Castrol Syntec to PP, feels heavier now?

[FM2n]

My brother has a 2001 BMW 330is with 47k miles. Recently I talked him into doing his own oil change to save a ton of money from the stealership. On our first change we used as recommended Syntec 5-30 and I received no complaints for him. With PP being so cheap after the rebates, we decided to give PP a try. Now he complains that it feels heavier and that he has to lay down more foot for it to go. I understand that PP is thicker than Syntec? Either way, I had told him that there are other things he should be more concerned about such as maintaining the car by changing out the transmission fluid, replacing the PCV tube, air filter, or even spark plug. Something which he has neglected since it was purchased new.

Out of curiosity, for an E46 engine, is it possible to run dino or syn blend? Or is Full-Synthetic pretty much the best bet for these engines?

Andy

 

[vronline]

BMW recommends a full synthetic with very specific specs. Neither of the oils you have used in the car actually meet the specs, but unless you're running the car hard or doing extended (15K) drains, either should be fine. You can find this information in the owner's manual.

 

[Quattro Pete]

I am currently running PP 10w30 as part of my AutoRx rinse phase, and I also feel like the engine is more sluggish than with previous oil (M1 5w30). This is probably all in my head though, as I don't really believe the difference could be so significant that you would feel it.

 

[FM2n]

Unless BMW is playing tricks on their customer; the oil cap says "Castrol Synthetic 5-30" (Syntec). How is that not meeting the spec?

 

[Fester]

On my Tundra I used M1 5-30 to replace the dino oil, right away I noticed faster reving, just changed it and the used oil felt so slick but dark that I felt bad changing at 3.5k oci, I just did GC 0-30 hope its just as good and wont turn dark.

 

[Syntec-Man]

Use GC 0w30 its really good stuff

 

[unDummy]

GC is also thick!

Any synthetic, in the required weight, should work well with normal OCIs. Sometimes, the psychological feel is greater then the actual feel.

http://pennzoil-quakerstate.com/Tech/Pds...ticMotorOil.PDF

http://www.castrol.com/liveassets/bp_internet/castrol/castrol_usa/STAGING/local_assets/downloads/p,q/pds_syntec_usa.pdf

Use should try the PP 10w30 or go back to the 5w30 Syntec.

Or, if using PP 5w30 or GC 0w30, thin it out with a bottle of 5w20! Have him use 5w20 as the top off oil since most BMWs consume a little oil in between OCIs.

 

[Triple_Se7en]

I think that your brother's vehicle feeling sluggish is only his imagination (or) the vehicle tune-up parts became slightly faulty at the same time as the oil change (or0 he shouldn't go back to the last gas station he visited. Most here that use Platinum report a smoother running engine.

 

[Z_ombie]

You should go through it and replace the fluids. I'd replace the rear axle lube and the transmission lube with good synthetics. Than give it a good tune up, spark plugs,wires, fuel filter, air filter ect. If nothing else, it will all give him peace of mind. Some people report GC making a vehicle sluggish, which may have some truth, based on it being thicker than most 30 weights. But stick with a good 5w30 with reasonable OCI's and theres no reason that BMW can't last forever.

 

[mechtech2]

Any chance your brother overfilled the crankcase?

 

[Patman]

The difference between PP 5w30 and Syntec 5w30 is so minor that I doubt it would cause a horsepower difference. PP is 10.3 cst at 100c, Syntec is 9.7 cst at 100c. So whatever difference in power he's feeling, it's not from the oil.

 

[defeated]

I'm so glad to read this thread because it indicates that (maybe?) I'm not crazy. I had the oil in my Monte Carlo changed Friday to PP, and I noticed the same thing. It's definitely idling a hair faster, the vacuum gauge is reading higher, boost seems to be kicking sooner that it usually does (supercharged GM 3800 motor). OTOH, it's turning over faster and the motor seems to be running a little quieter and smoother. I had high hopes that I'd found a replacement for my old standby Mobile 1. I may have to eat this oil change and try Syntec.