Oil grade for S55 - Track work and remapped

[Shortyy]

Hey lads.

Have looked around a bit on this subject and can’t find much info. What grade oil is best for a modded S55 that does occasional track work?

Obviously the engine is going to be hotter for longer etc than your usual S55. I was thinking 0W-40 or 5W-40 to LL01 spec? I’ve had a look and apparently BMW recommend 0W-20 on newer S55’s? To me this is way to thin if you’re going to use your car harder than normal.

Any thoughts appreciated.

[gatorfast]

I would stick with an LL-01 in your case.

[wsccsw13]

I use 0-40 and track regularly. I change it after every 3 track weekends as well as the end of the season.

[clutchdj]

Hell no. s55 is not a 4 pot civic. Def use 0w-40 even for the street.

0w-20...do you have that in writing from BMW?

[gatorfast]

Originally Posted by clutchdj

Hell no. s55 is not a 4 pot civic. Def use 0w-40 even for the street.

0w-20...do you have that in writing from BMW?

I believe it may be in the newer manuals. BMW no longer supports/recommends LL-01 for its current lineup of cars. Now its only LL-01FE and I believe LL-14+ which are generally 0w30 and 0w20 grades.

I personally use LL-01 0w40 in my 2015 M3, which was listed as acceptable in my owners manual, but certainly the next gen M3 will not have an LL-01 recommendation.

[F32Fleet]

Originally Posted by gatorfast

I believe it may be in the newer manuals. BMW no longer supports/recommends LL-01 for its current lineup of cars. Now its only LL-01FE and I believe LL-14+ which are generally 0w30 and 0w20 grades.

I personally use LL-01 0w40 in my 2015 M3, which was listed as acceptable in my owners manual, but certainly the next gen M3 will not have an LL-01 recommendation.

LL01FE has a HTHS between 3.0 and 3.5 in case you're wondering.

[Remonster]

Originally Posted by Shortyy

Hey lads.

Have looked around a bit on this subject and can’t find much info. What grade oil is best for a modded S55 that does occasional track work?

Obviously the engine is going to be hotter for longer etc than your usual S55. I was thinking 0W-40 or 5W-40 to LL01 spec? I’ve had a look and apparently BMW recommend 0W-20 on newer S55’s? To me this is way to thin if you’re going to use your car harder than normal.

Any thoughts appreciated.

0w-20 was never recommended for the S55 but 0w-30 was and still is. 0w-20 is used in the B series motors, my 2016 340i came factory filled with 0w-20 and that's what the dealer used for all of its services throughout my 3 year lease.

The S55 F8x M3s originally came with 5w-30 but around 2016 (going from memory) they were switched to 0w-30.

[FTP20]

Originally Posted by F32Fleet

LL01FE has a HTHS between 3.0 and 3.5 in case you're wondering.

Mobil 1 0W40 has an HTHS of 3.6 and that is quite low for a 40wt. By comparison Redline 5W30 which carries an LL-01 'recommendation' has a HTHS or 3.7!

Did BMW ever publish HTHS for the M Twin Power 0W30 or 0W40 oils?

For track use I would prefer to use a robust LL-01 oil with an HTHS of at least 3.7 and the 'FE' oils won't see the inside on my S55!


BMW Longlife-01 (BMW LL-01)
Special BMW approval for fully synthetic long-life oil. Product meets ACEA A3/B3 and API: SJ/CD EC-II. Usually required for BMWs built after MY 2002. Can also be used where a BMW Longlife-98 oil is recommended.

BMW Longlife-01 FE (BMW LL-01 FE)
Fully synthetic long-life oil with fuel economy properties. Oils meeting this specifications must have a low HTHS viscosity to meet the manufacturer's fuel economy requirements. These oils are only suitable for the following engines: N1x, N2x, N54, N55, N63, N74.