New to E30 325is What OIL?

[dnguyen1963]

So bottom line for a rookie
20w50 or
15w40 for summer driving only and i suppose it doesn't matter what brand...

I have been using Shell Rotella 15W40 year round forever. It's only problematic when the temp drops below 10F. I'm debating switching over to 5W40, but haven't done so because only a few days out of the year the temp drops that low where I live.

[rustneversleeps]

So bottom line for a rookie
20w50 or
15w40 for summer driving only and i suppose it doesn't matter what brand...

[Sea Aych]

When this book was made, high ZDDP 0w-40 and 5w-50 oils didn't even exist.

Good point actually - skipped a few pages and missed those posts

[ELVA164]

1) Manual is outdated by now
2) Still only have 1 listed failure due to oil, due more to different formula and specific uncommon use (break-in) than "bad oil"

I'm using an oil I know has enough ZDDP and has been objectively highly-rated and recommended (and because it's great for cold starts). Others use oils because they've had plenty of good experiences with them. I really haven't seen any specific cases where an oil caused a failure under normal road use. It almost.....seems like a discussion on the internet has boiled down to meaningless overanalysis of minute details?


....Nah.

[digger]

you probably wont find any OEM manufacturer of road vehicles recommending 20W-50 for any engine, there isnt anything about a stock m20 that needs anything special IMO.

[dnguyen1963]

This is the never ending debate. I bet it will continue another 9 years.

Only 9 years? It'll be forever...

[nando]

Winter: 10W40 or thereabouts
Summer: 20W50 or thereabouts
Just check the book.

From the bentley:

When this book was made, high ZDDP 0w-40 and 5w-50 oils didn't even exist.

[MrBurgundy]

This is the never ending debate. I bet it will continue another 9 years.

[Sea Aych]

Winter: 10W40 or thereabouts
Summer: 20W50 or thereabouts
Just check the book.

From the bentley:

[digger]

Truth here folks

not really, why use a 20W when you can get a 5W-50, 10W-50 or 15W-50 in 2017, this isnt the 80's so many quality oils to choose from

[bmwstudent]

Ugh, so much misinfo. And it really scares me, because a lot of people are running these stupid oils in E30s and ruining the motors.

10W-40 for cold weather (like less than 50F)
20W-50 for warm weather (above 50F)

This is as per all BMW manuals, including the owner's.

Truth here folks

[nmlss2006]

nice - the TurboDiesel truck 5W-40 is also a good bet. I started using that on my M20 a while back, it's a little better if you live in a colder climate and don't really need a heavy oil. It's harder to find though.

The TD truck is what I use in a (very different) engine, as recommended by one of the foremost experts for that brand. It has quieted down the notorious intermediate shaft nicely as a side benefit.

I just saw that I'd started a nice.. uh, discussion, with Corvallis way back when.

Zinc content concerns were different, back then, but the theory about the higher shear resistance for the valvetrain as described by some is still there. My concerns about engine start wear also didn't change.

I have, since, visited with Blackstone and the owner there shared his opinion on the matter: he said that ZDDP content, after all is said and done, is what it comes down to for all practical purposes [for these engines]. If we combine all these bits and pieces with the current chart, it would seem that 0W40 or, yes, the 5W40 TD is the best bet. One significant advantage of the TD locally is that it's about half the money of the 15W50 - and more stores stock it.

Or one could go with the Bertolli. On the street, changing it every 5000 miles...

[ELVA164]

I lost a cam to Castrol when the sunburst went onto it in about 2007-
30 wt oil that I had used 3 or 4 times previously with success
for engine break in ate the cam over a race weekend in Portland.

There.

It happened at least once.

t

"It couldn't have been the oil, I use Castrol Edge 0W-60 and change it every 1,000 miles and it's never had that much metal in it most times!" - at least one person

[TobyB]

I lost a cam to Castrol when the sunburst went onto it in about 2007-
30 wt oil that I had used 3 or 4 times previously with success
for engine break in ate the cam over a race weekend in Portland.

There.

It happened at least once.

t

[rwh11385]

You mean you want empirical evidence for claims made on the internet??

E30 guys are way too cheap to use Blackstone haha.

Um... How else is one to tell how prepared the replacement (baffled) M20B25 engine needs to be when racing a junkyard eta?