0W-20 in a BMW?

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If I wanted to get the ultimate gas mileage from my econobox 1.8L BMW, would it be advisable to use a 0W-20 oil like M1?

BMW has changed the recommended oil viscosities for nearly all its engines, old and new, to synthetic 5W-30, so would going one grade lower be dangerous?
 
I'd actually use Series 2000 0w-30 from Amsoil. One thing this oil kicks *** at is its low Cf. A lot of people increase there MPG and lower there oil temps with this oil.
 
I would stick to a BMW approved oil in the correct viscosity. Although 20 weights have turned in some good UOA #'s, I still prefer a 30 weight where recommended.
 
I would not use a 0w20 in that bimmer. Check
your owners manual. My manual for my 328i
recommends 0wX, 5wX for all temps. and 10wX
for temps. above 10 deg.F, with X being
30,40 or 50 weights. I'm using Castrol Syntec
5w30 and will be using 10w30 in summer.
 
The M42/44engine in your ti is from M40 family introduced in the late '80s, long before the "wonderful"
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20wt oils. Stick with 30 or even 40 wt, that engine seems to like it.

Even new Valvetronic N42 4-cylinder engine calls for BMW LL-01 FE spec oil that is still a 30wt, although a thin one.
 
quote:

Originally posted by 2KBMW:
My manual for my 328i
recommends 0wX, 5wX for all temps. and 10wX
for temps. above 10 deg.F, with X being
30,40 or 50 weights.


Right, so does mine. But BMW has changed the recommendation down from 40 and 50wt dino to 30wt synthetic for virtually all of it's engines back thru the 90s. Presumably because of synthetics' better ability to protect at high temps, the high visc. is not needed in the summer. What year is your 328?
 
BMW318tics. My 328i is a 2000. I know before
castrol became a major sponsor of BMW racing,
Valvoline made their oil for North America and
it was a 5w40 grade. I would still use the 5w30
or 0w30 in winter and 10w30 in summer.
P.S. What year is your baby?
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Buster,

We have a saying in the South: "Even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while..."
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In other words, I concur with your recommendation.
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The GC, 0w-30 would also be a good choice in this application, or something like the Redline 5w-30.

I'd also change the transmission and diff to synthetic lubes - you'll pick up 1%-3% in fuel efficiency from that alone ...BMW most likely calls for synthetic ATF in the trans (or Redline MTL) and a 75w-90, GL-5 for the rear axle.
 
Hi,
I use Delvac 1 5w-40 in my '98 Z3 2.8 manual with 55kkms up

I tried both M1 10w-30 and 0w-40 and both rattled at startup - Delvac 1 is the ONE for me

The diff and gearbox also have Castrol synthetics installed

Regards
 
Yep. I've already got Redline MTL in the tranny (much better than Mobil 1 ATF once warm, btw) and Mobil 1 75w-90 in the diff.

I usually run M1 5w-30, but last time around put in 2qt of 15w50 along with 3qt 5w-30. Noticed a 2-3 mpg drop.
frown.gif


The car is a 1995 club sport edition with only 55k mi on the clock. I typically got 32-33 mpg with the M1 5w-30.

[ January 02, 2004, 08:59 PM: Message edited by: BMW318tiCS ]
 
Wow.....I'm surprised at your responses guys. If this was stricly an econobox type of vehicle, I would give the 0W-20 a try and see how it does in 3000 miles. It won't kill the engine and you might find a good oil to go with your car.
Rick


ps; this is coming from a thick oil lover
wink.gif
 
quote:

Originally posted by Last_Z:
Wow.....I'm surprised at your responses guys. If this was stricly an econobox type of vehicle, I would give the 0W-20 a try and see how it does in 3000 miles. It won't kill the engine and you might find a good oil to go with your car.
Rick


ps; this is coming from a thick oil lover
wink.gif


I think it's worth a shot in the wintertime, and even try it out in the spring and see how the UOA looks. It might just surprise us. As long as the engine isn't driven too hard, it'll acheive his goal, slightly better MPG (in winter I believe it will show a much more considerable advantage here over thicker oils)
 
I don't see why it wouldn't work in winter or summer
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If a big Ford V10 that tows a few thousand pounds can run this oil without a problem, why couldn't this little bimmer??
 
quote:

Originally posted by Last_Z:
I don't see why it wouldn't work in winter or summer
dunno.gif
If a big Ford V10 that tows a few thousand pounds can run this oil without a problem, why couldn't this little bimmer??


It's not that this oil won't work in this car, it's that this engine is not designed to run this viscosity, for whatever reason, think clearances etc.

That big V10 is probably working under less stress than that little 4.
 
I agree with F1Crazy; the M42 oil viscosity recommendations were made by BMW engineers and were not influenced by CAFE mandates. I've owned my Club Sport since new. At 57000 miles I switched from Mobil 1 15W-50 to BMW 5W-30 Synthetic. Over the next 5500 miles(Oct-Aug) my fuel economy averaged 26.78 mpg. I then switched back to Mobil 1 15W-50, and over the next 5500 miles(Aug-Mar) the car averaged 26.88 mpg. The M42 viscosity chart permits the use of conventional 15W-50 oils down to 0F, so I have no qualms about using the Mobil 1 year-round. I also believe the higher viscosity oil provides better protection on the track as well as at my typical interstate cruising speeds, since 80 mph in 5th equals 4000 rpm. I've run Mobil 1 15W-50, Rotella Synthetic 5W-40, and BMW Synthetic 5W-30 in my wife's 528iA and did not detect any significant variance in fuel economy. I finally settled on the BMW Synthetic for that car since it was less expensive and also due to the fact that the car rarely sees engine speeds greater than 4500 rpm-unless I'm driving...
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[ January 05, 2004, 01:36 AM: Message edited by: MCompact ]
 
Since fuel economy is a major concern I would suggest using an ACEA A3 rated synthetic such as the "German" Castrol Syntec 0W-30 or the BMW High Performance Synthetic Oil 5W-30 or Mobil 1 SuperSyn 0W-40. Mobil 1 SuperSyn 0W-40 is ACEA A3/B3/B4 rated and also ILSAC GF-3 and should get slightly better fuel economy than many other ACEA A3 oils.

In the real world it may be that Mobil 1 SuperSyn 5W-30 and 10W-30 will give you just as much protection as Mobil 1 SuperSyn 0W-40 but Mobil 1 SuperSyn 5W-30 and 10W-30 are only ACEA A5/B5 rated and as such are thinner at high temperatures. If you were to use an ACEA A5/B5 oil I would suggest using 10W-30 in the summer and 5W-30 the rest of the year.

Any oil with the ACEA A3/B3 or B4 ratings will have a high temperature high shear (HT/HS) viscosity of >3.5 cP @ 150 C and should provide good wear protection. Any 0W-30, 5W-30 or 0W-40 ACEA A3/B3/B4 oil should also provide good fuel economy as well.

If you wanted the best oil and cost was of little concern then I would suggest Amsoil 5W-30 (ASL).

[ January 05, 2004, 01:55 AM: Message edited by: Sin City ]
 
I would run the 5W-20 for 3000 miles and see the results. It isn't going to kill the engine....that's for sure.
Rick
 
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