BMW M4 (S55 twin turbo) Oil for summer/track?

[ringmaster]

I have a 2015 BMW M4 with the S55 twin turbo 3.0L inline-six which I believe should perform well with the same type of oils that the previous N54 and N55 engines used. One difference is that my engine makes ~500HP (modified) so it will live a harder life compared to a stock 300HP N54. FWIW and IIRC, back in circa 2008 BMW approved 0W40 and 5W40 for the N54.

When the new M3 / M4 appeared in 2014 BMW approved 0W30, 5W30 and 0W40 LL-01 oils but more recently they moved to one oil, the BMW Genuine Twinpower Turbo Engine Oil Ll-01 Fe 0W30. IMO this move was to simplify the lives of BMW dealer service & parts depts and to assist with BMW's CAFE ratings, not to help the S55 engine live a longer life during spirited use!

My search is for a robust oil to use during warm months on the street and track with 5k OCIs. The 0W cold start spec is less important to me but I want an oil with a decent HTHS that won't shear out of grade and since the S55 is a direct injection Turbo engine I believe that a low Noack % would be desirable to reduce carbon deposits.

I assume none of the oils that meet my requirements will also be LL-01 Fe approved but I am fine rolling the dice with an LL-01 spec or even an oil that isn't BMW approved. Here are a few that caught my attention.

Motul 8100 X-Cess 5W40
Motul 300V 5W30 or 5W40
Mobil 1 0W40 aka the Porsche oil
Castrol Edge Titanium 5W40
Redline 5W30 or 5W40

Any recommendations would be appreciated.

 

[RooflessVW]

I'd run Mobil 1 FS 0W-40 or Mobil 1 FS X2 5W-50.

 

[dogememe]

Castrol Edge 0W-40? Better than the M1 0W-40...

 

[benjy]

Redline for sure + for trackdays a XXW50 or even XXW60 as ALL oils thin as they get hot but Ester oils resist heat the best. call Redline + talk to a real person-tech for recommendations + sleep well!

 

[BMWTurboDzl]

The S55 was originally filled with 0w40.

With all that power above stock you're going to have difficulty finding a oil which can protect both the bottom and top end IF you intend on use this fill for track days and daily driving.

It this were my car and I intend to track it (after all why run 500+ hp just to commute to/from work) I would run a race specific (5w-40/50) oil on track days and a LL01 0w30/40 around town.

May your crank hub remain un-spun and air-to-water intercooler leak free!


btw the LL01FE isn't really a FE oil other than having an HTHS of 3.0 which is right around the HTHS of regular M1 5w30

 

[1JZ_E46]

Track and street driving are very different on oil. Depending on how hard/hot you run at the track, I would consider changing the oil early after an event rather than waiting the full 5k.

I would run a 5W-40 LL-01 approved oil such as Motul or Pennzoil Euro. Not a fan of Castrol and Liqui-Moly's 5W-40 offerings.

Redline is a completely different oil (good, but will not satisfy warranty requirements).

 

[ringmaster]

Thanks for the flood of replies. I don't know how to multi-quote so I will do it the old fashion way.

Quote
Mobil 1 FS 0W-40


This would be easy for me since the oil is cheap and readily available. Does everyone agree this would be a good everyday S55 oil even if the car will never see track time? Better than a 5W40 option?


Quote
The S55 was originally filled with 0w40.

With all that power above stock you're going to have difficulty finding a oil which can protect both the bottom and top end IF you intend on use this fill for track days and daily driving.

It this were my car and I intend to track it (after all why run 500+ hp just to commute to/from work) I would run a race specific (5w-40/50) oil on track days and a LL01 0w30/40 around town.

May your crank hub remain un-spun and air-to-water intercooler leak free!


I assumed the early production S55 M3s and M4s came with 0W40. You nailed it - I want to protect the TOP and BOTTOM ends of the engine with the same oil.

It would be very inconvenient for me to change the oil between street and track use but I am willing to do short drain intervals and limit my track time to 20 minute sessions or 270F oil temp.

Thanks for the crank hub and IC jab

Quote
I would run a 5W-40 LL-01 approved oil such as Motul or Pennzoil Euro. Not a fan of Castrol and Liqui-Moly's 5W-40 offerings.

Redline is a completely different oil (good, but will not satisfy warranty requirements).


Your 5W-40 recommendation is along the lines of what I was thinking. Is 8100 X-cess an excellent choice or would 300V be better?

Out of curiosity why is Redline so different to the big brands? With the mods I've done to the car I would be very unlikely to have an engine issue covered under warranty regardless of the oil I chose

 

[RooflessVW]

Redline's marketing is certainly different from other brands, and their oils are very thick.

M1 0W-40 is currently the factory and service fill for every single gasoline Porsche sold - including the Cup cars.

 

[Serge]

No issues with running Redline 5w40 on my 600hp N54. Upgraded oil cooler with temps under 215 on street and under 240 on track with 40wt race oil.

 

[1JZ_E46]

Originally Posted by ringmaster

Your 5W-40 recommendation is along the lines of what I was thinking. Is 8100 X-cess an excellent choice or would 300V be better?

Out of curiosity why is Redline so different to the big brands? With the mods I've done to the car I would be very unlikely to have an engine issue covered under warranty regardless of the oil I chose

I would put Redline and Motul 300V in the same category. They are both race oils made from Group IV (PAO) and Group V (ester) base stocks (some call them "true" or "real" synthetics)... and you pay for them (those base stocks aren't cheap). They will handle heat better than a Group III oil (like the 5W-40s I mentioned), but again, they are not LL-01 approved, which is important in your situation. The 5W-40s I mentioned are still extremely robust.

 

[Virtus_Probi]

Originally Posted by rooflessVW
I'd run Mobil 1 FS 0W-40 or Mobil 1 FS X2 5W-50.

This is hardly my area of expertise, but isn't that 5W50 notorious for shearing?
I thought the M1 15W50 was the rock solid high output engine oil in that line...

 

[RooflessVW]

Originally Posted by Virtus_Probi
Originally Posted by rooflessVW
I'd run Mobil 1 FS 0W-40 or Mobil 1 FS X2 5W-50.

This is hardly my area of expertise, but isn't that 5W50 notorious for shearing?
I thought the M1 15W50 was the rock solid high output engine oil in that line...

M1 FS X2 5W-50 is A40 approved ensures Variocam function in cold weather. Should work fine with VANOS as well.

Yes it may shear to a lower viscosity, but the starting HTHS is 4.4 and it has a higher TBN than M1 15W-50.

 

[Virtus_Probi]

Originally Posted by rooflessVW

M1 FS X2 5W-50 is A40 approved ensures Variocam function in cold weather. Should work fine with VANOS as well.
Yes it may shear to a lower viscosity, but the starting HTHS is 4.4 and it has a higher TBN than M1 15W-50.

Good info, thanks.
There was a lot of 5W50 hate on here when I joined, doesn't mean that it was justified!

 

[edyvw]

Originally Posted by 1JZ_E46
Track and street driving are very different on oil. Depending on how hard/hot you run at the track, I would consider changing the oil early after an event rather than waiting the full 5k.

I would run a 5W-40 LL-01 approved oil such as Motul or Pennzoil Euro. Not a fan of Castrol and Liqui-Moly's 5W-40 offerings.

Redline is a completely different oil (good, but will not satisfy warranty requirements).

Motul X-Cess has same HTHS as Castrol 0W40.
I would run Castrol 0W40 in it.
If there is still that bug in stomach whether it is OK or not, Motul V300 5W40 during track, and then switch to Catsrol 0W40 during non-track days.

 

[ringmaster]

Assuming I go with 0W40 are any of the options PAO heavy?

Quote
Motul X-Cess has same HTHS as Castrol 0W40.
I would run Castrol 0W40 in it.


Castrol over M1 FS 0W40?

If the answer is yes to Castrol being better is this the correct version? Castrol EDGE with Fluid TITANIUM 0W-40 A3/B4

 

[1JZ_E46]

Originally Posted by ringmaster
Assuming I go with 0W40 are any of the options PAO heavy?

Quote
Motul X-Cess has same HTHS as Castrol 0W40.
I would run Castrol 0W40 in it.


Castrol over M1 FS 0W40?

If the answer is yes to Castrol being better is this the correct version? Castrol EDGE with Fluid TITANIUM 0W-40 A3/B4



Both Castrol and Motul 0W-40 have 25-50% PAO. The PAO in their is very thin (4 cSt) and only their to meet the 0W winter rating while not blowing out Noack and oxidation requirements at the same time. Same result is achieved with heavier Group 3 in 5+W winter rating oil.

The base oil in 0W-40 oils is extremely thin (thinner than a 0W-20) with lots of VII additives to thicken it up at 100C.

Having said that, it's still a proven solid oil on the street. I haven't seen how well it holds up to a comparable 5W-40 in a race environment, though.

 

[ringmaster]

Originally Posted by 1JZ_E46
Originally Posted by ringmaster
Assuming I go with 0W40 are any of the options PAO heavy?

Quote
Motul X-Cess has same HTHS as Castrol 0W40.
I would run Castrol 0W40 in it.


Castrol over M1 FS 0W40?

If the answer is yes to Castrol being better is this the correct version? Castrol EDGE with Fluid TITANIUM 0W-40 A3/B4



Both Castrol and Motul 0W-40 have 25-50% PAO. The PAO in their is very thin (4 cSt) and only their to meet the 0W winter rating while not blowing out Noack and oxidation requirements at the same time. Same result is achieved with heavier Group 3 in 5+W winter rating oil.

The base oil in 0W-40 oils is extremely thin (thinner than a 0W-20) with lots of VII additives to thicken it up at 100C.

Having said that, it's still a proven solid oil on the street. I haven't seen how well it holds up to a comparable 5W-40 in a race environment, though.



Some of the members here have too much knowledge and it is making my head hurt!

I am less concerned with BMW LL-01 warranty approval so should I just jump into a high quality 'heavy' 5W30 or a 5W40 and forget the 0W stuff?

Then I come back to the fact that M1 0W40 is used with so much success in powerful Porsche engines with great results. Granted the engineering and quality of those engines is excellent but if the oil had a major weakness surely it would show up in 9000rpm GT3s on the track!

 

[1JZ_E46]

I agree theirs too many numbers! I honestly don't think you can make a bad choice here. All LL-01 and/or race oils like Redline or 300V are top notch products.

Yes M1 0W-40 has race proven success. However, the formula is not what it used to be and no longer carries LL-01 approval.

I'd say if you're not going to use a race oil, than pick an oil that has LL-01 approval.

If you're picking a race oil that will work on and off track, my choice would be Redline 5W-30. Not overly thick or thin and with an insanely low Noack of 6%.

 

[RooflessVW]

Originally Posted by 1JZ_E46
Yes M1 0W-40 has race proven success. However, the formula is not what it used to be and no longer carries LL-01 approval.

I'd say if you're not going to use a race oil, than pick an oil that has LL-01 approval.

Mobil 1 FS 0W-40 is a race oil, whether or not it carries LL01. Could it be that Mobil dropped it because LL01 is not required in any new BMWs? I think so.

They reformulated it with a GTL base and didn't chase LL01.

I notice that no manufacturer in the US (outside Ravenol, I think) carries any of the myriad of new BMW certifications.

 

[1JZ_E46]

M1 0W-40 is not a race oil. It is an API / ACEA licensed oil with approvals and specifications to be used in on-road vehicles. It just so happens to also be used by certain race teams with M1 sponsorships.