New to E30 325is What OIL?

[ELVA164]

Mobil1 15w50 for summer and 10w30 for winter.

Mobil 1 10W-30 doesn't have enough ZDDP.

[ELVA164]

I've used Castrol GTX 20w-50 in my E30s for the past 16 years.

Never had a problem that I could say was oil/wear related.

Reading this thread living in TN (zone 7b) with a freshly rebuilt M20 makes me think about switching to 10w-40 for the summer months but I'm so used to the dub-fiddy it'll be hard..

If anything, you switch to thinner oil in the winter to help with cold starts. I switched from Mobil 1 15W-50 to Mobil 1 0W-40 and the difference in the cold is pretty striking.

[Sirjustinderek]

Just picked up a 318 s50 swap. What do you guys recommend?

[jeffnhiscars]

Wait....wut ?

E30s need oil ???

[dnguyen1963]

Wait....wut ?

E30s need oil ???

Nah...used cooking oil from McDonald's works just fine.

[roguetoaster]

Just picked up a 318 s50 swap. What do you guys recommend?

BMW LL01 probably, just not with a 15k interval. Castrol Edge 0w-40 is a cheap choice ($22 on Amazon for 5qts), M1 is no longer approved, but I'm not worried about a warranty so in to the engine it goes.

[jeffnhiscars]

Nah...used cooking oil from McDonald's works just fine.

Thanks for sharing that...what a relief

[scabzzzz]

20w-50 all the way on an M20.

[ELVA164]

20w-50 all the way on an M20.

Why would you resurrect this thread to say that for no substantiated reason

[scabzzzz]

Why would you resurrect this thread to say that for no substantiated reason

[ELVA164]

You just want to watch the world burn, scabz.

Zzz.

[Zephyyyr]

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.

Perfectly said. I did hours of research and came up with this as well. If it helps.. After all my research I decided to go with Castrol 03095 GTX 20W-50. I live in Hawaii so 20W-50 was the best choice for me :) Hope this helps!

Edit.. Sorry didnt realize this was a older post! Lol.

[E30-Ellerman]

Fuck it, keep the good times rollllllin. This thread has risen from the grave and is alive!!

I only drive mine in the spring and summer so stick with Amsoil 20w50 Z-Rod for that zinnnnnnnnnnnnnnnccccccccccccccccccccccc oh yeah.

Before turbo though, best bang for buck was that Shell Rotella 15w40, kapow! If I was stock NA M20 Shell Rotella all day!

[ELVA164]

Jesus balls, guys. Zephyr, the manual is like 35 years old and isn't relevant in the context of modern oils.


Every. Oil. Mentioned. Is. Good. Enough.