Suitable or appropriate oil for M1 ?

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A well off friend of mine insists it should be 10w60 going into his M1 because that's what M cars need, but I don't know if that applies to the M1. Does anybody Know what is appropriate for a car which is a fair weather weekend toy?
 
Originally Posted By: Olas
A well off friend of mine insists it should be 10w60 going into his M1 because that's what M cars need, but I don't know if that applies to the M1. Does anybody Know what is appropriate for a car which is a fair weather weekend toy?


What's an M1, a Mini Mk 1 or some Beamer ??

If in doubt, just look in the owners handbook for the grades, check the dealer or failing that use the oil finder page of your favourite engine oilm company.
If it's under warranty be careful about the warranty terms as regards OCI and exact oil type.
 
The M1 is the BMW midengine exotic that started it all. The original M5 and M6 used a derivative of its engine.

If I was going to put oil in a half million dollar car I would contact a specialist not take internet advice.

That said I believe Castrol 10W60 would be correct choice.

The owners manual may predate the development of the 10W60.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: Gene K
The M1 is the BMW midengine exotic that started it all. The original M5 and M6 used a derivative of its engine.

If I was going to put oil in a half million dollar car I would contact a specialist not take internet advice.

That said I believe Castrol 10W60 would be correct choice.

The owners manual may predate the development of the 10W60.


I'm not changing the oil on that and he's not either, he's taking it to Simpson Motorsport in Glos who have done work for him in the past. I only asked out of curiosity as we were talking about the car yesterday whilst looking at it, and the predictable topic of oil came up.

Thanks for the input
smile.gif
 
Originally Posted By: UltrafanUK
Originally Posted By: Olas
A well off friend of mine insists it should be 10w60 going into his M1 because that's what M cars need, but I don't know if that applies to the M1. Does anybody Know what is appropriate for a car which is a fair weather weekend toy?


What's an M1, a Mini Mk 1 or some Beamer ??

If in doubt, just look in the owners handbook for the grades, check the dealer or failing that use the oil finder page of your favourite engine oilm company.
If it's under warranty be careful about the warranty terms as regards OCI and exact oil type.


It's old enough that warranty isn't a concern
wink.gif

http://www.autoblog.com/2015/11/16/1988-bmw-m1-auction/
 
I'm a thick oil advocate, 10W60 should be a good choice.
What is the HTHS of the oil, and could a lighter grade be found with the same HTHS as the 10W60?
For example, there are 10W40 engine oils with 4.4 HTHS at a third of the price, and just might be better at handling the heat.
 
I don't actually know, but given the era in which this car was actually available, I'd bet that BMW recommended a 20W-50 just like they did for everything else for temperatures above 14F.
Castrol TWS 10W-60 was a bandaid for a much later M engine and neither it nor M1 10W-60 existed when this mid engine beauty was current production.
I'd call or email the BMW Heritage folks and ask them what current oil would best serve this engine. My guess would be M1 0W-40, but the BMW folks would know.
 
I had a 1980 M1 in 1984, i still have contact to a guy who had a lot to do with BMW M1 in motorsport, he probably knows more about these cars than anyone alive today.
He has all the info and maybe even some parts for these cars.
I will PM you his contact info in Germany.
 
Originally Posted By: fdcg27
I don't actually know, but given the era in which this car was actually available, I'd bet that BMW recommended a 20W-50 just like they did for everything else for temperatures above 14F.
Castrol TWS 10W-60 was a bandaid for a much later M engine and neither it nor M1 10W-60 existed when this mid engine beauty was current production.
I'd call or email the BMW Heritage folks and ask them what current oil would best serve this engine. My guess would be M1 0W-40, but the BMW folks would know.


Good answer. My guess would be 20w50. It is a 1970's tech engine.
 
I don't know if it's typical but I remember reading a test where the M1 consumed over a liter of oil per 1000 miles. Keep an eye on the oil level.
 
The originally specified oil would have been Castrol Formula R Synthetic, with it being the basis for Castrol TWS 10W-60 when it was formulated in the early 2000's. It is the closest current oil.

Paging Doug Hillary, Doug Hillary are you there?
 
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