'95 318i; What oil would you use?

[fdcg27]

M1 0W-40 is known to shear to a 30 grade pretty quickly.
Might just as well use GC, which has shown good shear resistance.
Neither grade was recommended for this engine, although it is more than likely that neither existed when the OM for this car was written.
As with our old W201, the OM reflects some old-school thinking wrt the grade of oil to be used.
Both Mercedes and BMW recommended a 20W-50 for a wide range of temperatures for their four cylinder engines, at least.
Also, I don't think any engine was ever hurt by using a thicker oil, while some excess wear is possible using a lower HT/HS oil.

 

[MCompact]

I run M1 W-40 in my 318ti; it's still running strong at 120,000 miles. Add a Turner Motorsport/Conforti chip if you want to wake up the M42 a bit.

 

[JHZR2]

Ive run 0w-40 in my M42. Though it shears a bit, it does so by design, and then thickens back up depending upon where you are in its life. Nothing against it, I run it in my saab, and may run it in my wife's VW in the future.

 

[fdcg27]

Another possibility, then.
Thanks for all of the advice.
It is nice to hear the experiences of others who have actual empirical results, not just anecdotes.

 

[Adamwest]

I have a 1995 318i with the M43 motor. Though it is a little different than the M42, I believe that the oil requirements are similar if not the same. At 140,000km, it runs very well on the Maxlife 10w40 I used for the last OC-much better than the unknown 10w40 dino that was in it when I bought it. It seems smoother, quieter, etc. In the next couple of weeks I am going to put in M1 0w40.

 

[fdcg27]

addyguy,
I too had thought of Syntec 5W-50. I've used it before, when I have gotten it cheaply.
Stopped in at a Walmart this morning, and they had Syntec 5W-50 on clearance at $2.00 per quart.
I hope the BMW likes it.
I figure this should make a decent cold weather oil, so I'll put it in in the fall, in the event that the car sees some winter use, which I don't plan on.

 

[Pete591]

Most of the guys on the BMW boards use a 0W-30 or 0W-40 synthetic oil.

Summertime in Ohio ought be okay for a 5W-50.

 

[fdcg27]

BMW now apparently specs either M1 0W-40 or GC for this engine.
Times change.