Originally Posted By: nleksan
When there exists a "regular" oil that can do what Redline (and some Royal Purple mostly HPS/XPR) has done for the cars in my sig, from the nearly stock to the completely built and blown track cars, I would absolutely consider it.
I would never run a Dino oil on the track, and the people who I know that do so end up going through much more expense than I do even with RL being as pricey as it is. The way I see it, I am running a motor at close to 11:1CR, vastly more aggressive valve timing and duration, blueprinted to the tightest edge of the allowable fitment, and being fed 11-14psi (93AKI) to 21.5psi (106aki) from a custom made to spec Lysholm twin screw positive displacement blower. Oh, and instead of the stock 6500rpm redline/cutoff, it's currently tuned for 8400rpm with cutoff at 8600.
After 20k miles of mixed use, including 153hr of track time, we tore it down for inspection and to check tolerances (and replace or modify any parts that showed problematic; the motor is One of a kind, so a lot of fab work means that it was somewhat an experiment). The same three people, one of them myself, that built the motor, tore it down.
There was not a single micron of sludge anywhere, and what appeared at first to be varnish was actually a layer of oil (reciprocating parts were treated with MCS, a strengthening and friction reducing technique; combustion parts were coated by Swain Tech, in fact everything that they advertise service for was sent to them).
The first incredible thing was that the camshaft lobes had no markings on them, absolutely zero measurable wear despite the longer contact period and significantly stiffer valve Springs (and Ti retainers). My friend and BMW Master Mechanic, retired, who has his own indy shop and is very much one of the OEM or NO-EM (?) when it comes to the cars, and their oil (although he is adamantly opposed to anything more than 7.5k-10k OCI, or more than 30-40K for automatic transmission and differential (40k for manual, and 25-30k for M locking LSD's), says he's never seen cams come out of a car looking exactly like when they went in before, even with sub-10k mile stock cars driven only on the street. He now stocks Redline and has a pic of my post-20k cams next to cams out of a 19k mile 330Ci, and as he takes care of cars that are almost all out of warranty, many of which are models that are old enough that a dealer would have no idea what to do with them (E30's, E34's, E28's, E21's, E31's, E24's, E12's, etc), he gives every customer the choice of what to use and he doesn't charge a penny extra for Redline. Last we talked about it, over half of his customers have switched to RL (including transmission and diff) and 5k OCI's, and in the time since, he said that he has seen a 40 percent decrease in major engine repairs needed, and previously caked up valvetrains now look astonishingly good, with just varnish and no more sludge.
I find that, especially bought in bulk, ultra-premium TRUE synthetics, at least RL and RP, are less expensive than "regular" syn. I have 25gal each of RL 0w40, 10w40, and 15w50, as well as 20gal containers of RP HPS 5w30, 5w40, and XPR 10w40. I bought a bulk supply of filters, just got my AFE filters for the E46's actually, and paid less than half of what I would pay for a "good deal" locally.
I have invested far more than I care to think about into the car, and the cost of the superior oil, which has proven to me to not only provide better protection than anything I have ever seen but also have resulted in oil temperature and pressure not just extremely consistent but the temperature never exceeded limits even after over a non stop 3hr track event. In the same event, my friend's 330Ci ZHP with the full shebang of "bolt-on" power mods (I/H/E, pulleys, LW FW+Clutch, 3.46:1 Quaife LSD, cat delete, "stage 2 N/A" cams, ATI lightweight damper, and many hours of dyno tuning; 255rwhp and 237rwtq, 7100rpm Redline, and between a 4-wheel big brake kit from AP racing w 4P/4P monoblock calipers + 355/348mm 2pc floating slotted calipers, and ultralight track wheels from RAYS 18x9f 18x9.5r weighing 17.2lb front and 17.9lb rear, shod in Pilot Sport Cup 2's 245f 265r which are generally 12-15 percent lighter than competing tires, he'sdropped 57lbs of uunsprung weight while increasing the amount of rubber on the road by 40mm width up front and even more out back), despite the fact that he's not running FI, has the same Zionsville radiator + Stewart pump + Samco Sport 7ply Silicone radiator hoses + Motor sports thermostat as me, custom heatshielding and use of radiant heat insulators throughout the drivetrain (similar but less extensive than my setup), Headers coated by SwainTech and Sec1+2 of exhaust coated by the other big thermal coating company, has a VAC oil pan baffling setup w dual pumps (I have been trying to convince him to convert to a dry sump + Accusump setup) which also has increased oil capacity from 6.3qt to 8qt, and a SPAL electronic radiator fan similar to mine (16" slim, his is curved for the lower noise, but still pushes well over 3000cfm).... Despite all that, he was running between 14 and 22 degrees higher than me for hour 1, and after 1hr48min, he had to stop as both oil and and coolant temps were beyond limits.
Oh yeah, he has a BIGGER custom oil cooler than I do, although I have a dry sump and total capacity >5qt than his...
He was running Mobil One 0W40 (he had a lot of issues with AMSOIL, and switched), with a BMW Motorsports filter system, while I was running RL 0w40 with a K&N Race filter (Motorsports relocation kit).
Since then, he's run the same as me, RL/RP, and he actually removed the oil cooler for a bit and as never had a repeat of the overheating. I am actually helping him (as in, we started two weeks ago) with a full motor build including slightly bored cylinders (3.15L total displacement), similar lightened and strengthened reciprocating parts to myself, and we're going nuts on the head with the goal being to completely remove it from the list of bottlenecks (Super Tech INOX valves, Springs, Ti Retainers, 6-angle valve job, port matching and boring for optimal flow, extrude hone the I-E ports, MCS treatment for the valves/springs/cams/followers/etc, VAC Rocker assemblies, and custom spec camshafts around 302/296 w slightly more lift thanks to the Mahle pistons having extra clearance for high compression engines). Looking at 11.4:1 CR, 1.1kg reduction in reciprocating rate, 25-40 percent reduction in friction, and estimated 280rwhp/270rwtq prior to dyno tuning, after which 290-295rwhp is possible, and the torque peak likely won't increase much but the power under the curve should increase immensely, anywhere from 25 to 60lb-ft.
All that started because he was stumped at the temperature issue, and knowing that I didn't have the same problem despite the immensely greater stresses on the motor, decides to give in and convert to a dry sump + Accusump setup.
Before we could install it, we had another event, this track being shorter and much twistier.
I stopped by to help him prep, and asked if he had fresh fluids. He said that he hasn't changed the oil since the prior event, and so I hopped back in my car to go home and grab some RL 5w50, KN Race Filter, RL D4 ATF + MT90, and RL 75w140 Limited Slip gear oil. I also grabbed a couple jugs of Distilled water, two of RL Water Wetter, and some RL oil additive (basically ZDDP in an Ester solution; normal dose doubles the ZDDP in my RL 0w40 UOA, and makes any regular oil much more protective).
We did all the fluids, drained the coolant and replaced with pure Distilled water and 1.5 bottles of WW, and also drained and replaced brake fluid w some Motul RBF600 (I keep reserves of that, the 660, and Castrol SRF). The ATE Super Blue just doesn't cut it, IME, and is not an upgrade over stock and I surely would never run it on anything but aa daily driver as its boiled on me numerous times, and loses its temp abilities fast. True, w RBF600 or 660 you do need to bleed the brakes after every event, but you should do that anyway because of pad wear.
Anyway, so with a fresh makeover courtesy of Redline, Motul, etc, and his oil cooler hooked up, we each threw a few 5gal containers of higher octane Dino juice into the trunks (104 for me, 100 for him) alongside our race wheels and rubber, and headed to the track.
It was a smaller than usual crowd, which meant that we were able to run a lot harder than the usual non competitive event.
Following the first session, he was giddy with excitement about the tangible difference in feel from his brakes ("you just saved me $3400, because the fluid change made so much difference that I don't feel the need to upgrade to 6P 380mm fronts anymore! ", "the flywheel noise is about 90 percent gone, and the transmission has a completely consistent feel whether on the first or tenth lap", and "the differential is more progressive in lockup, quieter, and all around improved").
Then, we went out for some endurance temp testing. We were limited to 2hrs, but in that time, his coolant temp remained constant and with 30+ degrees headroom, and more importantly his oil temps not only remained constant, but the constant temp was 18F lower than previous, and the highest it reached was still far below "bad" (measured by a trio of dual function digital LCD (a readout in center and a digital arm guage around the perimeter; these are absolute top of the line gauges and sensors, with polling rates between 5 and 50 times a second and calibrated to +/- 0.1F or +/- 0.01 AFR).
The only difference was the Redline oil, but in the many track days and miles since, most of which are post motor build (288rwhp and 269rwtq, which is incredibly good, with 212rwtq @ just 2600rpm and the power increases linearly to the new redline of 7800rpm).
He's moved up to running R-comps, having had my buddy who did my custom widebody fenders do his, fitting 19x9.5et31 and 19x10.5et22 Street and 18x10et28 and 18x11et22 track (latter wrapped in 265f and 295r tires). The immense grip coupled with a suspension very similar to mine (he had me "help" ddesign it; TCK Race DA coil overs w 600lb front/550lb rear linear Springs that I sold him and were previously on my car before I switched to KW Clubsport, those are now on another of my cars w JRZ 3-way adjustable w 580lb linear being current; Hotchkis sways, AKG/PowerFlex Black/TMS Race/UUC/RE suspension bushings and drivetrain mounts, TMS reinforcement kit, Mason Engineering front and rear strut bars w the rear chassis brace, M-Sport front control arms, TMS adj rear camber arms, Vorschlag Stg2 camber plates, and custom bracing such as a front X-brace and transmission brace reinforcements), well, it requires a significant amount of work.
The dry sump conversion complete, we had to add a dual fuel pump setup (2x255lph Walbro), custom fuel cell made to fit in the spare tire area to double capacity over a regular one, entire fuel lines replaced with braided SS lines (I sleeved them w TechFlex Kevlar Aramid sleeving overtop TechFlex Ultra High Temp sleeving, which blocks 92 percent of heat and is fireproof up to 3500F), injectors were upgraded w Bosch Gen3 36lb units and VAC provided a custom fuel rail, and we got a catch can that uses 4 separate chambers and SS Mesh to separate from the oil and air, while a thin cotton filter sits just before the exit, and the system is expensive (I thought it was insane, but after seeing the results, I have one on the 328Ci AND M3), we have yet to find a single bit of blowback in the intake manifold and when installing the new BBTB the old one was spotless (cleaned about 8k prior).
The E46 M3 and E39 M5 are the only cars where I am hesitant to switch to another oil permanently, considering the fact that TWS 10W60 was designed around the S54 (the M5 is different, but it is a 20k dollar motor and while I have no problem with adding the dual carbon fiber tube Dinan CAI system w heatshielding, Supersprint V1 equal length tubular headers w ST coating, Akrapovic titanium Sec2 and muffler, SS Catless Sec1, custom intake manifold that brought cylinder airflow variations from 13pct to 2pct and increased by 28pct, APR intake scoops, custom big bore TB, dyno tune, an absolutely beautiful StopTech Trophy ultralight and ultrastiff big brake kit w monoblock 25pct lighter calipers 6P 380mm front + 4p 358mm rear, BBS LM 19x9.5f & 19x11r that sit flush thanks to the KW Clubsport coils, HID Fogs, etc).
I am eager to really test RL in the M3, but it is currently in pieces to have the motor built up as the crankshaft journal bearings eventually fail. The crank, while being blueprinted, lightened, and knife edges, is having the bearing surfaces widened to 50mm and MCS treated. The head is going through custom work, due to the VANOS issues being addressed, and my figuring that I would rather have the motor pulled once than multiple times (the entire car is being refreshed, in the meantime, including seam welding, some body work, removing the entire interior to seam weld and install the CF roof and roll +harness bar mounts and reinforcements but also to let me keep any unnecessary part out and wherever possible have a heavy piece custom made in carbon as its still a street car, the transmission is being blueprinted and all new gears w custom ratios installed following strength and friction treatment (all gears, when shifted at Redline, will drop into the meatiest part of the curve and 6th gear will be useable in that it will be more than just economy gear andinstead will be both O/D and a top speed increaser), OS Giken 3.91 LSD rreplacing the stock one after inspecting it (lockup was reduced and engagement became unpredictable, and my 328Ci OSG unit is like new after nearly 35k miles, and switching from medium and low durometer street bushings and mounts to either "race" semi-solid or full solid units to best match the Ohlins remote reservoir monotube coil overs (4-way adj, height adjustable, and with linear springs).
While it's a winter project, everything has been apart for little while now, and despite some oil buildup near the VANOS, the TWS 20w60 changed every 7.5k at most, left a thick layer of varnish. The only area that I think will really be greatly better from the RL aside from the crank/bearings is the valvetrain, due to scoring on the cam lobes that indicates it occurred while VANOS was not kicked in, so I believe that TWS didn't have enough film strength to keep the surface lubricated well at startup and while waiting for the engine oil temp to stabilize.
With the tighter tolerances, increased compression ratio (+0.4pt), increased valve timing and lift, new cams, lightened reciprocating parts to reduce bearing wear (148grams per rod and almost as much per piston, minus 31.8pct of crankshaft weight), reduced friction on every surface in the engine (from 20pct via MCS to over 50pct via SwainTech), reduced accessories draw (VAC Superlight underdrive pulleys in PS/AC/Alternator/water pump all 25pct lighter and underdriven between 17 and 28 percent, and ATI crank dampener pulley which is worth about 4hp), reduced parasitic drag (9lb flywheel and 12.8lb dual mass clutch, giving back between 17 and 26bhp, and a custom made carbon fiber driveshaft weighing just 4.4lb vs well over 50lbs stock), and the losses in unsprung and spinning weight (PFC 4-wheel BBK w 6piston front monoblock calipers and 4piston monoblock rears + 371mm 2pc front and 252mm 2pc rear floating rotors, and Kinesis forged racing line wheels 19x9.5f & 19x10.5r @ 18.3lb/19.8lb dropping 11lb/corner and another 2.5-3.5lb/corner from brakes for a total of 55lb unsprung loss, closer to 78lbs when factoring the suspension parts in, but having not weighed all of them I am being very conservative, likely closer to 90-100lbs total). The sprung weight loss, and the center of gravity lowering significantly from the standard roof w sunroof exchanged for the CSL carbon fiber roof (over 75lbs to just 9lbs) and the solid engine and transmission mounts actually lowering the pair by 5mm and back by 8mm, with the total weight loss (from the myriad Vorsteiner dual side dry CF body panels to the carbon-Kevlar frame custim-upholstered Recaros, removal of some sound insulation and replacement of the rest with this new stuff that is equivalent to Dynamat in reducing noise but is just 1.2mm thick and so while twice as effective as the factory stuff it weighs less than half, stock heat shields replaced such as the transmission tunnel now being lined with gold foil and w the headers and much of the engine treated by SwainTech, and a lightweight Lithium battery which is 3.6lb vs 58lb stock and it's relocated to the front half of the car, so removal of the battery cabling alone was worth 8.5lb,amongst many other things) bringing the car, "loaded", from 3502lb to 3098lb! And it still has AC, and not only the full audio system but it too is upgraded, w a Pioneer '14 model 7" HD touchscreen double DIN headunit, Focal Utopia kit7 component speakers, McIntosh Labs amps, and a Pioneer 10" ultra slim sub replacing the factory HK system, all 12 speakers/1 amp/1 sub of it (stuff just got here a couple days ago, and despite going from 1 to 2 amps, these McIntosh amps are extremely light, maybe 6lb).
All of the above actually has an effect, because the stronger an engine has to work, the higher it has to spin, all have a very big effect on the ability of an oil to both lubricate and protect. That's why everyone I know who has a tow vehicle for their track cars (I will be using my friends '13 Ram w Hemi for the next season, and then buying most likely some kind of Ford, hoping to see an Eco-Boost V8, say a 5L w the TT which should be good for 485bhp and 575-625lb-ft, as my father was an executive w Ford until 2005, and I get whatever the name of the "super duper, pay-less-than-the-dealer, get-a-30k-car-for-17k" plan is). Or maybe I will stay true to my cars and get a nice X5 4.8is to tow with lol. Probably the truck, though, as I will be spending enough buying a Z4M Coupe and then prepping it for Unlimited Class, because as much as I love my M3/328, The MZ4 is more aerodynamic, has a wider track relative to wheelbase especially since with allowable body widening, has the exact same S54 so build costs will be lower than using a different motor, is designed as a front-mid engine layout which means that weight bias F/R is more easily changed favorably and R/L is inherently better than a Horizontal I4 or Horizontally or Longitudinally mounted V6, V8, V10, or V12, shape combined with the suspension and exhaust components being tucked up higher allowing for the front splutter to be a part of a 1 or 2 piece whole body undertray ending in a 3, 4, or 5 slot diffuser to dramatically reduce any lift while improving down force, rear window angle means that a modified "CSL" type integrated spoiler can be extremely effective, widened kidney grills plus the front bumper vents (R/L are brake ducting and engine air intake) provide a lot of cooling and properly done hood vents increase the removal of this air while having a positive down force effect, stiffness of the chassis means relatively little bracing (mostly top and bottom strut ties, tubular steel fender braces, 6-point cage and harness bar, triangular frame-mount door bars due to carbon doors, front V-brace from the center support bar to the end of each side of the frame, X-brace along firewall, Strut tower to rear subframe and differential multi-X bracing to eliminate suspension deflection, etc), ability to lighten further the already very light weight suspension with no negative impact on longevity, drivetrain components from E46 M bolt up without much or any fab meaning that I can get a part from a wrecker anywhere (already have sourced 3 spare S54's a day transmissions w less than 50k miles, 6 diffs, and countless other bits), it also means that instead of having to change the gears inside of the transmission I can simply swap out the entire unit by having a few different ones all geared differently and the differential will mean going from the main unit which is an ultra premium 28-plate clutch type LSD w custom locking and custom ratio, back to an M viscous diff (which, if after the first season in the car I feel would be beneficial, I will have them all upgraded to 3-plate units w polished gears and pinion, and that should at least make them trackable even if they'll be nowhere as competent as the OS Giken)...
And everything I learn from the S54 I'm currently in the middle of building will make me that much more competent at building one into a powerful, and reliable, race motor. That's assuming my current engine work comes out as well as it did on my 328Ci's M52B28tu.
Anyway, the point of that is that my friends who are have been campaigning a car the last season(s), have ALL been using Redline Race Oil (40W or 50W), and the cars range from a 2011 M3 Coupe, to a C6 Z06 (making 658rwhp/612rwtq untamed), a 911 GT3 RS (997.2), 911 GT3 CUP, a Porsche Cayman R, a Mini Cooper S JCW, Toyota 86 (actual Japanese model), Skyline GT-R R34, S2000 AP2, Lotus Exige S 260, and a Viper ACR. Of these, all but 3 run Redline oil, transmission, and gear oil, and run H2O plus WW, and every single one has said glowing things (6 owners total, 2 own a single car and drive it, the rest drive one and have another driver or two for the others), in fact I have heard from two that they have not had to do a single in-season engine rebuild since switching, that the gearboxes are lasting multiple seasons, that the differentials are only being rebuilt half as often and despite 2x as many hours are less worn than prior, and so forth. For the two who, like me, are campaigning their own car and paying mostly out of pocket, we're talking about saving thousands, tens of thousands, that can go into making the car better and ourselves better, so that we attract sponsors and no longer need to pay for nearly as much out of pocket. I have sponsors on builds, but giving me a set or three of their ultra premium forged Superlight wheels and asking for me to just name them specifically in a build log and display a sticker at shows, or (like w my buddy, the master mechanic) offer unlimited labor and use of facilities in exchange for advertising (he always way undercharged me anyway, so it was my idea for him to be listed as a sponsor in exchange for his expertise, same w my friend who has a body shop), or a pair of racing seats, or a set of dry carbon fiber body pieces. It's a one time thing, or its a no out of pocket cost, in exchange for advertising locally where I am asked to represent them and their product.... It's a lot different than having such a thick wallet backing you that you don't even worry about how many hours you get from a motor before it needs rebuilt, you stop counting how many sets of Extremely Top of the Line R-Compound tires you go through, you don't have to run an R-Compound starting with full tread to get extra lap time but rather you have it shaved because the few hundred miles where it's stickiest are all that matters, where you don't think twice about hitting a "curb" and bending a wheel that costs $2500 (per wheel) because you will have a brand new set the next day, and so forth.
For those of us who don't have that kind of backing, who pay for everything or nearly everything out of pocket, I know first hand that the quality of lubricants is worth far, far, far more than the extra $20 a change. It's worth at Best the chance to get some financial backing, or at worst you still have a motor that runs longer between builds, meaning that money goes to further your chance at becoming great.
Would I become horrible and never win and blow up engines in a single race and develop the worst Ever body odor and never be loved if I suddenly switched to conventional?
Not likely.
Would it cost me a lot more money in the long term, taking the money away from the "improvement" fund, and at Best, immensely lengthen the time before I have anyone interested in backing me?
It's almost guaranteed.
Bottom line; I am willing to bet solid money that there's no Dino oil out there that will sufficiently lubricate either my 328 or M3 motors, and in fact I bet that almost all "synthetic" oils would be barely any better. I know it's anecdotal, but having come to the same conclusion as a number of other people who are all in the same "category" as me, and each having come to that conclusion on their own.
In fact, of all the dozens upon dozens of people who I have recommended switch to Redline and/or Royal Purple, not a single one has said anything negative (a very good thing when it comes to lubricants and we're talking about "normal" people) except for a few saying "5/7.5k OCI stinks, but it's worth it" (plus, syn or not, 5-7.5k is the most you should do anyway).
Furthermore, of the over a hundred regular customers my buddy has switched to Redline, there hasbeen a huge ddecrease in engine issues (BMW's ranging from a 2002tii Turbo, to E30 thru E92 M3's, E28 to E60 M5's, E24 635CSi's/M6, a pristine condition Dinan Stage 4 Twin Supercharged 850CSi 6spd (bored and stroked V12 to 6.6L, 8.8:1 CR, Dinan mandrel-bent equal length tubular SS headers w ceramic coating, Dinan full length dual pipe SS exhaust with Y-pipes into dual canister mufflers per side, Dinan pulleys, custom 31x25x6" quad pass intercooler with washer sprayers rewired to the 18 nozzles in front top/bottom that all spray water from a trunk mounted reservoir and powered by dual in line high pressure pumps dropping charge temp from 22f to as much as 69f, SwainTech coated intercooler/piping/SC Housings/headers, mandrel-bent SS shortened IC piping (0.1psi drop vs prior 0.8psi, due to length and coating) w IC now at 87.8pct efficiency/96pct w water (was 57 before SwainTech coating), Dinan Short Shift Kit, Dinan Stage 4 FI Cams, Dinan Carbon Fiber SC CAI's, Dinan CF "6.6L V12 Supercharged" valve covers, Dinan custom carbon intake manifolds and +5mm bored throttle bodies, reinforced organic carbon clutch and 10.5lb chrome moly hardened flywheel, Dinan variable locking shortened ratio LSD, full Dinan suspension, and the ultra lightweight Dinan by Fikse forged wheels in 19x9f and 19x11r weighing a scant 17.9lb front and 18.5lb rear! I know the owner, and we went to the dyno together; 659rwhp and 692rwtq at just 7psi boost! He has since had custom pulleys made from billet, less than a lb each, for 9, 11, and 13psi and depending on how those work out, he'lltry higher. The parts used are good for well over double the current boost, in fact I'd say that with the forged bottom end and low compression mixed with the custom made, practically zero restriction heads, it's not going to see any bottlenecks except at 22psi or more...).
Of course, I represent a small, unique segment of BITOG, and I completely understand this.
However, even my street cars get treated like royalty, and every car in my signature is driven regularly (most not in winter, as they're all pristine, a few are literally show condition), and the highest mileage one, my 01 325i, not only looks new under the valve cover, it's most recent dyno (170,000) and it has not lost a single horsepower. I am set to rebuild the VANOS and do a bunch of preventative maintenance as well as put on some high end headers, pulleys, M54B30 manifold, and have it dyno tuned. It's just running a simple tune, and AFE Stg1 intake w the full intake hose tract replaced w stuff that's not accordianed and which is extremely smoothly turned. Oh, and a new FW/C, the UUC Stg1 24lb dual mass setup, dropping 60lb of drivetrain mass and feeling like a stock clutch!
It's run nothing but Redline and Royal Purple, with engine @7.5k, trans/diff @30k, PSF (RL D4 ATF) I empty reservoir and refill w RL every OCI, and the brakes are upgraded w the fluid being Motul RBF600.
Anyone can show me a nearly 15yo BMW that is essentially stock but makes more than factory rated power after 178k miles? Or which has zero, as in absolutely no, sludge and a nice light coating of oil, which I am first mistook for varnish, on every single bit of the valvetrain after the car's sat for 13 days?
I am sorry, but I have far, far too many experiences to show a definite benefit, everything from longevity to sludge prevention and or removal, to literally saving me a significant amount of money...
PAO and Esters are just better, and while many people would never notice anything aside from far fewer trips to the shop, when you push 400rwhp+ built motors making 150rwhp per liter or more, at speeds at least 2000rpm higher than factory allowed (and having room to go to 4000rpm higher instead), and you do it for hours without stop, and with the car experiencing sustained lateral acceleration in excess of 1.6 G and peak of well over 3 G (thousands of times) constantly, and always either using all available traction to accelerate WOT or brake at the limits of the rubber (91ft 62-0 for my 328Ci, and 0-62 in 4.08sec, 1/4mi 11.40s @ 127.2mph, with road course suspension and no changes for drag racing; 2809lb, quarter mile done medium-low aka 98AKI boost of 16psi = 442rwhp/411rwtq, wheels switched to RAYS Volk TE37 Blued 19x9.5f @ 18.4lb and 19x11r @ 19.2lb with Nitto Drag tires 235f & 305r. Traction is the limiting factor, as the boost is on full at just 1400rpm a day peak torque is made pretty much the entire Rev range, I shifting to second requires extremely precise rev-matching and throttle modulation or the tires will spin hard despite having arguably the best LSD made, and in fact shifting to 3rd (ends @ 94.5mph) at Redline is something between chirping and spinning the tires, if you just slam it whilesstaying on throttle, and 4th (128mph) and 5th (159mph) both can chirp. The traction is pretty obvious from my trap speed vs ET, and I have run the quarter mile maybe a dozen times ever in my life. Buddy of mine bet he could do better, so I said he could try but "break it and buy new" rules, and he posted 11.313s @ 134.2mph and it's the first he's ever driven the car (he has a number of big American V8 quarter mile cars, and road course races a '12 Boss Laguna Seca, and after the run he was jaw opened, and said "I can't believe how much torque, I mean, I expected it to be peaky, seeing the Redline so high,but it just made power everywhere, I even short shifted first because I wasn't expecting it and needed to hook up. Dude, just holy (cow)"... I am looking forward to see if, like he said, it will do 10.6 @ 133-135 w the right tires... He has been bracket racing for over a decade, has countless regional and higher championship wins, and has built at least 40 drag cars, currently a GNX pushing 750@wheels or so, and a C4 Lingenfelter Turbo that's at Lingenfelter to be massaged to well over double the output without sullying the value; he got into road course a few years ago after coming w me and driving a 245rwhp 94 325is I had, and has been splitting time between each ever since).
Excellent! The only thing I'll say is,
Those who know,are the ones who REALLY get it.
