BMW N52 - highly stressed engine- oil recommendation

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Originally Posted By: Avery4
Rated for UP TO 15,000 miles in severe service with an Amsoil filter
note correction. How heavy is the trailer?
 
You should try TGMO. We all know that manufacturers offer plenty of safety margin. It will free up some horse power that your car obviously needs, you can redline the engine right after the cold start, it never, ever shears down and you will say tons of money in fuel...
 
Trailer is 3500lbs. It's not so much the weight as the aerodynamics at highway speeds. Its a parachute behind the car.

I think perhaps I need to rephrase my question as there will be as many opinions as posters.

Can I improve on the GC 0W-30 that I have been using in the BMW for the last 6 yrs. given that the vehicle will enter "sever-duty", for 10-12hrs at a time, with a good chunk of that time being spent at full throttle?

Thank you all again
 
Originally Posted By: Paul
Trailer is 3500lbs. It's not so much the weight as the aerodynamics at highway speeds. Its a parachute behind the car.

I think perhaps I need to rephrase my question as there will be as many opinions as posters.

Can I improve on the GC 0W-30 that I have been using in the BMW for the last 6 yrs. given that the vehicle will enter "sever-duty", for 10-12hrs at a time, with a good chunk of that time being spent at full throttle?

Thank you all again


No. You'll be fine. You are putting less load on your engine than somebody going WOT down the Autobahn at 7,000RPM for which the Euro oils hold up just fine.
 
Originally Posted By: Paul
Trailer is 3500lbs. It's not so much the weight as the aerodynamics at highway speeds. Its a parachute behind the car.

I think perhaps I need to rephrase my question as there will be as many opinions as posters.

Can I improve on the GC 0W-30 that I have been using in the BMW for the last 6 yrs. given that the vehicle will enter "sever-duty", for 10-12hrs at a time, with a good chunk of that time being spent at full throttle?

Thank you all again

I wouldn't run it at full throttle for too long, you will cook something under the hood. WO at 140mph in provides a lot of cooling to a lot of things compared to WO at 50mph, with the AC on going up some grade in Arizona with 130F road temperature... Cars aren't tractors, and even my 40hp toy tractor still has a rad much bigger than my cars.
3-4-5k rpm at 1/2 - 2/3 throttle sustained is still working your car pretty good. Much higher rpm you can probably cook your oil, and at some lower rpm and could you lose the hydrodynamic wedge, and trash some bearings...
 
Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
Originally Posted By: Paul
Trailer is 3500lbs. It's not so much the weight as the aerodynamics at highway speeds. Its a parachute behind the car.

I think perhaps I need to rephrase my question as there will be as many opinions as posters.

Can I improve on the GC 0W-30 that I have been using in the BMW for the last 6 yrs. given that the vehicle will enter "sever-duty", for 10-12hrs at a time, with a good chunk of that time being spent at full throttle?

Thank you all again


No. You'll be fine. You are putting less load on your engine than somebody going WOT down the Autobahn at 7,000RPM for which the Euro oils hold up just fine.


Owning an e90, and having to have a flat bed bring it home this January due to water pump failure, I'd make sure the cooling system is in top nick, more than concerning yourself with oil.
 
Originally Posted By: IndyIan
Originally Posted By: Paul
Trailer is 3500lbs. It's not so much the weight as the aerodynamics at highway speeds. Its a parachute behind the car.

I think perhaps I need to rephrase my question as there will be as many opinions as posters.

Can I improve on the GC 0W-30 that I have been using in the BMW for the last 6 yrs. given that the vehicle will enter "sever-duty", for 10-12hrs at a time, with a good chunk of that time being spent at full throttle?

Thank you all again

I wouldn't run it at full throttle for too long, you will cook something under the hood. WO at 140mph in provides a lot of cooling to a lot of things compared to WO at 50mph, with the AC on going up some grade in Arizona with 130F road temperature... Cars aren't tractors, and even my 40hp toy tractor still has a rad much bigger than my cars.
3-4-5k rpm at 1/2 - 2/3 throttle sustained is still working your car pretty good. Much higher rpm you can probably cook your oil, and at some lower rpm and could you lose the hydrodynamic wedge, and trash some bearings...


LOL! Reminds me of our family trips/moving back in the day with our Olds station wagon. Car packed to the gills pulling a tandem U-haul through the mountains outside of Fredericton in the summer heat. Pedal to the floor the whole way was a necessity. Never seemed to hurt anything
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My concern, based on posts here, would be the relative health of the cooling system. If that's fine, I imagine the car would be fine assuming it is rated to tow what is being discussed. These cars in Europe get treated this way all the time.
 
Originally Posted By: OVERKILL


No. You'll be fine. You are putting less load on your engine than somebody going WOT down the Autobahn at 7,000RPM for which the Euro oils hold up just fine.


I would agree. GC is optimal in your beamer.
 
Overkill nailed it. Check cooling system thoroughly.

A good friend of our family just had their BMW take a dump in Hotlanta and it cost them a mint to get it going to get home!

Out of town repairs can be a bear...
 
Like Overkill stated, check cooling system.
After that, I would go with following oils:
1. Castrol 0W40. I found it better for cold weather then M1.
OR
2. M1 0W40

It would be trolling trying to say which one of these oils is better. I found Castrol 0W40 bit smoother, especially after several thousands miles. Also, Find Castrol better in cold.
BUT, and this is BIG BUT, it is splitting hairs.
Both oils are BMW LL-01, unlike Rotella T-6. They have much lower NOACK, and are designed for engines like yours.
Whatever you decide, plan where you will do OCI during the trip. Most Wal marts carry both oils, but I just came back from Duluth, MN, and could not see Castrol 0W40 in local Wal Mart, M1 was on the shelfs.
 
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Originally Posted By: ExMachina
Use any LL-01 and MB 229.5 and Porsche A40 engine oil out there you find. M1 0w-40 or Castrol of that flavor is the best you can do.

Its used in IndyCars to race, as well as other race applications too.

Then don't skimp on oil filters. Get a Fram Ultra at wallYmart for extra filtration.


Do you actually believe off the shelf M1 0w-40 is used in IndyCar? I suggest you read through the Mobil 1 website. I'' be sure to follow your recommendation for filters!
 
Originally Posted By: Doug Hillary
Hi,
SonicMustang - M1 0W-40 is used by many teams in the Nurburgring 24hr races for instance


I use M1 0w-40, too. Neither I nor any of the entrants at the Nurburgring 24 run IndyCar spec Dallara chassis with Chevy or Honda IndyCar spec engines.
 
Originally Posted By: SonicMustang
I use M1 0w-40, too. Neither I nor any of the entrants at the Nurburgring 24 run IndyCar spec Dallara chassis with Chevy or Honda IndyCar spec engines.

This post is a bit dated, but very interesting. However, I'd be fairly certain that Penske would use a SOPUS product.
 
Hi,
SonicMustang - This thread is about a BMW N52 not about IndyCar spec engines

The last time I was at the Nurburgring 24hr there were many BMW's competing - I was with the BMW and Csstrol personnel - we know that certain Teams were using off-the-shelf M1 0W-40! After 24hrs they were still using it.................!!

Not an Indy car in sight...................
 
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In addition to oil I'd be thinking about brakes. Not only what your car can pull/stop but what it's rated to pull/stop.

I have a 528i which (as I recall) is rated for 3500# in Europe. But I don't think it would be rated for that much in NA. I'd be concerned about liability issues where someone claimed your car was not rated to pull the trailer you were pulling and that was or might have been a factor in an accident (maybe a rear ending).

I wouldn't stray very far from BMW LL-01 rated oils and think GC 0W-30 or Mobil 1 0W-40 would be good choices. BMW engineers know a thing or two about the oils their engines require. And I agree that OEM filters would be hard to beat.

Finally I suspect you're going to have overheating problems. BMW's cooling systems don't seem to be the greatest and with low speeds on grades and such you're not going to have as much airflow as you would at higher speeds.

If you do go ahead, let us know how it turns out. It should be quite an adventure.
 
Originally Posted By: Doug Hillary
Hi,
SonicMustang - This thread is about a BMW N52 not about IndyCar spec engines

The last time I was at the Nurburgring 24hr there were many BMW's competing - I was with the BMW and Csstrol personnel - we know that certain Teams were using off-the-shelf M1 0W-40! After 24hrs they were still using it.................!!

Not an Indy car in sight...................


Precisely. I corrected a claim that IndyCars use off the shelf M1 0w-40. My post was a direct response to that post. I especially liked the qualifier "used in IndyCars to race". As opposed to used in IndyCars to commute to work?
 
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