Castrol 10w 60 for E36 M3

moranor@axis

///Member
Official Advertiser
5w40 at 150 deg 2.9 cSt
10w60 at 150 deg 3.7 cSt

5w40 at 100 deg 12.5 cSt
10w60 at 100 deg 21.9 cSt

assuming the engine is built to to run on an oil that 12.5 cSt at 100 deg

you are now almost Doubling the thickness of the oil for normal driving for only 0.8 cSt gain at 150 deg

this means loss of power higher fuel consumption and accelerated head ware for only 0.8 cSt when you push it hard... this is why it always is better to keep the oil the right temp rather than run thicker oil :)
 

BillyBob

Active member
moranor@axis said:
5w40 at 150 deg 2.9 cSt
10w60 at 150 deg 3.7 cSt

5w40 at 100 deg 12.5 cSt
10w60 at 100 deg 21.9 cSt

assuming the engine is built to to run on an oil that 12.5 cSt at 100 deg

you are now almost Doubling the thickness of the oil for normal driving for only 0.8 cSt gain at 150 deg

this means loss of power higher fuel consumption and accelerated head ware for only 0.8 cSt when you push it hard... this is why it always is better to keep the oil the right temp rather than run thicker oil :)

A valid point, but it's still a 28% improvement over 5W-40 at 150°C, which could mean the difference between a motor that's still running fine, and one with a scored crank and lunched bearings in a scenario where you lost track of the oil temperature while chasing that yobbo in his RS4 / C63 around the track.

I've been sorely tempted to try a good quality 5W-40 in the M3, really... but it's simply not worth the risk and the high frequency of oil changes to me.

Each to their own.

Crux of the matter though - if you're going to be wringing the hell out of a car and running high oil temps on a regular basis, replace your oil every few thousand kilometers.
 

hoosain

New member
strange seeing your guys cars running at 120 degrees
mine rarely sees over 95 degrees when driven spiritually
 

moranor@axis

///Member
Official Advertiser
putting 5w40 at the strip makes sense in the e46 m3 where you can let the oil cool between runs but I would NEVER run that on the e46 it is meant to run on 10w60 otherwise

dont get me wrong if your oil is running constantly in the 120deg range then 10w60 on an e36 makes sense BUT it would be by far better to run 5w40 with a good oil cooling system than can keep the oil closer to 100deg for the over all health of the engine under all conditions...
 

zaa

New member
my car also runs in the 90s.

Funny enough when I just bought mines I done an oil change and use liqui moly..oil used to run around 110...moved back to TWS and its below 100 most of the time.

I called BP cos the TWS and edge sport both have 10w60. They sent me the PDF files with the physical properties. They actually quite different which makes sense regarding the huge price difference between the 2.
 

BillyBob

Active member
zaa said:
I called BP cos the TWS and edge sport both have 10w60. They sent me the PDF files with the physical properties. They actually quite different which makes sense regarding the huge price difference between the 2.

Absolutely. Edge Sport and Edge Professional TWS are two very different compounds.

Edge Sport is basically a heavier viscosity synth-tech oil for a turbo / boy racer car, with the extra weight to ensure it doesn't turn to water when you continuously rev the nipples off your 20V Corolla / VTEC / 200STI Sentra / GTI

TWS is Ester based full synthetic with a film strength about 3 times higher than Edge Sport, and was developed specifically for BMW M engines, taking into account the metallurgical composition of bearings & crank, tolerances and the operating ranges & temps.
 

Peejay

Events Organiser
I have tws and have been thinking of changing but I'm unsure. Also I think my oil cooler isn't cooling enough. Anyone know how I can flush the cooler?
 

///Moose

///Member
Sorry to the OP if this is derailing he's thread as my question is around the E46 M instead of E36.
So my understanding is that Castrol Edge Sport 10w60 is a big no on the E46 M but then which would be a better option between the LM and TWS, price difference asside?
 

Fuzz@tinyNET

///Member
Official Advertiser
///Moose said:
Sorry to the OP if this is derailing he's thread as my question is around the E46 M instead of E36.
So my understanding is that Castrol Edge Sport 10w60 is a big no on the E46 M but then which would be a better option between the LM and TWS, price difference asside?

NO!

Had a friend that used edge sport in his 46M, the car dropped a bearing because the oil ran too thin (according to the dudes at BMW)
 

///Moose

///Member
Yeah I heard the same so edge sport is definitely a NO on an E46 but would be gr8 to hear some comparisons between TWS and LM
 

Fordkoppie

///Member
If it were still in 2005, I would say that the TWS is the best, however they have changed the formula in 2011 to meet strict environmental requirements.

Lately I have read about a lot of s54 cam/rocker failure. Coincidence?????:fencelook:
 

B16A4

Member
from my experience rapidly increasing oil temperatures are due to a faulty oil cooling system. with that said you can run any oil and it will heat up very quickly if your cooling system isnt efficient. on my current ///M i have never seen anything above 100 deg yet on my previous ones it easily went above when cruising at high speeds.
E36 M3 3.2 = mobil 1 or shell helix ultra 5w 40. shorten your service interval and run away from castrol. i have seen horrific sludge inside castrol run engines
 

kabal

Active member
I have 10W60 in mine.

I am changing to 5w40 and do 7000-10000km changes

60 is almost twice as thick as 40. not sure how that affects the impellers on the oil and vanos pumps?

quieter lifters and or vanos with 10W60 is applying a bandage to a broken arm :rollsmile:
 

moranor@axis

///Member
Official Advertiser
moranor@axis said:
5w40 at 150 deg 2.9 cSt
10w60 at 150 deg 3.7 cSt

5w40 at 100 deg 12.5 cSt
10w60 at 100 deg 21.9 cSt

assuming the engine is built to to run on an oil that 12.5 cSt at 100 deg

you are now almost Doubling the thickness of the oil for normal driving for only 0.8 cSt gain at 150 deg

this means loss of power higher fuel consumption and accelerated head ware for only 0.8 cSt when you push it hard... this is why it always is better to keep the oil the right temp rather than run thicker oil :)

just to add to this the e36 M is meant to run on 5w40 at 100 deg = 12.5 cSt

if 10w60 at 150 deg = 3.7 cSt and you using 10w60 because you regularly go over 100deg then your oil is still way thinner than the 12.5 cSt you should have
 

BillyBob

Active member
moranor@axis said:
moranor@axis said:
5w40 at 150 deg 2.9 cSt
10w60 at 150 deg 3.7 cSt

5w40 at 100 deg 12.5 cSt
10w60 at 100 deg 21.9 cSt

assuming the engine is built to to run on an oil that 12.5 cSt at 100 deg

you are now almost Doubling the thickness of the oil for normal driving for only 0.8 cSt gain at 150 deg

this means loss of power higher fuel consumption and accelerated head ware for only 0.8 cSt when you push it hard... this is why it always is better to keep the oil the right temp rather than run thicker oil :)

just to add to this the e36 M is meant to run on 5w40 at 100 deg = 12.5 cSt

if 10w60 at 150 deg = 3.7 cSt and you using 10w60 because you regularly go over 100deg then your oil is still way thinner than the 12.5 cSt you should have

And if you manage to keep a 3.2 E36 M3 at 100°C when caning the hell out of it on a tight track or mercilessly racing it inbetween a few sets of traffic lights, I'll wash your car. ;)
 

kabal

Active member
Heven said:
Kabal what brand you looking at?

went to SOSOil to get liquimoly, but they dont sell it anymore, so got RAVENOL RCS Racing Competition Synto SAE 5W-40

the car currently has RAVENOL RSS Racing Sport Synto 10W-60 in it
 

moranor@axis

///Member
Official Advertiser
BillyBob said:
moranor@axis said:
moranor@axis said:
5w40 at 150 deg 2.9 cSt
10w60 at 150 deg 3.7 cSt

5w40 at 100 deg 12.5 cSt
10w60 at 100 deg 21.9 cSt

assuming the engine is built to to run on an oil that 12.5 cSt at 100 deg

you are now almost Doubling the thickness of the oil for normal driving for only 0.8 cSt gain at 150 deg

this means loss of power higher fuel consumption and accelerated head ware for only 0.8 cSt when you push it hard... this is why it always is better to keep the oil the right temp rather than run thicker oil :)

just to add to this the e36 M is meant to run on 5w40 at 100 deg = 12.5 cSt

if 10w60 at 150 deg = 3.7 cSt and you using 10w60 because you regularly go over 100deg then your oil is still way thinner than the 12.5 cSt you should have

And if you manage to keep a 3.2 E36 M3 at 100°C when caning the hell out of it on a tight track or mercilessly racing it inbetween a few sets of traffic lights, I'll wash your car. ;)

that is what oil cooler upgrades are for...

as evidence quick search brought this up plenty people claiming under 220deg F (104deg C):

"Pre cooler install I'd see 250-260 at the end of a 30 minute session on a hot day.
after cooler install, at most 210.

Xw40 Castrol full synthetic.

s54 housing, AN-10 lines and a 25 series Setrab.

Water was 210, now 200 with a stock (200) thermostat."


http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?1203770-Oil-amp-Water-Temps-on-Track-E36-M3
 
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