Random thoughts on oil....

[tommyb13662]

So after reading alot on oil recommendations, reading tons on bobistheoilguy, personal notes on oil quality and feel after changes in my 1, 09 coupe only 33k-ish miles now, jzw stage 1since 20k miles. I feel I may have found a personal favorite although expensive...

First im a rather sporty driver always(read ridden hard put away wet) so I wanted a robust protection. Second my dad, master mechanic for 30+ years always recommended thicker oils for race/hard driving. So my first choice was mobile 1 0w-40 euro spec. 10w heavier buyt easier supposed on the startups and ll-01 qualified. Ow-40 came out thicker/blacker than expected and a hint of gas smell to it. Then came my reading on bobistheoildguy i read all the way through his oil university courses to 201 where he gets into rpm/pressure/flow and how it relates to protection/lubrication. The lower viscosity oils allow higher flow/min and can achieve the same lubrication at lower pressure. Higher flow = better cooling less oil breakdown theoretically possible. It also mentions his use of slightly lighter weights to achieve higher flow and improved cooling on his personal vehicles. As our cars do run hot often 250+ under hard driving. I decided to test this with a temp gauge installed right inline after the stock oil cooler. After getting a few weeks baseline on the 0w-40. I then tried mobile 1 0w20afe and did notice a drop in temps on average roughly 5% between 0w-40 and the 0w20. However... the gas smell was much stronger and it felt very thin on the next change. This raised my concerns on the robustness of the oil and its ability to protect under hard driving and high temps which is where the thicker oil is supposed to excel.

Now my current favorite as i mentioned in the start.
http://www.amsoil.com/shop/by-produc...nt%2frd20.aspx
This race oil seems not to be thinned out after 5k miles like the 0w-20 (less gas smell also)and it also kept the roughly 5% cooler temps. Again this is just my 2 cents... and as i found much i read on different bmw forums contradictory o oil and differing results i tried to be as specific in drive style and oil change results. As for my preferred filter I like the premuim wix cartridges.

Please add your 2 cents as well.

[STR8-6IX]

mobil 1 0w-20 is garbage. 0w40 isnt a "thick oil"

do not use a 0w for your vehicle. a good quality 5w40 like motul, shell rotella t6, liquid moly will maintain temps much more effectively and be more resistant to shearing.

your your 1m, definitely nothing but 5w40 should be used.

I put some shell rotella t6 into my car the other day and this stuff is AMAZING for a 5w on cold starts. even right when i start it up, the valves are still quieter and smoother then my dads car when we used to use 0w20 for it.

this whole 0w thing is nonsense. I reccomend you read up on the CAFE requirements first before putting this shit into your car. the only place in the whole world that uses a 0w weight is north america for fuel economy and emission purposes, not to "flow better" on cold starts. even russia with their frigid temps still spec's a 5w because its really not that bad for cold starts.. a 10w? now that would be a different story.

the whole thing with 0w40 offering the same protection as a 5w40 at operating temp is not true. there is no magical chemistry at work here, a physically thinner oil WILL NOT protect your valves and bearings more effectively at operating temp compared to a physically THICKER oil.

if you are using a 0w-40 right now, pay attention to how your engine sounds with the hood up, warmed up idling then, try 5w40 for your next oil change and note not only how much smoother the engine pulls and runs, but how much more quiet it is idling with the hood up.

as for your temps, removing your plastic engine cover and using a good quality 5w40 will help alot.

[dbronnik]

Yeah definitely no on the 0w20.. Some of us with higher horsepower cars and upgraded turbos are even using Valvoline VR1 Synthetic 20w50 now.

[Em/1]

Seems like a lot more opinion than facts on this page. Timely newsletter from Blackstone Labs, the best known tester for condition of automotive lubricants, might be more illuminating about newer thinner oils. khuff@blackstone-labs.com

[Nosrok]

Of all the things I've read about oil, the thing that sticks with me the most is, to some oil is like religion and only thier choice is correct.

Read and learn from the people publishing papers.

[nachob]

BMW recommends 30W for the 1M and they already make a new Shell formulation oil for M cars that is certified for the 1M. It's 0W-40 and meets all the LL0-01 requirements. It gives you 0W for cold and 40 for warm. Already extending the range in both directions. That would be the most logical oil in my opinion. Unless you live in Barrow Alaska, I think 0-20 is foolish. VANOS requires some oil pressure and viscosity for proper operation.

You cannot go wrong with BMWs M 0W-40. Why mess with anything else?

Look at certifications, etc

http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1279825

Now I ended up going with 5w-40 Pennzoil Platinum Euro which is made by Shell just like the 0W-40 but I live in San Diego and the car is garaged. I preferred staying with 5W-40 while still using the same stuff that BMW uses. Shell bought Pennzoil and they sell it in the US as Pennzoil Platinum Euro. I spoke with Shell and they say its the same formulation that they put in BMW bottles. But if I lived anywhere where it snows, I would use BMW 0W-40 or the Shell equivalent sold under Pennzoil Platinum Euro. The one advantage to BMW oil is your dealer can put in for you. Best wishes.

[julienjj]

I run the rotella T6 5w-40, which I got analysed at blackstone a couple times with excellent result over a 8000km oil change interval which include a lot of drag racing and lapping sessions.

The LL-01 requirements can be disregarded.

[nachob]

Originally Posted by julienjj

I run the rotella T6 5w-40, which I got analysed at blackstone a couple times with excellent result over a 8000km oil change interval which include a lot of drag racing and lapping sessions.

The LL-01 requirements can be disregarded.

They can be disregarded if you change early but not if you leave in close to recommended interval. One of the problems with direct injection is that the injector is in the combustion chamber and raw fuel can make it to the cylinder walls and mix with oil. The oil has to have additives that prevent breakdown by mixing with oil. If you change often, you can disregard LL-01 but if you leave longer, you would do so at your own risk. I assume you mean that. To just say you can disregard it outright as it appears on your post implies that it doesn't matter. I think most people here keep their oil 6K-7500 miles anywhere from 6-12 months. At those intervals, LL-01 begins to matter. If you change after a couple of events 1-3K miles, probably doesn't but at some point it does.

[STR8-6IX]

Originally Posted by nachob

They can be disregarded if you change early but not if you leave in close to recommended interval. One of the problems with direct injection is that the injector is in the combustion chamber and raw fuel can make it to the cylinder walls and mix with oil. The oil has to have additives that prevent breakdown by mixing with oil. If you change often, you can disregard LL-01 but if you leave longer, you would do so at your own risk. I assume you mean that. To just say you can disregard it outright as it appears on your post implies that it doesn't matter. I think most people here keep their oil 6K-7500 miles anywhere from 6-12 months. At those intervals, LL-01 begins to matter. If you change after a couple of events 1-3K miles, probably doesn't but at some point it does.

+1 on this.

Honestly, shell rotella and other good brands like motul or liquid moly hold up better then Mobil 1 or castrol in the long run and don't even have the LL certification which basically disregards LL as actually being considered LL. I don't want to start the 1000th argument by saying this, but any unbiased mechanic will tell you that waiting more then 5000 miles isn't good for your engine? So why does this having any bearing for those of you changing oil on time?

Also, 0w is death for rod bearings when operating above -10c.

[julienjj]

So far all the LL-01 I sent for an UOA where a joke because they where also API SM compliant. The latest API limit the level of zinc to an absurd low level to protect the cats from zinc poisonning and the tradeoff is more engine wear. Engineering is all about trade-off and don't forget that LL-01 was implemented when BMW started including free oil changes in the car purchase price.

Looking at the numbers of the T6, i'm pretty confident that it would last the full 12,000km/1 year stock OCI on a daily driven car, since it's common for large diesel engines to have a 15,000miles/1 year cycle. That oil is very resistant to fuel shear.

[STR8-6IX]

Originally Posted by julienjj

So far all the LL-01 I sent for an UOA where a joke because they where also API SM compliant. The latest API limit the level of zinc to an absurd low level to protect the cats from zinc poisonning and the tradeoff is more engine wear. Engineering is all about trade-off and don't forget that LL-01 was implemented when BMW started including free oil changes in the car purchase price.

Looking at the numbers of the T6, i'm pretty confident that it would last the full 12,000km/1 year stock OCI on a daily driven car, since it's common for large diesel engines to have a 15,000miles/1 year cycle. That oil is very resistant to fuel shear.

definitely. Its not a LL certified oil, but will outlast almost anything with the LL certification anyways.

If you do choose to go that long on an oil change (I would never go past 7000KM on m1 or castrol, shears too much) you should replace your oil filter somewhere in between. it will get dirty