T or F? BMW LL01= PAO?

[sky jumper]

I read somewhere that the BMW LL01 spec dictates GIV or higher basestocks. is that true??

if so, does that mean Maxlife Syn is a PAO oil? I thought it was G3.

in any case, it seems that Maxlife Syn 5W30 may be the only SM/GF-4/A3/BMWLL01 rated 5W30 on the market. I wonder how it meets these specs while Mobil 1, Pennzoil Platinum, Castrol Syntec, Valvoline Synpower do not.

 

[JAG]

I doubt it dictates it because performance requirements are what matters, not dictated ingredients. Dictating some ingredients doesn't guarantee performance is met.
ML Syn 5w30 is not formally approved for BMW LL-01 but Valvoline has your back (according to them) if you use it in that application and there is an oil related issue.
Mobil 1, Pennzoil Platinum, Castrol Syntec, Valvoline Synpower 5w30 automatically do not meet BMW LL-01 because they don't have at least 3.5 cP HTHS viscosity.

 

[sky jumper]

so is it just that Valvoline MaxLife Synthetic starts out thicker than the others, and can therefore meet the >3.5 HTHS requirement with similar base stock technology?

I'll double check, but I don't think Valvoline MaxLife Synthetic 5w30 meets the energy conserving spec (even though it is GF-4).

 

[JAG]

Yeah it starts out thick enough with similar basestock technology. xW-30 oils with 3.5 cP have been made with largely Group 3 basestocks, such as one Lubromoly 5w30 HC oil.