How cold is too cold for Liqui-Moly 10W-60?

Joined
Oct 14, 2015
Messages
5
Location
TX, USA
With the impending arctic cold air coming, I am wondering how cold would be too cold to cold start my E39 M5 running Liqui-Moly 10W-60? I am contemplating switching to Mobil 1 0W-40 that I run in the non-M BMWs for the winter, but given that we'll be back to the 70s within a week, not sure the change is justified for such a short duration event.

Located in Sugar Land, TX (a suburb of Houston, TX) where the low is expected to be 16* Thursday night and not go above freezing again until Saturday afternoon.
 
I think you are over reacting.
Sorry, I should have prefaced this thread saying trolls need not apply.

I welcome empirical feedback, based on real-world testing/data. In previous winters I have experienced a very "rattly" cold-start at cold temps - I would like to isolated whether this is because of an oil viscosity issue or a more serious VANOS issue that may require mechanical rebuild. We have holiday plans and I would like to take the M5 assuming there is no harm to the engine running this oil.
 
According to oil viscosity chart 10W-60 have operating temperature range from -25 to +50 degrees Celsius, so your oil should be serviceable down to that. If owners manual dictates 10W-60 as a recommended oil viscosity all year around then you should definitely be good.
 
If you did it often, I'd recommend switching down to 0w50/5w50 or 0w40/5w40. But since it will be just for a week - I see no problem. I had semi-synthetic 15w40 in one engine on a 20F morning. Rattly for a few seconds, but did build up oil pressure quicker than I was expecting and quieted down. I'd imagine a high quality synthetic would do at least as good or better, being a 10W.
 
Sorry, I should have prefaced this thread saying trolls need not apply.

I welcome empirical feedback, based on real-world testing/data. In previous winters I have experienced a very "rattly" cold-start at cold temps - I would like to isolated whether this is because of an oil viscosity issue or a more serious VANOS issue that may require mechanical rebuild. We have holiday plans and I would like to take the M5 assuming there is no harm to the engine running this oil.

Read your manual for proper oil use for temperatures in case you never read it.. Doesn't list 10w-60? Then you are using the wrong oil. It's all common sense.
 
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Even if you were north of interstate 40 in the Texas panhandle with low temps forecast to be in the low single digits... A 10w would be just fine.

10w good down to -13 °F.

At 16 degrees Fahrenheit a 15w40 would be just fine. Even a 20w50 would be ok too.

Houston version of " cold" is nothing like Amarillo version of "cold". Amazing how cold it can get at Lubbock Texas heading northward like in the -10s below zero. Yet at the same exact time it be in the upper 60s for a low temperature to in Brownsville Texas. I have seen that happen in observations and forecast.

Similar phenomenon in California where it can be in the upper 50s and low 60s near the coast in the summer time for high temperature and yet it be in the 100s plus just 100 to 200 miles eastward inland from the coast.
 
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10Wx is ok down to -13f, you're good to go. With that said, why run such a thick oil? I bet a quality euro xW40 or HDEO would be just as good.
 
With the impending arctic cold air coming, I am wondering how cold would be too cold to cold start my E39 M5 running Liqui-Moly 10W-60? I am contemplating switching to Mobil 1 0W-40 that I run in the non-M BMWs for the winter, but given that we'll be back to the 70s within a week, not sure the change is justified for such a short duration event.

Located in Sugar Land, TX (a suburb of Houston, TX) where the low is expected to be 16* Thursday night and not go above freezing again until Saturday afternoon.
Houston his supposed to get down to 16F? Holy cow! I had vwb 20W50 in my 300ZX one winter when one morning it was -4. She started right up with no probs or noises.
 
In Texas you should be OK. Having said that, I'd probably use a 5W50 oil and not lose any sleep if it gets really cold.
 
With the impending arctic cold air coming, I am wondering how cold would be too cold to cold start my E39 M5 running Liqui-Moly 10W-60? I am contemplating switching to Mobil 1 0W-40 that I run in the non-M BMWs for the winter, but given that we'll be back to the 70s within a week, not sure the change is justified for such a short duration event.

Located in Sugar Land, TX (a suburb of Houston, TX) where the low is expected to be 16* Thursday night and not go above freezing again until Saturday afternoon.
This a pre or post 03/00 M5?

I ask because in the rest of the world, the post 03/00 cars spec'd LL-01, not TWS, so when I had mine, I just ran M1 0W-40 in it, including through a couple of Canadian winters.

That said, I knew another member of M5board that had a '99 and he ran TWS year round in his, didn't seem to cause any issues. He lived about 45 minutes from me.
 
With the impending arctic cold air coming, I am wondering how cold would be too cold to cold start my E39 M5 running Liqui-Moly 10W-60? I am contemplating switching to Mobil 1 0W-40 that I run in the non-M BMWs for the winter, but given that we'll be back to the 70s within a week, not sure the change is justified for such a short duration event.

Located in Sugar Land, TX (a suburb of Houston, TX) where the low is expected to be 16* Thursday night and not go above freezing again until Saturday afternoon.
I think you'll make it under the wire.

Pour point: -36 °C DIN ISO 3016
 
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