. I feel the thinner the oil at startup the better for a daily driver. Bonus, the Castrol can be found cheap, so I change it every 5k km.