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

I guess 16F might seem like a crisis if you live in the Houston area, but 10W-x synthetic oil will flow just fine down to sub-zero temps. Back in the 1980s when I was a young man in Minnesota, I remember starting my car one morning when it was -42F (actual temp, not wind chill factor). In those days I was running non-synthetic 20W-50 oil. In hindsight, I should have used something like 10W-40 during the winter months, but that engine held up well for years after that very cold winter.
 
Sorry, I should have prefaced this thread saying trolls need not apply.
So you are new here and bashing long term member out of the gate? Not a good way to start.

My M roadster S50 BMW timing system gave out running a lighter oil in moderate temps.
The fact that your engine requires a 60 grade is telling.

As other have stated, just let it warm up for a couple mins and don't get even slightly aggressive until the coolant is over 70c.

You shouldn't have cold start racket until the temps get well below 0F.
 
Another option is to drain the oil, bring it inside, and pour back in before a cold start.
Press the EASY button.

You can also slide a 100W trouble light in a aluminum roasting pan under the oil pan. Bulb facing UP.
My wife put that in the oven to keep it around 100 degrees when culturing whole, un-pasteurised milk into yoghurt

edited @1047hrs for mystery typos
 
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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.
An oil, any oil, with a 10W winter rating is pumpable at 16F. The oil is acceptable for continued use.

You do not need an oil with a 0W winter rating until the temperature is below -35F or so. There is no downside of using the oil but it is not necessary either. There in Texas I'd be mostly concerned about using an oil with the proper BMW approval rather than the winter rating.
 
Or not inderstanding what the W rating means.
It actually means nothing to most** owner/operators as they never get near to test the gell point.

O.P. is probably expressing concern at the honey goo that 60 grade oil will become at 10 degrees below freezing, calculated to be around 1100 cSt. (no typo One-Thousand-One Hundred centiStokes)

A Mobil 1 10W30 ACEA A3 Synthetic (63/10kv) does calculate the same 1100 cSt at -20F (-7C)

So changing to a lighter lube would be essentially pointless.
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** 'Cept us northerners above 39°N, Eh?
 
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Worked for the Germans and Russians to keep tanks rolling and airplanes flying when it was -40F and C at Stalingrad. Funny about -40.
Coldest I've personally experienced is -45C (-49F). I had to climb out the window just to be able to clear the snow that was blocking our front door from opening. Anyways, I remember doing that oil trick with dad on our VAZ 2101. Worked well.
5e9dd07e15e9f91e1b386a2a.jpg


Also remember heating up the oil pan with a similar torch, on days when we didn't want to drain the oil.
Screenshot (41).jpg
 
Worked for the Germans and Russians to keep tanks rolling and airplanes flying when it was -40F and C at Stalingrad. Funny about -40.

Veterans told a different tale. Heating the oil pan (and the entire engine) throughout the whole night.

A bit different, don't you think? Reread the numbers I provided before. Heating the oil only is complete BS.
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A Mobil 1 10W30 ACEA A3 Synthetic (63/10kv) does calculate the same 1100 cSt at -20F (-7C)
That should read 1100cSt at 20F (-7C) Not minus 20F
also the ACEA spec is ACEA A5/B5-16 not A3 which was a the older formulation where I do not have that datasheet anymore.

sorry for typo.
 
I have 15w40 in the sump of the Crown Vic and it’s going to be -3 for the low Thursday in STL, I’m not the least bit concerned
 
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Sure, your car will start, but you will ultimately cause more wear than if you ran a thinner oil.

At operating temperatures the viscosity differences between different oils are minimal. This is why manufacturers can backspec 5W20 or 0W20 to old cars. At startup however they are massive.


viscosity.jpg
 
Sure, your car will start, but you will ultimately cause more wear than if you ran a thinner oil.

At operating temperatures the viscosity differences between different oils are minimal. This is why manufacturers can backspec 5W20 or 0W20 to old cars. At startup however they are massive.


View attachment 131764
It is about HTHS not KV100 in this engine. And NO, 5W20 won't work or anything other than SOME 5W50.
 
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