Best oil for BMW 335i N54 twin turbo?

[groucho]

Originally Posted By: itb76
Something is not right. I would be peeved if I bought a high performance car and it overheated after five laps. Germany still has open Autobahns in places, and German cars were always made to run wide open all day long. If I had one it would have the six speed, but that's immaterial.

Since the SCCA still has Showroom Stock classes, there must be some cars left that can hold up for half an hour on the track?


I risk being accused of being off topic. However, my point is simply that the newest vehicles have extra performance constraints driven by pollution standards that weren't there a short time ago. You are correct about SCCA. And the class allows vehicles 10 years old. And,yes, there is something amiss with the overheating. But, as many "everyday drivers" have discovered, limp mode on the freeway is an all too common event, let alone on a track. I am sure there is some vehicle out there that can run 30 minutes on a track. So, I'll shut up and let it get back to oil.

 

[BobbyBimmer]

Okay, I've read the whole thread and really there are 2 separate issues here. 1) what is a good track oil for our cars, 2) what is a good street oil. I fall into the second catagory, I am looking for the best oil to use in my 07 335i coupe with steptronic for daily driving which includes some fairly aggressive driving on the twistys up here where I live. Any recommendations for this application would be greatly appreciated

 

[reb03]

Because the N54 is still so new I don’t think there’s a clear answer to your question. The BMW 5w-30 (rebadged Castrol containing Group III hydrocracked dino) has shown pretty good UOAs including the drain from my first 335 with 8,900 miles. With my second 335 I switched to GC Edge 0w-30 at 1,500 miles and noticed a smoother freer revving engine. I really like this oil for daily use. There are a lot of 335 owners running M1 0w-40 as well.

I drive roughly 85% hwy and 15% city and my oil almost always gets to temp before shut down. As such my driving habits (excluding track days) are very easy on oil. It seems owners who make frequent short trips where the oil isn’t allowed to get to full operating temp (240-250 degrees F for the 335) there are issues with fuel dilution. I can recall the UOA from one of Terry’s customers who ran M1 0w-40 and he had an awful dilution problem. For the short trip folks I think the answer is relatively frequent changes (5k miles perhaps) and experimentation with various oils and then UOA sharing here.

In another 1,500 miles I will have Terry analyze the GC Edge and report the results. If the results don’t look good I will try the Redline or Valvoline and perhaps the RLI.

 

[BobbyBimmer]

Originally Posted By: reb03
Because the N54 is still so new I don’t think there’s a clear answer to your question. The BMW 5w-30 (rebadged Castrol containing Group III hydrocracked dino) has shown pretty good UOAs including the drain from my first 335 with 8,900 miles. With my second 335 I switched to GC Edge 0w-30 at 1,500 miles and noticed a smoother freer revving engine. I really like this oil for daily use. There are a lot of 335 owners running M1 0w-40 as well.

I drive roughly 85% hwy and 15% city and my oil almost always gets to temp before shut down. As such my driving habits (excluding track days) are very easy on oil. It seems owners who make frequent short trips where the oil isn’t allowed to get to full operating temp (240-250 degrees F for the 335) there are issues with fuel dilution. I can recall the UOA from one of Terry’s customers who ran M1 0w-40 and he had an awful dilution problem. For the short trip folks I think the answer is relatively frequent changes (5k miles perhaps) and experimentation with various oils and then UOA sharing here.

In another 1,500 miles I will have Terry analyze the GC Edge and report the results. If the results don’t look good I will try the Redline or Valvoline and perhaps the RLI.


reb03, thanks for the info. I do about the same combo of driving as you. I usually change at 5k using synthetic. I have 2500 miles on the car right now and want to change it and then change again at 5k and then every 5k after that. On almost all my previous BMW's I have used Mobil 1 0-40 Euro formula, but it looks like that is shearing pretty quick from fuel dilution as you pointed out. I would like to stick with either that or the Castrol SLX Professional Powerflow 5-30 that supposedly is the BMW oil from the dealer according to the full page ad in the newest BMW magazine. It says this is an LL04 and I am trying to see if this is what my dealer can get or if he has the old LL98 or what. Between these two what do you think. Thanks

 

[BobbyBimmer]

reb03, I was wondering if you know anybody using the Mobil 1 ESP Formula 5-30? I see that it is BMW LL04 rated. Found it online for 126.00 for 12 liters. Just dont know enough about it to pull the trigger and get it, but with the BMW LL04 approval it might be worth a try.

 

[reb03]

Originally Posted By: BobbyBimmer
reb03, thanks for the info. I do about the same combo of driving as you. I usually change at 5k using synthetic. I have 2500 miles on the car right now and want to change it and then change again at 5k and then every 5k after that. On almost all my previous BMW's I have used Mobil 1 0-40 Euro formula, but it looks like that is shearing pretty quick from fuel dilution as you pointed out. I would like to stick with either that or the Castrol SLX Professional Powerflow 5-30 that supposedly is the BMW oil from the dealer according to the full page ad in the newest BMW magazine. It says this is an LL04 and I am trying to see if this is what my dealer can get or if he has the old LL98 or what. Between these two what do you think. Thanks

Well given these are the only two oils you'd like to consider for the car I'd try the M1 0w-40 because my preference is for the full synthetic (group IV and V). The UOA of the M1 user I referenced revealed so much fuel dilution/shear after just 1,000-1,200 miles it makes me think something was wrong with the car. Either that or the owner lived 3 miles from work and the oil never got to temp. I think it would be interesting to see how the M1 performs in our kind of driving.

As far as the M1 ESP 5w-30 is concerned the specs look very similar to the 0w-40 and is MUCH more expensive. The 0w-40 looks like a light 40w while the 5w-30 is a heavy 30w. With oil that cooks like it does in this engine I prefer the slightly thicker oil.

The only way we'll know what works best in this engine is through trial and error. Again, I'm very happy with the way my engine runs on the German Castrol Edge 0w-30 (heavy 30w) but I won't know how it's doing until Terry takes a look at the oil in another month or so. I'd try GC Edge 0w-40 which is BMW LL-04 if I could find it but I don't think it's sold in the US.

 

[reb03]

BobbyBimmer, I wanted to add that the extent of my knowledge is what I've learned on this site and as such I'm hardly qualified to recommend a specific oil for our 335s. As I stated before, the UOA of the BMW high performance synthetic you get at the dealer came back pretty good considering it had 8,900 miles on it when I took the sample. I sampled it when I sold it. Only UOA sharing by 335 owners will reveal which is best for this engine. The oil from the dealer may in fact prove to be the best in this engine but I doubt it. I intend to find out by experimenting with the oils I listed previously. It would be great if you could share your UOA once you have it.

 

[gtx510]

If it were my 335i I'd use GC in the winter and Rotella 5W40 in the summer, do a (couple?) Dyson UOA, then possibly switch to RLI 5W40.
And I'd get a Xede PROcede piggyback ecu. Intake/exhaust... Advan A048's, Bilstein PSS 9's

http://www.vishnutuning.com/bmw_zero.htm
http://www.xede.com.au/about.php
http://www.chiptorque.com.au/BMW/335i.html
http://www.turnermotorsport.com/html/subcategory_detail.asp?modelcode=E92&subcat_id=125

 

[reb03]

Originally Posted By: gtx510
If it were my 335i I'd use GC in the winter and Rotella 5W40 in the summer, do a (couple?) Dyson UOA, then possibly switch to RLI 5W40.
And I'd get a Xede PROcede piggyback ecu. Intake/exhaust... Advan A048's, Bilstein PSS 9's

http://www.vishnutuning.com/bmw_zero.htm
http://www.xede.com.au/about.php
http://www.chiptorque.com.au/BMW/335i.html
http://www.turnermotorsport.com/html/subcategory_detail.asp?modelcode=E92&subcat_id=125

The Xede, Split Second Turbo Tuner and Juicebox stage 2 (JBS2) have proven very reliable and trouble free but ProCede has been riddled with limp modes, CELs and SESs. A lot of people love them but to me the ProCede is more hassle than it's worth. I agree on the GC. I didn't think a BMW I6 could get any smoother but the GC has done just that.

 

[BobbyBimmer]

I guess I will go with the GC 0w-30. Just one tiny question. Where can I find it,lol.

 

[gtx510]

Autozone

 

[SSDude]

In the future I plan on purchasing a BMW with the N54 engine. It would seem as if Castro 10w-60 would be an obvious choice for the N54. Amsoil Marine 10w-40 would seem to be a great choice as well. This oil was built to withstand water and fuel dilution. Redline 15-50 and 20w-50 would also seem to be good choices as well.

 

[Brandon26pdx]

An Ester-based oil like Redline would seem like an obvious choice for this oil cooker of an engine. I'm not sure how BMW feels about using non-approved brands though (not that I really trust they have all the answers anyway.)

Comments?

 

[jnyost]

You will not have warranty issues with Amsoil. That's a huge myth. Don't buy into it.

For most newer BMW's I recommend Amsoil or Mobil 1 0-40 but since you are worried about shear I would only suggest Amsoil. It will hold up much better under your stresses.

The sludge and varnish appears in engines that MAY have followed the 15k intervals recommended by BMW. I've seen pics of several sludgy engines but it's always hard to prove the cause of the sludge and the maintenance records. I've owned two E39's that went the 15k oci and both cars are spotless inside. I just did valve cover gaskets on one a couple weeks ago and it looked perfect.

Btw... Nice car! My buddy works at a dealer and was allowed to take one to a local drag strip.

jared

 

[jnyost]

Originally Posted By: gtx510
Autozone


My autozone doesn't carry it any more. You'll read in the BMW forums that it is getting harder to find.

 

[TambourineMan]

Does anyone here know where to find BMW's written list of specifically approved oils that comply with their warranty requirements (brand, viscosity, ratings, part number)? People here seem to know which are approved and which are not. Where are you finding this info?

 

[MCompact]

Originally Posted By: TambourineMan
Where are you finding this info?


For a non ///M motor you want to use a BMW Longlife 01 approved oil. Of all the LL 01 oils BMW 5W-30, Castrol 0W-30, and Mobil 1 0W-40 are probably the easiest ones to find in the US.

 

[TambourineMan]

Exactly where does BMW say that LL-01 oils are approved ones for a non ///M motor? Does it apply to the twin turbo N54 in the 335i or 335xi?

 

[MCompact]

Originally Posted By: TambourineMan
Exactly where does BMW say that LL-01 oils are approved ones for a non ///M motor? Does it apply to the twin turbo N54 in the 335i or 335xi?


Where does it say that LL01 oils aren't approved?

 

[TambourineMan]

I am trying to find out which oils are BMW approved in case there is a problem with my engine while it's still under warranty. If I were to have a problem while under warranty and they found that I had used an unapproved oil, they could deny coverage. I called BMW and they verbally told me the approved brands and the SAE's, but what good is that 3 years from now? I did not record the conversation. There are numerous references in this thread about unapproved oils, so somewhere there must be information about which ones are approved. Why is it such a big secret?