2000 BMW M Coupe-Track/Street Oil

[yetiboy]

Hello All,

I posted a thread back in October of last year asking all of you for recommendations on oil for my BMW M Coupe web page , which I drive on the street, but also regularly track. At the time I did not have an oil cooler installed and I was seeing almost 295 on some track days during the Summer. I ended up using Redline 10-40 from some of the recommendations here.

So move forward to two months ago...finally installed the oil cooler. In two track events at Laguna Seca the highest temps I have seen are in the 235 neighborhood...huge improvement with the oil cooler...approx a 45-50 degree drop in oil temps.

So with the oil cooler now installed I'm much less paranoid about having to run something like a Redline oil, which is quite expensive. I have recently gone to Mobil 1 15-50, but I really want to run an oil that is not quite this heavy.

Does anyone see any issues running the Mobil One 0-40 for both the street and track with my car considering the much lower oil temps I'm now seeing with the oil cooler? Any thoughts/feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
MSH

web page

 

[Gene K]

I would prefer a Mobil Delvac 1 aka Mobil 1 Truck and SUV 5W40 for its superior sheer performance.

If you wanted a less expensive oil and were willing to run a Group III Synthetic then Rotella T Synthetic is about half the cost at around $12 a gal.

BTW wasnt that engine originally speced to run 10W-60?

Just my opinion that and a buck will buy you a cup of coffee.

Gene

 

[SSDude]

I think that M1 0w-40 is a good oil. However, since you run your car on a track you should be aware of the fact that M1 0w-40 will shear to a heavy 30wt oil. You might want to try Synergyn 3w-30. It was formulated for racing. If you buy it in a five gallon pale it will cost about $4.75/quart.

 

[yetiboy]

quote:

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Originally posted by Gene K:

BTW wasnt that engine originally speced to run 10W-60?

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Hey Gene,

Thanks for the feedback. Actually the 10-60 is recommended for the S54 engines. I have the S52 engine in my M Coupe.

MSH

 

[Santo Fontana]

quote:

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Originally posted by SSDude:
You might want to try Synergyn 3w-30. It was formulated for racing. If you buy it in a five gallon pale it will cost about $4.75/quart.

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ditto

 

[yetiboy]

Thanks all. After debating between a few different oils--GC, Amsoil 2000 0-30, Lubromoly 5-40, and Redline 5-40 I have decided on the Lubromoly 5-40. I would have loved to try the Motul 300v 5-40 but that stuff is just way too pricey. I'm picking up two 5L bottles of the LM 5-40 tomorrow for $38 each. Thanks for the input.

MSH

 

[TC]

As someone who time trialed for years, and owned a 325is daily driver as well, I heard that the earlier M3s would lose engines if they didn't overfill by about a quart (something like that) before track events. You may already know more about this than I do, and perhaps your 2000 model is not affected by this. But you should look into this matter if you're not aware of same. Also, using the 325 series gear lube will ruin the M3 differential from what I've heard.

 

[yetiboy]

quote:

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Originally posted by TC:
As someone who time trialed for years, and owned a 325is daily driver as well, I heard that the earlier M3s would lose engines if they didn't overfill by about a quart (something like that) before track events. You may already know more about this than I do, and perhaps your 2000 model is not affected by this. But you should look into this matter if you're not aware of same. Also, using the 325 series gear lube will ruin the M3 differential from what I've heard.

---

TC, Yes, it is still common practice to overfill the S52 based engines (96-99 M3's, 99-00 M Coupes & Roadsters) by half a quart to a full quart for both tracking and autocrossing.

In regards to the diff I have both the stock 3.23 and a 3.73 diff from a '87 325is. Both diffs run exclusively on Redline 75-90 Gear oil

MSH

 

[Gene K]

quote:

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Originally posted by yetiboy:

quote:

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Originally posted by TC:
As someone who time trialed for years, and owned a 325is daily driver as well, I heard that the earlier M3s would lose engines if they didn't overfill by about a quart (something like that) before track events. You may already know more about this than I do, and perhaps your 2000 model is not affected by this. But you should look into this matter if you're not aware of same. Also, using the 325 series gear lube will ruin the M3 differential from what I've heard.

---

TC, Yes, it is still common practice to overfill the S52 based engines (96-99 M3's, 99-00 M Coupes & Roadsters) by half a quart to a full quart for both tracking and autocrossing.

In regards to the diff I have both the stock 3.23 and a 3.73 diff from a '87 325is. Both diffs run exclusively on Redline 75-90 Gear oil

MSH

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Interesting... I use to run a DOHC Neon in Solo II and we had to REDUCE the level by 1/2-1 QT because windage would cause foaming which would starve the bearings.

 

[TC]

Thanks for confirming my memory about M3 oil filling -- I often doubt my own cranial data retrieval system! Defective RAM. Time to go on that gingko biloba stuff...

Regarding the Neon, I guess each engine is unique in regards to oil levels and competition events. Most rides will do just fine simply filled to the "full" mark. But putting 2004 technology competition tires on a (hypothetical) 70's Detroit ride like a Camaro or Mustang, and one can generate substantially higher cornering forces than ever anticipated by powerplant engineers back in 1970. I was always surprised that BMW somehow screwed that whole M3 thing up -- they know as well as anyone that plenty of folks take their stock M3s to the track, yet somehow the need to overfill got lost through the cracks and some folks actually lost engines, I believe.

 

[Motorbike]

quote:

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Originally posted by Santo Fontana:

quote:

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Originally posted by SSDude:
You might want to try Synergyn 3w-30. It was formulated for racing. If you buy it in a five gallon pale it will cost about $4.75/quart.

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ditto

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Double ditto

 

[Cary]

quote:

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Originally posted by TC:
I was always surprised that BMW somehow screwed that whole M3 thing up -- they know as well as anyone that plenty of folks take their stock M3s to the track, yet somehow the need to overfill got lost through the cracks and some folks actually lost engines, I believe.

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Remember that wasn't the best part. The best part was the M3 Lightweights that were sold with the deep oil pan and extended pickup tube in the trunk with a note attached that if they were installed it would void the cars warrantee. All I can say after 3 BMW's is there is something really special about them, but BMW NA sucks.

 

[TC]

Now THAT'S funny!!! "Use this part...which we're automatically including with your vehicle, although not installing...at your own risk." A hillbilly's version would be, "Yooz even glance at my daughter, and I'z gonna consider you one of them-thar preverts and shoot ya. But if'in ya don't ask her out to the big Cow Dance, I'z gonna take that as a slight...and shoot ya."

 

[Stab]

I can see TC has never heard a real hillbilly speak a single word.

I guess left coast hillbillies use a different dialect that sounds like someone trying to be funny.

 

[Toyota18]

Hi.
Motul 300v and redline good for racing,not sure about day to day street driving.Motul 8100 X-cess 5w-40,Delvac1 5w-40,Mobil1 5w-50,Castrol 10w-60,Valvoline Synpower 5w-40 or 10w-50 good for your car.I stick with Mobil1 5w-50,15w-50 or Castrol 10w-60.

 

[Gene K]

quote:

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Originally posted by Toyota18:
Hi.
Motul 300v and redline good for racing,not sure about day to day street driving.Motul 8100 X-cess 5w-40,Delvac1 5w-40,Mobil1 5w-50,Castrol 10w-60,Valvoline Synpower 5w-40 or 10w-50 good for your car.I stick with Mobil1 5w-50,15w-50 or Castrol 10w-60.

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I like Torco SR-1 pretty well to if you want a combination street and track oil. At $4.75 QT + $3.00 Total Shipping for as much as you can stand it isnt a bad deal either. They also sell 5 gallon pails and 55 gal Drums. I know they make a 10W40 and 20W50 and they have about Double the Moly of Redline.

If you want a Non-Detergent Real Track Oil I cant help you as I have never ran that except Valvoline 20W50 Conventional Racing Oil in a 476" Big Block Chevrolet and I don't that would work well in this application.

Gene