[GeraldM2]

How many track days do you do before changing your oil? I just did an event back in march with fresh oil and i have another event coming up at the end of may. My oil currently has 2000 miles on it. Should I wait to change the oil after this next event or change it beforehand? I am using Penzoil 5w-40.

[dvas]

I don't daily drive my car, so I change the oil every spring. This works out to be every 4,000 - 5,000 miles. Those miles are track miles, to/from track, and occasional Sunday drives. 70+ track events and no issues, no leaks.

No need to change ahead of every event, in my experience.

[M1500Z]

There are a lot of variables involved in this decision and if you want, you can go down the rabbit hole.

But I would personally go 3-4 days and get a used oil analysis from Blackstone and adjust from there. I'm currently running Penzoil Platinum Euro 5-40 and going to do the same after 4 days. I ran 5 or 6 days on the OEM oil and the results were sketchy.

[nando_514]

I agree with above


I typically do an oil change after every 3-5 events, along with an analysis from Blackstone Labs. I do drive my car on the road between events here and there as well.


There's no harm in being meticulous with the life blood of your engine lol! But also, don't let hold you back. If you have 2000+ miles on the oil and a track day lined up, don't even sweat it. You'll be perfectly fine. Modern oils are amazing feats of engineering tbh, very resilient

[jefe2000]

Originally Posted by nando_514

Modern oils are amazing feats of engineering tbh, very resilient

+1!

I just finished watching a recent Engineering Explained video on this very topic. I was surprised to see some of the absolutely torturous tests they (Mobil1, in this specific case) put modern oils through:

[butraymond]

I have a m2c and I do oil change every 8 track days. I use Motul 300V 5W-40. My car basically is a track car, sometimes drive to car meet, drive to tracks only if it's within 1.5hrs. I do change my plan due to extreme track weather, track time, etc.

I would say Blackstone is a nice resource, you can establish your own data base to see how often you need to do oil change. It really depends on your driving style, weather/temp, and oil spec.

My 2cents,,,

[3LiterBeater]

Originally Posted by M1500Z

There are a lot of variables involved in this decision and if you want, you can go down the rabbit hole.

But I would personally go 3-4 days and get a used oil analysis from Blackstone and adjust from there. I'm currently running Penzoil Platinum Euro 5-40 and going to do the same after 4 days. I ran 5 or 6 days on the OEM oil and the results were sketchy.

Can you share your results?

[M1500Z]

Originally Posted by butraymond

I have a m2c and I do oil change every 8 track days. I use Motul 300V 5W-40. My car basically is a track car, sometimes drive to car meet, drive to tracks only if it's within 1.5hrs. I do change my plan due to extreme track weather, track time, etc.

I would say Blackstone is a nice resource, you can establish your own data base to see how often you need to do oil change. It really depends on your driving style, weather/temp, and oil spec.

My 2cents,,,

Unfortunately for many of us who are under warranty and are running cats, 300V isn't an option.

Originally Posted by 3LiterBeater

Can you share your results?

Of course . I have been sharing all my results in the thread I linked and I'll do the same when I get the results after my weekend at COTA this month.

[3LiterBeater]

Originally Posted by M1500Z

Unfortunately for many of us who are under warranty and are running cats, 300V isn't an option.

Of course . I have been sharing all my results in the thread I linked and I'll do the same when I get the results after my weekend at COTA this month.

Ah! Thank you

[3LiterBeater]

For another point of reference, I have my OG car with ~5000 miles and 12 track days on this oil.

The oil I use is RLI Bio-Syn 5w-40 low ash. I was put onto this oil by an engineer friend.

Car is daily driven in all 4 seasons and currently has 42k miles on it and ~17 track days total.

What I find most impressive with this oil is the ability to maintain viscosity over 10+ days on track and hundreds of 3 mile trips to and from my office. This is typical of this kind of oil, however. 300V would be similar

[5.M0NSTER]

I've done 7 track days and about 12k miles before changing my oil. Had to top it off once with a quart in-between.

[3LiterBeater]

Originally Posted by 5.M0NSTER

I've done 7 track days and about 12k miles before changing my oil. Had to top it off once with a quart in-between.

Do you have an analysis of that oil?

I've not managed to burn any oil in 41k miles

[5.M0NSTER]

Originally Posted by 3LiterBeater

Do you have an analysis of that oil?

I've not managed to burn any oil in 41k miles

No, I didn't do an analysis. I simply followed the manufacturer recommended drain interval while I lived in Germany. It was an oil change every 2 years, or 25,000km (~15,000mi). In that time I did 7 track days.

[warrenw]

Originally Posted by M1500Z

Unfortunately for many of us who are under warranty and are running cats, 300V isn't an option.



Of course . I have been sharing all my results in the thread I linked and I'll do the same when I get the results after my weekend at COTA this month.

Why isn't 300v an option?? I have cats, and track the car... 300v for 50k km's now no issues, no burning.

[tux2005]

300v does not have LL01 certification so BMW will say the oil didn't meet specs, and the high zinc content in 300v is likely to damage the cats.

[pal]

Motul 8100 x-cess 5w40
Oil change every 4 track days
Oil filter change every other oil change

[3LiterBeater]

I'm going to jump out on a limb and say it's likely more beneficial to run oils more equipped for track use than those who achieve the LL approvals. There are oils outside of the 300v that are not likely to damage cats. I'd argue they won't be checking in-depth as to what oil you were running prior to an engine failure as that's very hard to prove.

That shearing/ breakdown of the xcess in the previously mentioned post would make me question long term longevity of the engine on track.

[5.M0NSTER]

Originally Posted by 3LiterBeater

I'm going to jump out on a limb and say it's likely more beneficial to run oils more equipped for track use than those who achieve the LL approvals. There are oils outside of the 300v that are not likely to damage cats. I'd argue they won't be checking in-depth as to what oil you were running prior to an engine failure as that's very hard to prove.

That shearing/ breakdown of the xcess in the previously mentioned post would make me question long term longevity of the engine on track.

I agree, I'm a fan of higher viscosity oils with more zinc content for track usage. But at the same time I want to be able to go at least a whole year and 4-5 track days between changing my oil. Plus I will drive about 5-6k street miles during that time. So what I've been doing lately is mixing at least 1qt of Mobil1 15W-50 with whatever oil the manufacturer uses.

In the Camaro an oil change is 10QT. So I do 8qt of what the manufacturer suggests, and 2qt of proper racing oil. I refer to this as my "jungle mix".

[DRLane]

Originally Posted by 5.M0NSTER

I agree, I'm a fan of higher viscosity oils with more zinc content for track usage. But at the same time I want to be able to go at least a whole year and 4-5 track days between changing my oil. Plus I will drive about 5-6k street miles during that time. So what I've been doing lately is mixing at least 1qt of Mobil1 15W-50 with whatever oil the manufacturer uses.

In the Camaro an oil change is 10QT. So I do 8qt of what the manufacturer suggests, and 2qt of proper racing oil. I refer to this as my "jungle mix".

Oil even at its most expensive is relatively cheap maintenance. 5 track days plus 5-6k, and 12 months duration on single oil change? I guess why not split that in half?

[5.M0NSTER]

I’ve done oil analysis at 4-5k street miles and 3 track days on my Mustang in the past. Blackstone always kept telling me to keep extending the drain interval.

And if BMW is ok recommending a 15k mile drain interval or 2 years, why change it so soon? I feel like that’s throwing out perfectly good oil.

I still have a blackstone bottle sitting on a shelf in the garage. I might send in a sample from the Camaro before I put it away at the end of this season so see what they say. Full year and at least 5 track days. I already have 2 on it this season.

[3LiterBeater]

Originally Posted by 5.M0NSTER

I’ve done oil analysis at 4-5k street miles and 3 track days on my Mustang in the past. Blackstone always kept telling me to keep extending the drain interval.

And if BMW is ok recommending a 15k mile drain interval or 2 years, why change it so soon? I feel like that’s throwing out perfectly good oil.

I still have a blackstone bottle sitting on a shelf in the garage. I might send in a sample from the Camaro before I put it away at the end of this season so see what they say. Full year and at least 5 track days. I already have 2 on it this season.

I don't really trust the factory drain intervals. They consider the wear "acceptable" but, planning on keeping and tracking the car for a long time, I think the reduced wear will pay dividends.

My analysis shows less wear at a considerable amount of track time than some of the factory intervals with no track time which motivates me to keep using it/ changing at 5-6k miles

[5.M0NSTER]

I need to try a longer interval with my oil. I’ll go a full season and see. The thing is for me a season is April-November. Then I put the car away for the winter. So 6k miles max and 5 track days. And I like storing it with fresh oil.