Oil change - Engine oil brand?

[aswy6]

Originally Posted by gatorfast

You're right they do make that 5w40 that meets LL-01. I think it is hard to find in a store though, perhaps online may be easier.

Does castrol make a 5w30 that meets BMW spec? I dont believe they do anymore but I could be wrong.

Is having the BMW LL-01/LL-01FE certification important to you? If so then I would just keep it simple and run over to your local walmart where you can find 5qt jugs of an LL-01 oil for less than $30.

What oil are you using by the way?

[gatorfast]

Originally Posted by aswy6

I am looking at Amazon Castrol Edge 5W-30 and it says BMW Longlife-01. I guess i will use that for my oil change when i get home and then possibly look into Pennzoil 5w-40 which is preferred for S55 engine according to Pennzoil website. My whole thing is that i feel like 0w-30 is way to thin for high performance engine while 5w-40 seems a bit too heavy for normal use. Different story for track of course. Pennzoil Gas oil technology just seems very attractive

Interesting, I didnt know Castrol still made an LL-01 5w30. Guess you can find anything on Amazon!

I wouldnt worry about the viscosity grade of any LL-01 oil as they will all have similar characteristics even though the viscosity is different. There really wont be much of a difference between a 30wt and 40wt LL-01 oil. Just choose whatever is most convenient or tickles your fancy.

[gatorfast]

Originally Posted by aswy6

What oil are you using by the way?

I am using Castrol 0w40

[aswy6]

Originally Posted by gatorfast

I am using Castrol 0w40

Looked at specs, looks like its considerably more viscous than Pennzoil 5w-30. I also looked at Liqui molly 5w-30 and its less viscous than Pennzoil 5w-30. I am looking at Castrol 0w-40 for my oil change as well, but not sure if i want to step up a viscocity by that much. How long have you been running it?

[aswy6]

Originally Posted by gatorfast

Interesting, I didnt know Castrol still made an LL-01 5w30. Guess you can find anything on Amazon!

I wouldnt worry about the viscosity grade of any LL-01 oil as they will all have similar characteristics even though the viscosity is different. There really wont be much of a difference between a 30wt and 40wt LL-01 oil. Just choose whatever is most convenient or tickles your fancy.

Correction, Amazon says that 5w-30 is LL-01 however when you look at documentation on the Castrol website, only 0w-40 and 5w-40 are LL-01 approved

[gatorfast]

Originally Posted by aswy6

Looked at specs, looks like its considerably more viscous than Pennzoil 5w-30. I also looked at Liqui molly 5w-30 and its less viscous than Pennzoil 5w-30. I am looking at Castrol 0w-40 for my oil change as well, but not sure if i want to step up a viscocity by that much. How long have you been running it?

Been running it for 4 or 5 oil changes now and in bimmers before this one. I believe you are over thinking this. Any LL-01 oil will fall within a range that BMW spec'd for their engines. Thus, any one will work just fine. This is why I said the LL-01 spec is ultimately more important than viscosity since they will all function as intended.

This is referring to typical car use though, not a heavily modified car which may have different requirements.

[aswy6]

Originally Posted by gatorfast

Been running it for 4 or 5 oil changes now and in bimmers before this one. I believe you are over thinking this. Any LL-01 oil will fall within a range that BMW spec'd for their engines. Thus, any one will work just fine. This is why I said the LL-01 spec is ultimately more important than viscosity since they will all function as intended.

This is referring to typical car use though, not a heavily modified car which may have different requirements.

I will keep mine stock for a while. I just dont want to step up the viscocity too much that i wont have a protection at cold start. Never gets below 50 degrees where i am at though. Will probably give Castrol 0w-40 a try even though its more viscous than BMW 5w-30 and much more viscous than their 0w-30

[gatorfast]

Originally Posted by aswy6

I will keep mine stock for a while. I just dont want to step up the viscocity too much that i wont have a protection at cold start. Never gets below 50 degrees where i am at though. Will probably give Castrol 0w-40 a try even though its more viscous than BMW 5w-30 and much more viscous than their 0w-30

You will have zero issues with any LL01 oil at cold start. Again, there isn't as much of a difference between LL01 oils in terms of viscosity and the 40wt is not materially more viscous than the 30wt.

The BMW branded 0w30 however is an LL01FE oil which is a different specification and is in fact "lighter" than an LL01 oil and doesn't offer the same level of protection. I believe the minimum hths for the LL01FE is 3.0 compared to 3.5 for LL01.

[meadowsdb]

Does anyone have any experience using the Lucas synthetic stabilizer in their S55 engine? Coupled with a 0-40? I live in SoCal, would a 5-40 be fine?

[gatorfast]

Originally Posted by meadowsdb

Does anyone have any experience using the Lucas synthetic stabilizer in their S55 engine? Coupled with a 0-40? I live in SoCal, would a 5-40 be fine?

I would advise against using any type of oil additive. It's just not necessary.

5w40 will absolutely be fine to use 👍

[griebel]

Major US fuels are now at 10ppm of sulfur as of 2017 and should meet the requirement for BMW LL-04

Originally Posted by G4BR13L

It is BMW LL-04 approved but yes it should not be used outside Europe because apparently the quality of petrol in for example the USA WAS not as good (high sulphur that degrades the oil). Quality of petrol in the USA is improved to the same levels as Europe maybe not everywhere.

To be on the safe side you should stick with BMW LL-01 approved or use Mobil 1 0w-40, Pennzoil Platinum Euro SAE 5W-40, 8100 X-CESS 5W-40, ... but look at the viscosity in your manual!! There are differences between the years.

You are overthinking it imho. Just do regular oil changes and research where you are getting petrol to figure it if they use petrol that is low on sulfur. Just use oil with the correct viscosity: look it up in YOUR manual and use BLW LL-01 approved and then it does not matter what oil you use.

[meadowsdb]

Originally Posted by gatorfast

I would advise against using any type of oil additive. It's just not necessary.

5w40 will absolutely be fine to use 👍

Awesome....I am looking at the Motoul 5w 40 as it is LL-01 approved and known for its usage in high horsepower, small displacement, FI motors. I ran it for years in my APR tuned Audi s4 and loved it.

[agentrnge]

While spending/wasting time reading oil threads I ran into this. Bunches of details on M1 old vs new formula. Note the PDF is dated 2011, so I'm not sure if this is info on a proposed "new" formula or actually what they ended up reformulating to.

http://physics.usc.edu/Undergraduate...1-new-live.pdf

What I was looking for was M1 0w40 NOACK, which is listed as 9%. They also show a 3 hour test at ~24%.

[SinatraM]

Can I use this ? https://www.ecstuning.com/b-liqui_mo...iter/2050~liq/

or better off getting something else like Pennzoil or Castro?

[gatorfast]

Originally Posted by SinatraM

Can I use this ? https://www.ecstuning.com/b-liqui_mo...iter/2050~liq/

or better off getting something else like Pennzoil or Castro?

You can use that oil, likely with no issues, but keep in mind it does not actually carry the BMW approval but only that it is "recommended" for LL-01.

Personally I wouldnt use it as its expensive and not any better than "regular" brands like Castrol, Pennzoil, M1, etc. You can find an actual LL01 approved oil for half the price on Amazon or various other sites.

[jdarwin]

I found this to be the best deal. Oil meets the BMW spec.

https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw...11427854445kt4

[danchee]

Originally Posted by jdarwin

I found this to be the best deal. Oil meets the BMW spec.

https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw...11427854445kt4

The oil filter kit looks like it comes with the drain plug gasket already?

[gatorfast]

Originally Posted by danchee

The oil filter kit looks like it comes with the drain plug gasket already?

Yes the oil filter will come with two rubber gaskets which go on the filter housing and a crush washer for the drain plug.

[Sir Loin]

Originally Posted by jdarwin

I found this to be the best deal. Oil meets the BMW spec.

https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw...11427854445kt4

Thanks for the link. I am going to order this as well. Did you receive your and have you done your oil change yet? Thanks.