Best 5w40 for Twin Turbo Direct Injection V8

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I have an F10 generation BMW M5 with a Turbo Valvetronic Direct Injection (TVDI) 4.4L V8, that has two variable geometry turbochargers running BMW's Valvetronic and Direct Injection. I just changed to Ravenol VST 5w-40 (LL-01) and was suggested to consider Red Line's Euro 5w-40 with LL-04 rating because of a slightly lower sulfated ash content. I want the 5w-40 viscosity for my Central Texas Summer heat where the Summer temps can reach over 100 °F for weeks at a time. With the Summer tires, if the temps get much below 40 °F, I'm not driving the car, so I think a 5w is where I want to be. I'm interested in others thoughts/comments. I love a good base stock and both Ravenol (PAO) and Red Line (ester) have excellent base stocks.

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I wouldn't use an LL-04 oil in this engine. Lower ash is nice but AFAIK BMW recommends against LL-04 in North America because of ethanol and/or inconsistent fuel quality.

I also wouldn't pick Red Line over anything from Ravenol unless I were sponsored. Red Line does make good stuff, but I don't see a compelling argument for their engine oils. Their factory approved oils don't have anything important to distinguish them from any other approved oil, and their non-approved oils... don't carry the relevant approvals (apparently on purpose).

Regarding basestocks: not that I'd endorse picking an oil on that basis, but Red Line's engine oils don't have a heck of a lot of ester any more. They use a lot of PAO and/or Group III these days, depending on the product.

Props for spelling Red Line correctly, BTW.
cheers3.gif
 
Red Line or Ravenol should work but it's a BMW M so there is no lube on earth that will substitute for the DTF additive (Disposable Trust Fund) which is all but requisite to maintain those cars to 10 years and 100k miles.
 
I would use this:

.https://www.ravenol.de/en/products/usage/d/Product/show/p/ravenol-rup-sae-5w-40.html


Has BMW approvals for LL-04 and does have a little ester mixed with its PAO. The Red Line has a little too much calcium for my taste on a DI motor. AFAIK the Red Line uses mainly PAO with about 20% ester and some class III for the add pack carrier, <10% is the latest info I heard from a good source. That's been a year ago and I suppose is subject to change.
 
Originally Posted by sloinker
I would use this:

.https://www.ravenol.de/en/products/usage/d/Product/show/p/ravenol-rup-sae-5w-40.html


Has BMW approvals for LL-04 and does have a little ester mixed with its PAO. The Red Line has a little too much calcium for my taste on a DI motor. AFAIK the Red Line uses mainly PAO with about 20% ester and some class III for the add pack carrier, div>


The Ravenol RUP 5w-40 is a pretty good looking oil. Low ash, LL04, HTHS 3.9 and NOACK of 6.

Screenshot_20190426-212501_Chrome.jpg
 
Interesting discussion. One that has gone through my kind for my N55 in my 135i is to look into Amsoil AZF 0w-40.

It is claimed to be designed with LSPI resistance in mind. It's not clear that SN Plus for 40wt oils are common.

14.8cst at 100, 3.76 HTHS, 7.7 NOACK...
 
If you park the car below 40F, you don't even need a 5w40. 10w40 would be fine, and more shear resistant.

Red Line 10w40, or AMSoil AMO.
 
The radiator provides most of the cooling. For puttering around town and on interstates any "light" 40/"heavy" 30 weight BMW oil will work.

Personally it'd run a 30w but that's just me.
 
Originally Posted by dbias
Originally Posted by sloinker
I would use this:

.https://www.ravenol.de/en/products/usage/d/Product/show/p/ravenol-rup-sae-5w-40.html


Has BMW approvals for LL-04 and does have a little ester mixed with its PAO. The Red Line has a little too much calcium for my taste on a DI motor. AFAIK the Red Line uses mainly PAO with about 20% ester and some class III for the add pack carrier, div>


The Ravenol RUP 5w-40 is a pretty good looking oil. Low ash, LL04, HTHS 3.9 and NOACK of 6.
I think Ravenol RUP 5w-40 may be my new oil! Very similar to one another, but the RUP has an even lower Noack and Sulfated Ash content which will be even better for my DI motor. Same PAO content, with a special additive with Tungsten and Trinuclear Molybdenum to reduce wear/friction.

Usually, you don't want to run a "racing" oil for street use, but this Ravenol "racing" product is different in that it actually has formal approvals from manufacturers, including BMW, which means you're safe to run this on the street as well as on the track. https://www.ravenol.de/fileadmin/content/documents/Ravenol-Schumacher-Presentation-EN.pdf

https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/f10-m5-lim/repair-manuals/11-engine/1VnZ1vFi9W

In my UOA thread ditching the factory fill, BMW 0w-30 under BMW LL-01 FE (fuel economy), for Ravenol VST 5w-40 (LL-01), "Oil_Film_Movies" piqued my curiosity for LL-04 as I was well aware of the rating being originally intended for diesels with DPF's, (had three vehicles with them,) but I didn't realize the spec had sort of come full circle here in the States with gasoline here better mimicing that of what is available in Europe, and thereby LL-04 has all the more so become applicable in gasoline motors in the USA as well, particularly those with modern DI-only where carbon build up can be a factor.

From Bimmerworld, about the differences between LL-01 vs LL-04.
Quote

LL-01 (2001). API SJ. ACEA A3/B3. SAE 0W30, 5W30, 5W40, 10W60. The first revision with detergents and additives brought in to work with the ridiculous 15,000 mile oil change interval that BMW promoted at the time. At the same time, certain components of the formula were removed or reduced (ZDDP). However, once cars and engines were out of warranty and mileage accumulated the nasty effects of extended oil changes were realized (i.e. oil sludge). LL-01 is compatible with engines approved for LL-98.

In 2016 BMW announced new 0W30 to replace 5W30. 0W30 carries the same LL-01 approval with a FE label, making it backwards compatible but also making newer models more fuel efficient.

LL-04 (2005). API SN. ACEA C3 (similar to A3). SAE 5W30, 5W40. The LL-04 oils have been greatly misunderstood in the past but this is now in greater demand. Most LL-04 oils are intended for Diesels, although it was also approved for gas engines in Europe and other world markets. BMW never certified LL-04 for the US (see next paragraph). Diesel oil has long been valued by engine builders and tuners because of its higher levels of ZDDP and higher HTHS ratings, both are excellent indicators of engine protection at higher temperatures. LL-04 also has a lower SAPS value which is good news for direct-injection engines (all BMW turbo engines since 2007). You won't find Genuine BMW LL-04 sold here but Red Line Euro-Series oil is produced around this standard.

As part of the efforts to make engine oil more environmentally friendly, the US EPA required ZDDP levels to be reduced in gasoline oil. However, Diesel oil was exempt from this ZDDP reduction. BMW never certified LL-04 for the US market because a) there weren't many Diesels for sale here, b) it was incompatible with the high amounts of sulfur and Ethanol in US fuel. However, since 2014 our gasoline more closely matches European formulas and interest in LL-04 has increased. LL-04 and LL-01 are interchangeable/compatible but LL-04 is preferred for its higher ZDDP and low SAPS.


https://www.bimmerworld.com/BMW-Engine-Oil/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjNxfOoouso

https://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/4922998/race-oil-with-oe-approvals-why

Originally Posted by BMWTurboDzl
The radiator provides most of the cooling. For puttering around town and on interstates any "light" 40/"heavy" 30 weight BMW oil will work.

Personally it'd run a 30w but that's just me.

I know what you mean BUT, Texas Summer's can be brutal for 2+ months with temps over 100 °F, and a 40 just provides better protection in that environment over a 30. I had a 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee with the 3.0L EcoDiesel that originally, when I bought it new, FCA said 5w-30. I heard of one too many of those motors suffering from internal failures and next thing we knew, FCA quietly changed the oil to 5w-40. So much so that they paid dealers to change the oil in every new EcoDiesel sitting on their lots, it was that "interesting." So for me, with the big timing chains moving the cams, Vanos, valvetronic, and two variable geometry turbochargers, I want all the protection in the heat that I can get.

Originally Posted by GZRider
Red Line or Ravenol should work but it's a BMW M so there is no lube on earth that will substitute for the DTF additive (Disposable Trust Fund) which is all but requisite to maintain those cars to 10 years and 100k miles.
I think you would be surprised how much more reliable these S63 motors are than some of the M motors in the past. I've seen many with 60k to 100k miles on them already and I expect to get that many and more out of mine. GM is switching over the "hot V" concept that BMW started with these motors over a decade ago.






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When you say Redline Euro, do you mean the white or the black bottle product? With the black bottle you aren't getting anything that remotely resembles the traditional PAO/POE base blend, you are getting Kendall in a black bottle for more money.
 
Avoid Redline, you will not gain anything.
S63 engine is pretty hard, however, take into consideration that Central TX heat is nothing compared to Autobahn driving conditions if you push that car.
Ravenol will do, so will Motul X-Cess, but I would stick to Castrol 0W40 or even better, Castrol 0W30. Both will do excellent in S63. Now, if your engine develop valve stem issue than something thick might be warranted to hide issue until you address it. S63 is better when it comes to reliability than N63. It is pretty much at stage where N63TU is. However, with thick oils you are increasing temperature for no reason. Those engines are perfectly fine on 5W30 TPT oils, and Central TX heat does not have anything to do with it.
I just got on Amazon Castrol 0W30 for Tiguan, $38 with coupon for 6pack.
It is oil temperature that matters, and Central TX heat will never develop oil temperature like good run on Autobahn.
 
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OP I wonder if the LL04 spec, VW 504/507 for me, and how it is designed to hold diesel soot in suspension would give the same benefits to a turbocharged DI engine?
 
Originally Posted by edyvw
Avoid Redline, you will not gain anything.
S63 engine is pretty hard, however, take into consideration that Central TX heat is nothing compared to Autobahn driving conditions if you push that car.
Ravenol will do, so will Motul X-Cess, but I would stick to Castrol 0W40 or even better, Castrol 0W30. Both will do excellent in S63. Now, if your engine develop valve stem issue than something thick might be warranted to hide issue until you address it. S63 is better when it comes to reliability than N63. It is pretty much at stage where N63TU is. However, with thick oils you are increasing temperature for no reason. Those engines are perfectly fine on 5W30 TPT oils, and Central TX heat does not have anything to do with it.
I just got on Amazon Castrol 0W30 for Tiguan, $38 with coupon for 6pack.
It is oil temperature that matters, and Central TX heat will never develop oil temperature like good run on Autobahn.
A couple points to those sentiments.
  • I'm most concerned with which viscosity will provide the best protection for my motor, as opposed to what California thinks the best viscosity that will yield a fraction of a single mile-per-gallon more in fuel economy is. This is what I believe was the primary reason why BMW (per the CARB) switched from 5w-30 to the 0w-30 in the USA only. My 0w-30 UOA with 800~ miles on it did look very good, but I'm just not convinced it's the best oil for my motor. (Not worried about gas mileage or the price of motor oil so much as I am in what is best for my motor.) Especially where I'm at in Texas, where with my Summer only performance Michelin's will never run the car below 40°F anyway, why do I need a 0w anything oil? Show me some specs of a 0w40 that you like better than a 5w, but I can't find any.
  • Which viscosity provides for the best protection from the heat? The engine is intended to operate (under normal conditions) at relatively the same oil temperature regardless of the ambient temperature outside, regardless of viscosity. Obviously, when you run the engine harder (like on a track,) those oil temps will rise. When oil temps begin to rise, that is where you want to consider a viscosity such as the 40 that can better handle that heat, especially and all the more so if that ambient temperature outside is past the 30°C (86°F) and nearing 40°C (104°F). https://www.zoniv.com/5w30-vs-5w40/

Turbos run hot and two of them in a hot V run even hotter, so it's all the more so important I believe to have motor oil that is able to handle the heat and not coke your turbos. Honda HTO-6 is a good spec for turbos, but I've only found it on M1's FS 5w-30 that I used to run in my Corvette 427 LS7. (5w-30 is fine there as my oil temps rarely got much past 215°F because I rarely ran the car very hard for any extended period of time. Same modus operandi for the M5 as well, I suspect.

Originally Posted by dbias
OP I wonder if the LL04 spec, VW 504/507 for me, and how it is designed to hold diesel soot in suspension would give the same benefits to a turbocharged DI engine?
I'm not sure there is much to that. Lubrizol is just pointing out that the LL-04 rating was always acceptable for gasoline motors used in (most of Central) Europe because they had low sulfur numbers in their gasoline, but BMW always disclaimed "but not in the US" because of the higher sulfur content. Eu5 regs had sulfur content down to 10 ppm around what 2009 or so, while it took until January 1, 2017, before the US EPA began to require refineries to lower the sulfur content over here to down to 10ppm (on an annual average basis.) So now, maybe the LL-04 ratings like Lubrizol is pointing out are acceptable for gasoline motors in the US, and maybe the lower ash content helps with DI motors. So I'm not sure if a 1.05 ash content (LL-01) is that much worse than a 0.8 ash content (LL-04) when I can otherwise get very good and comparable volatility and TBN specs. What viscosity do I really want my motor running at at 100°C (mid 11 to low 12 cSt or low 14 cSt), and which HTHS (low 3, high 3, or even 4 mPa) and MRV (13,00 cP, 17,000 cP, or 21,000 cP?) is preferable for durability? The 0w crowd seems to call for a lower HTHS for fuel economy reasons while not adequately addressing the concerns over the tradeoffs associated with the longevity of the motors.




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Oil viscosity temperature range.JPG
 
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Your engine's oil system is thermostatically controlled and won't fluctuate much even on hot summer days, unless you're tracking it.

Run a reputable/big name LL-04 or LL-01 and a Mann filter and call it a day. 5W-30 or 5W-40 doesn't really matter... they're all pretty much the same viscosity.
 
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Originally Posted by AirBull
Originally Posted by edyvw
Avoid Redline, you will not gain anything.
S63 engine is pretty hard, however, take into consideration that Central TX heat is nothing compared to Autobahn driving conditions if you push that car.
Ravenol will do, so will Motul X-Cess, but I would stick to Castrol 0W40 or even better, Castrol 0W30. Both will do excellent in S63. Now, if your engine develop valve stem issue than something thick might be warranted to hide issue until you address it. S63 is better when it comes to reliability than N63. It is pretty much at stage where N63TU is. However, with thick oils you are increasing temperature for no reason. Those engines are perfectly fine on 5W30 TPT oils, and Central TX heat does not have anything to do with it.
I just got on Amazon Castrol 0W30 for Tiguan, $38 with coupon for 6pack.
It is oil temperature that matters, and Central TX heat will never develop oil temperature like good run on Autobahn.
A couple points to those sentiments.
  • I'm most concerned with which viscosity will provide the best protection for my motor, as opposed to what California thinks the best viscosity that will yield a fraction of a single mile-per-gallon more in fuel economy is. This is what I believe was the primary reason why BMW (per the CARB) switched from 5w-30 to the 0w-30 in the USA only. My 0w-30 UOA with 800~ miles on it did look very good, but I'm just not convinced it's the best oil for my motor. (Not worried about gas mileage or the price of motor oil so much as I am in what is best for my motor.) Especially where I'm at in Texas, where with my Summer only performance Michelin's will never run the car below 40°F anyway, why do I need a 0w anything oil? Show me some specs of a 0w40 that you like better than a 5w, but I can't find any.
  • Which viscosity provides for the best protection from the heat? The engine is intended to operate (under normal conditions) at relatively the same oil temperature regardless of the ambient temperature outside, regardless of viscosity. Obviously, when you run the engine harder (like on a track,) those oil temps will rise. When oil temps begin to rise, that is where you want to consider a viscosity such as the 40 that can better handle that heat, especially and all the more so if that ambient temperature outside is past the 30°C (86°F) and nearing 40°C (104°F). https://www.zoniv.com/5w30-vs-5w40/

Turbos run hot and two of them in a hot V run even hotter, so it's all the more so important I believe to have motor oil that is able to handle the heat and not coke your turbos. Honda HTO-6 is a good spec for turbos, but I've only found it on M1's FS 5w-30 that I used to run in my Corvette 427 LS7. (5w-30 is fine there as my oil temps rarely got much past 215°F because I rarely ran the car very hard for any extended period of time. Same modus operandi for the M5 as well, I suspect.

Originally Posted by dbias
OP I wonder if the LL04 spec, VW 504/507 for me, and how it is designed to hold diesel soot in suspension would give the same benefits to a turbocharged DI engine?
I'm not sure there is much to that. Lubrizol is just pointing out that the LL-04 rating was always acceptable for gasoline motors used in (most of Central) Europe because they had low sulfur numbers in their gasoline, but BMW always disclaimed "but not in the US" because of the higher sulfur content. Eu5 regs had sulfur content down to 10 ppm around what 2009 or so, while it took until January 1, 2017, before the US EPA began to require refineries to lower the sulfur content over here to down to 10ppm (on an annual average basis.) So now, maybe the LL-04 ratings like Lubrizol is pointing out are acceptable for gasoline motors in the US, and maybe the lower ash content helps with DI motors. So I'm not sure if a 1.05 ash content (LL-01) is that much worse than a 0.8 ash content (LL-04) when I can otherwise get very good and comparable volatility and TBN specs. What viscosity do I really want my motor running at at 100°C (mid 11 to low 12 cSt or low 14 cSt), and which HTHS (low 3, high 3, or even 4 mPa) and MRV (13,00 cP, 17,000 cP, or 21,000 cP?) is preferable for durability? The 0w crowd seems to call for a lower HTHS for fuel economy reasons while not adequately addressing the concerns over the tradeoffs associated with the longevity of the motors.



I kind of highly doubt you actually know what 0W30 Castrol I have in mind.
And no, BMW did not move to LL01FE due to CARB.
 
Quote

I kind of highly doubt you actually know what 0W30 Castrol I have in mind.
And no, BMW did not move to LL01FE due to CARB.
Reminds me of an old Seinfield episode where Kramer asks "why don't you tell me what movie you'd like to see?" Haha. I'm referring to the current BMW 0w-30 I guess, which we believe to be a Shell/Pennzoil GTL product.

As far as LL-01FE, maybe not entirely California (CARB) but in large part the US CAFE standards, yes - that is exactly why BMW is moving to an oil spec with an acronym for "Fuel Economy!"
 
Originally Posted by AirBull
Quote

I kind of highly doubt you actually know what 0W30 Castrol I have in mind.
And no, BMW did not move to LL01FE due to CARB.
Reminds me of an old Seinfield episode where Kramer asks "why don't you tell me what movie you'd like to see?" Haha. I'm referring to the current BMW 0w-30 I guess, which we believe to be a Shell/Pennzoil GTL product.

As far as LL-01FE, maybe not entirely California (CARB) but in large part the US CAFE standards, yes - that is exactly why BMW is moving to an oil spec with an acronym for "Fuel Economy!"

Castrol 0W30 is LL01 not LL01FE. It was for a long time favorite among Euro owners, and probably still is. A lot of people moved to Castrol 0W40 since chemistry is similar, but much cheaper. I amanaged to snatch on Amazon last week 0W30 for $38 for 6 pack when coupon is applied.
It is heavy W30, with HTHS of 3.58, and cst of 12.1 (which is basically borderline W40). It is PAO based, not Group III.
BMW moved to light oils primarily due to driving habits of majority of BMW buyers in the US where city driving, cold starts, short trips are emphasized. BMW has enough fuel efficient cars to meet CAFE, and EPA did not change mpg ratings once BMW moved to LL01FE, LL12, LL14. Per TSB (referring to N63) one of the big problems that BMW engineers found was excessive short trips, so they decided to tackle it with lighter oils.
 
Originally Posted by AirBull
Which viscosity provides for the best protection from the heat? The engine is intended to operate (under normal conditions) at relatively the same oil temperature regardless of the ambient temperature outside, regardless of viscosity. Obviously, when you run the engine harder (like on a track,) those oil temps will rise. When oil temps begin to rise, that is where you want to consider a viscosity such as the 40 that can better handle that heat, especially and all the more so if that ambient temperature outside is past the 30°C (86°F) and nearing 40°C (104°F).

"Often jumping up in viscosity will actually exacerbate the oil temp issue (oil system efficiency is depleted, lack of oil flow= more heat), loss of power (yes, engine dyno proven) and potentially increase the wear of the engine. Too often car guys equate higher viscosity=better protection."
MOTUL , Rennlist (Porsche Forum) 08-29-2018


Originally Posted by AirBull

Turbos run hot and two of them in a hot V run even hotter, so it's all the more so important I believe to have motor oil that is able to handle the heat and not coke your turbos.

Here's what Jürgen Poggel (Head of Engine Development, BMW M) said about your particular engine:
"There's nothing to worry about! Our so-called heat manager can detect all critical situations during normal operations. Should any medium, oil, water, or an engine component become too hot under specific environmental or load profiles, countermeasures are taken automatically. " [***] " the usual oils can withstand 150 °C/ 300 °F well, but it starts getting critical after 160 °C/ 320 °F, although 200 °C /390 °F is occasionally reached on the cylinder liners. These temperatures, though, are only brief and so are not detrimental to the oil. When, on the other hand, the oil is subjected to high temperatures for long and frequent periods, the displayed service intervals automatically take this into account. The high performance M engines are therefore designed for drivers who don't want to drive with one eye constantly on the oil temperature gauge. By the way, the engine no longer needs the familiar 10W-60 oil with its high viscosity. Instead, we can use the latest low viscosity oils for considerably less friction."
This being said me personally I wouldn't use a product without a BMW seal of approval on the bottle.
 
Originally Posted by edyvw
Originally Posted by AirBull
Quote

I kind of highly doubt you actually know what 0W30 Castrol I have in mind.
And no, BMW did not move to LL01FE due to CARB.
Reminds me of an old Seinfield episode where Kramer asks "why don't you tell me what movie you'd like to see?" Haha. I'm referring to the current BMW 0w-30 I guess, which we believe to be a Shell/Pennzoil GTL product.

As far as LL-01FE, maybe not entirely California (CARB) but in large part the US CAFE standards, yes - that is exactly why BMW is moving to an oil spec with an acronym for "Fuel Economy!"

Castrol 0W30 is LL01 not LL01FE. It was for a long time favorite among Euro owners, and probably still is. A lot of people moved to Castrol 0W40 since chemistry is similar, but much cheaper. I amanaged to snatch on Amazon last week 0W30 for $38 for 6 pack when coupon is applied.
It is heavy W30, with HTHS of 3.58, and cst of 12.1 (which is basically borderline W40). It is PAO based, not Group III.
BMW moved to light oils primarily due to driving habits of majority of BMW buyers in the US where city driving, cold starts, short trips are emphasized. BMW has enough fuel efficient cars to meet CAFE, and EPA did not change mpg ratings once BMW moved to LL01FE, LL12, LL14. Per TSB (referring to N63) one of the big problems that BMW engineers found was excessive short trips, so they decided to tackle it with lighter oils.
I gotcha now. -60°C is indicative of an excellent base stock like a PAO, and it's Noack is acceptable at 8.3. Not sure what it's Sulfated Ash content is, other than â¤1.6 per the spec. Looks like the Castrol Edge A3/B4 0w-40 replaced it.


Originally Posted by RMG
Originally Posted by AirBull
Which viscosity provides for the best protection from the heat? The engine is intended to operate (under normal conditions) at relatively the same oil temperature regardless of the ambient temperature outside, regardless of viscosity. Obviously, when you run the engine harder (like on a track,) those oil temps will rise. When oil temps begin to rise, that is where you want to consider a viscosity such as the 40 that can better handle that heat, especially and all the more so if that ambient temperature outside is past the 30°C (86°F) and nearing 40°C (104°F).

"Often jumping up in viscosity will actually exacerbate the oil temp issue (oil system efficiency is depleted, lack of oil flow= more heat), loss of power (yes, engine dyno proven) and potentially increase the wear of the engine. Too often car guys equate higher viscosity=better protection."
MOTUL , Rennlist (Porsche Forum) 08-29-2018


Originally Posted by AirBull

Turbos run hot and two of them in a hot V run even hotter, so it's all the more so important I believe to have motor oil that is able to handle the heat and not coke your turbos.

Here's what Jürgen Poggel (Head of Engine Development, BMW M) said about your particular engine:
"There's nothing to worry about! Our so-called heat manager can detect all critical situations during normal operations. Should any medium, oil, water, or an engine component become too hot under specific environmental or load profiles, countermeasures are taken automatically. " [***] " the usual oils can withstand 150 °C/ 300 °F well, but it starts getting critical after 160 °C/ 320 °F, although 200 °C /390 °F is occasionally reached on the cylinder liners. These temperatures, though, are only brief and so are not detrimental to the oil. When, on the other hand, the oil is subjected to high temperatures for long and frequent periods, the displayed service intervals automatically take this into account. The high performance M engines are therefore designed for drivers who don't want to drive with one eye constantly on the oil temperature gauge. By the way, the engine no longer needs the familiar 10W-60 oil with its high viscosity. Instead, we can use the latest low viscosity oils for considerably less friction."
This being said me personally I wouldn't use a product without a BMW seal of approval on the bottle.
5w-40 is perfectly acceptable per BMW LL-01. I'd be interested in reading more from Poggel about the M motors; it sounds like he is referring to the switch to 5w-30 from the 10w-60 that BMW previously called for in M motors.
 
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