Winter oil recommendation for BMW w/ M54 inline 6

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Aug 24, 2016
Messages
115
Location
NJ, USA
It's a 2.5 liter, M54 motor in a BMW E46. It had been using about a quart per 1000 miles--which is okay according to BMW
mad.gif
--and is using much less after I modified the PCV system. After 1200 miles, the dipstick has gone down 1/4.

I'm currently using M1 HM 10w40, which wasn't having any effect on consumption before the PCV modification. I also ran a Liqui-Moly idle flush before changing the old oil--also M1 HM 10w40--and added a bottle of MoS2 to the new oil. In my opinion, the PCV modification is the most likely cause for the decrease in consumption. It's a modification to increase crankcase pressure that many people have successfully performed on this motor to stop or decrease consumption.

The problem here is that I'm not thrilled with the idea of running a 10w40 HM oil over winter. It's my understanding that the HM oils tend to be even thicker than regular oils, and I'm already using a 10 winter weight in a car that calls for 5w30.

I'm currently looking at: Rotella T6 5w40, M1 TDT 5w40, M1 0w40, and Castrol Edge 0w40. I would like to stick with Mobil 1, due to the current rebate. But I'm open to using one of the other oils if you think they would be better for winter, or a suggestion that isn't on my list. I'm not really interested in Redline or Amsoil, etc, and want something I can buy locally for a reasonable price. I don't plan to keep it in the car for more than 5k miles.

Thanks!
 
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete



To me, a quality synthetic 10w-XX oil will still flow fine during a typical NJ winter. In such temps, a typical 5w-XX oil won't be all that much thinner. But if you want to run a thinner M1 HM oil, why not run the 5w-30?





It used to be that the M1 0w40, 15w50 and M1 HM 10w40 were the only ones with zinc higher than 1000 ppm. So that might be a reason why he's hanging on to that weight.

If there wasn't any difference in oil consumption until your PCV was changed, I'd say the oil isn't that big of a factor with it. That being said, I've run M1 HM 10w40 in -40F with no issues. Great low pour point, lower than their 5w30 I believe. If it were me, I'd stick with the M1 HM 10w40.
 
Originally Posted By: jayg


If there wasn't any difference in oil consumption until your PCV was changed, I'd say the oil isn't that big of a factor. That being said, I've run M1 HM 10w40 in -40F with no isses. Great low pour point, lower than their 5w30 I believe.



Mobil 1 HM has a lower pour point than M1 5W30? I don't think so. -40F is very cold for a 10W40, there are better choices.
 
Originally Posted By: demarpaint
Originally Posted By: jayg


If there wasn't any difference in oil consumption until your PCV was changed, I'd say the oil isn't that big of a factor. That being said, I've run M1 HM 10w40 in -40F with no isses. Great low pour point, lower than their 5w30 I believe.



Mobil 1 HM has a lower pour point than M1 5W30? I don't think so. -40F is very cold for a 10W40, there are better choices.



Ahh no it was Maxlife I was thinking of with their 10w40 that was lower than their 10w30. Maxlife 10w40 has a pour point of -42f and M1 HM is -33 for their 10w40.

Regardless, that motor is still protected PLENTY with a M1 HM Xw40 during a New Jersey winter.



http://content.valvoline.com/pdf/maxlife.pdf

I realize pour point isn't the only variable to winter performance, but it's a good indicator.
 
Originally Posted By: jayg
Maxlife 10w40 has a pour point of -42f and M1 HM is -33 for their 10w40.

Just a small correction: M1 HM 10w-40 has a pour point of -33C, which is -27F.

But yeah, pour point is not necessarily a good indicator of cold flow properties. CCS/MRV data is better, but M1 does not seem to provide it for their HM oils.
 
Consider Delvac 1 5W-40 and take advantage of the &12.00/gal MIR available through the end of October.
You could of course do the same with any M1 flavor.
A 10W-40 is not too thick for the winters you see in NJ.
I used the grade here as the universal fill for everything up through the late nineties without issue.
If your BMW is old enough to have a temp/visc chart in the OM (mine is), you'll find that BMW thought that a 10W-40 was fine down to -30C, or -22F.
I doubt that you'll see temperatures lower than that.
 
Originally Posted By: rooflessVW
Castrol 0W-40 year round.


+1

I maintain a 2005 BMW e46 with the M54 engine, and a 2006 BMW e90 with the N52 engine. Both cars I now run Castrol Edge 0w40 year round. The engines are noticeably quieter and consumption is down considerably with the Castrol 0w40. The 2006 e90 had quite a bit of lifter tick which is common on these engines, and it has quieted down considerably.
 
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Didn't you ask essentially the same question a few weeks back?

https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthr...for#Post4196199


To me, a quality synthetic 10w-XX oil will still flow fine during a typical NJ winter. In such temps, a typical 5w-XX oil won't be all that much thinner. But if you want to run a thinner M1 HM oil, why not run the 5w-30?





I'm a bit new, so I apologize if this was something of a double post. In the other thread I was asking if it's okay to run the 10 winter weight through winter, and I've since decided that I would rather switch to something thinner. Thus the new thread asking for an oil recommendation.

The M1 HM 5w30 might be fine. I'm open to all recommendations. Someone else had a thread here over the past few days saying that HM oils are too thick for winter, so I'm not sure if I should continue with one. Like I said, I'm new, and open to all recommendations. I just don't want to buy/order anything too expensive or boutique.

Originally Posted By: rooflessVW
Castrol 0W-40 year round.


This really does seem to be the most obvious choice. A bit concerned about consumption with a 0 weight, but I'm really now sure if it will matter.

Originally Posted By: fdcg27
Consider Delvac 1 5W-40 and take advantage of the &12.00/gal MIR available through the end of October.
You could of course do the same with any M1 flavor.
A 10W-40 is not too thick for the winters you see in NJ.
I used the grade here as the universal fill for everything up through the late nineties without issue.
If your BMW is old enough to have a temp/visc chart in the OM (mine is), you'll find that BMW thought that a 10W-40 was fine down to -30C, or -22F.
I doubt that you'll see temperatures lower than that.


A truck stop near me is the only place I've found Delvac 1, and it was bizarrely expensive. $50-$60 for a jug, if I recall. Is it that much better than M1 TDT?

It's gotten down to -15F here a few times over the past few years, which is my concern with going so close to the pour point. I'm really not knowledgeable enough in this area to know if it matters. My nervous side is telling me to switch to a 0 or 5 winter weight oil.

Originally Posted By: jeepman3071
Originally Posted By: rooflessVW
Castrol 0W-40 year round.


+1

I maintain a 2005 BMW e46 with the M54 engine, and a 2006 BMW e90 with the N52 engine. Both cars I now run Castrol Edge 0w40 year round. The engines are noticeably quieter and consumption is down considerably with the Castrol 0w40. The 2006 e90 had quite a bit of lifter tick which is common on these engines, and it has quieted down considerably.


I've seen a lot of people say that the Edge 0w40 lowered their oil consumption, so you're definitely not the first. What oil were you using in them before?

Thanks, everyone, for the suggestions!
 
Last edited:
If I do end up going with Mobil 1, due to the rebate, which of the following (cheap and at Walmart) would be best?

M1 TDT 5w40

M1 0w40

M1 HM 5w30

I'm guessing that the "Extended Performance" oils don't offer any advantages other than an extended drain interval, which is why I didn't include them.
 
M1 HM 10W-30, which meets the HTHS requirements of your BMW engine, although M1 0W-40 and TDT do as well.
Ignore pour point and look instead at MRV and CCV since these are the tests that matter for cold weather. Pour point may tell you something about the basestock blend used in formulating an oil, though.
Ignore the SAE grade of LL-01 complying oils as well and recognize that these oils all have HTHSv of at least 3.5, which is what matters for the engine.
 
Originally Posted By: OldEuroCarLover
If I do end up going with Mobil 1, due to the rebate, which of the following (cheap and at Walmart) would be best?

M1 TDT 5w40

M1 0w40

M1 HM 5w30



M1 0W-40 or Castrol Edge 0W-40 would be my pick.
The M1 0W-40 was rated BMW LL-01 until very recently and the Edge 0W-40 still is rated LL-01.

The other oils are fine, but why not get a BMW rated oil for a BMW car.
 
Originally Posted By: OldEuroCarLover
A truck stop near me is the only place I've found Delvac 1, and it was bizarrely expensive. $50-$60 for a jug, if I recall. Is it that much better than M1 TDT?

You might need to find an Exxon-Mobil distributor to get a better price, or speak to members nearby you who might have a better grasp of the retail situation. Up here, I can get Delvac 1 ridiculously cheap, and wouldn't touch TDT with a ten foot pole, given it's $50 a jug price tag.
 
I don't think there are any stores near me that carry Delvac 1, except for the various truck stops. I've been to pretty much every store that carries oil within 30 miles of me, and I've never seen it.

TDT is only $25-$27 per jug here. That's a strange difference in price between the US and Canada. Maybe it's a marketing decision?
 
I would say it's a marketing decision, but not on behalf of Imperial Oil. Our retailers up here just think that's acceptable pricing. And, TDT is never rolled back, so it's not even a potential purchase for me. I don't think Canadian Tire gets a lot of commercial or farm sales on the big name HDEOs, conventional or synthetic, and Walmart even less so. A lot of Walmarts here don't even have more than one pail of Delvac or Rotella on the shelves, and at a worse price than the distributor, so there's no incentive.

The only saving grace of our Walmarts is their house oil comes in 5 gallon pails and is at a good price.
 
I've always run 5W-40 in CT.... and the S52 in the M3 always burned a little oil. Now that I don't drive it as much or in the winter, I've used 15W-40 as well. Look in the manual, I'm sure the acceptable range is 5-10W and 30-50...

I think you really cant go wrong with 5W-30, 10W-30, 0W-40, 5W-40 or 10W-40.... don't over think it.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top