[edycol]

Originally Posted by atruong247

but even the updated 5w-40 Castrol Edge is still inferior to 0w-40? I really can't find any up to date information about this.

Yes it is inferior.
0W40 has probably (MSDS stats 25-50%) PAO base stock. 5W40 is strictly hydrocracked Group III (mineral oil synthesized using hydrocracking method). 0W40 is probably around 50% PAO as pour point is -60. PAO has excellent cold temperature kinematic viscosity. More PAO=lower pour point.
If you are out of warranty, go 0W40.

[atruong247]

Appreciate the info ya'll. I used Castrol 0w-40 for my first oil change moving away from 0w-30. I just found out my auto shop carries Motul xmax 0w-40, so will be using that moving forward.

[F87source]

Originally Posted by atruong247

Appreciate the info ya'll. I used Castrol 0w-40 for my first oil change moving away from 0w-30. I just found out my auto shop carries Motul xmax 0w-40, so will be using that moving forward.

Try to see if anyone locally has xcess gen 2 5w40, it's alot better than xmax.

[atruong247]

Originally Posted by F87source

Try to see if anyone locally has xcess gen 2 5w40, it's alot better than xmax.

I believe the shop carries that as well. They are motul authorized or whatever. Why is this better?

[F87source]

Originally Posted by atruong247

I believe the shop carries that as well. They are motul authorized or whatever. Why is this better?

It's a newer updated oil, it has a higher hths so the base stock is more robust.

I was never a fan of xmax I thought it was just meh, but this new xcess gen 2 is really catching my attention. If I didn't buy so much PPE I woulda switched over this year.

[atruong247]

Originally Posted by F87source

It's a newer updated oil, it has a higher hths so the base stock is more robust.

I was never a fan of xmax I thought it was just meh, but this new xcess gen 2 is really catching my attention. If I didn't buy so much PPE I woulda switched over this year.

good to know. thanks. all information about oil is good information.

I just like the idea of finding an oil that is readily available and priced well at a store like wal-mart. However, I guess with a car like this, shouldn't really be treating it as so.

Although, are there any drastic differences of using Motul versus Castrol if the car is completely stock?

[F87source]

Originally Posted by atruong247

good to know. thanks. all information about oil is good information.

I just like the idea of finding an oil that is readily available and priced well at a store like wal-mart. However, I guess with a car like this, shouldn't really be treating it as so.

Although, are there any drastic differences of using Motul versus Castrol if the car is completely stock?

Don't fall into the trap that WalMart oils are bbad (that's the trap that forces you to buy crazy expensive boutique oils that aren't that good aka liquimoly),that's not true at all. WalMart sells really good oils like Castrol 0w40/0w30, Pennzoil platinum euro 5w40 (I use this one), etc. So of you want to use WalMart oil sure go right ahead, pick the cheapest one above and don't look back. I know Pennzoil also has rebates for oil frequently so you could save alot of money if you over lap a sale with the coupon. I know last year there was a rebate from Pennzoil + a black Friday sale in Canada and it was $16/5L jug of Pennzoil platinum euro 5w40 so that was a killer deal.


Nope there shouldn't be any major differences between the two oils, they're both so dang good and pass extremely stringent tests that the differences between them are really just nit picky details for oil enthusiasts. You're fine with both.

[atruong247]

Originally Posted by F87source

Don't fall into the trap that WalMart oils are bbad (that's the trap that forces you to buy crazy expensive boutique oils that aren't that good aka liquimoly),that's not true at all. WalMart sells really good oils like Castrol 0w40/0w30, Pennzoil platinum euro 5w40 (I use this one), etc. So of you want to use WalMart oil sure go right ahead, pick the cheapest one above and don't look back. I know Pennzoil also has rebates for oil frequently so you could save alot of money if you over lap a sale with the coupon. I know last year there was a rebate from Pennzoil + a black Friday sale in Canada and it was $16/5L jug of Pennzoil platinum euro 5w40 so that was a killer deal.


Nope there shouldn't be any major differences between the two oils, they're both so dang good and pass extremely stringent tests that the differences between them are really just nit picky details for oil enthusiasts. You're fine with both.

I read a lot about Pennzoil Platinum 5w-40, but I couldn't find any at my local walmart. Not even online or amazon has them at an arm's length. Bummer. Might just be a regional thing?

I appreciate the information.

[edycol]

Originally Posted by atruong247

Appreciate the info ya'll. I used Castrol 0w-40 for my first oil change moving away from 0w-30. I just found out my auto shop carries Motul xmax 0w-40, so will be using that moving forward.

Motul X-Max is inferior to Castrol 0W40. Motul x-max has pretty high KV100 and HTHS of 3.6. Castrol 0W30 with KV100 of 12 has HTHS 3.6 (X-Max KV100 is 13.5). Castrol 0W40 KV100 is 13.2 and HTHS 3.75.
Gen2 has very robust HYHS of 3.8. But, while it looks really good on paper I would give Castrol 0W30/40 slight advantage as base stock has a lot of PAO unlike Motul Gen2.
As F87 said, don't get into boutique oil trap. Your local Wal Mart has superb oils for M2.
You can also get Quaker State Euro 5W40 (rebadged Pennzoil Platinum Euro) in Wal Mart for $18 for 5qt. Don't forget, Wal Mart doesn't make money on all products. They also use a lot of products to get people in and then spend money on other stuff.

[edycol]

Originally Posted by atruong247

I read a lot about Pennzoil Platinum 5w-40, but I couldn't find any at my local walmart. Not even online or amazon has them at an arm's length. Bummer. Might just be a regional thing?

I appreciate the information.

Quaker State Euro is rebadged Pennzoil Platinum Euro.

[F87source]

Originally Posted by edycol

don't get into boutique oil trap. Your local Wal Mart has superb oils for M2.

+1

Don't listen to those guys on facebook bragging about how they use their $120/oil change botique oils with dyes in them to make florescent glows that helps detect oil leaks.... That is a bunch of BS gimmicks to drive up prices.


You also don't need to use a bunch of oil additives either, just frequent oil changes are good.

[AlpsRider]

Originally Posted by edycol

Quaker State Euro is rebadged Pennzoil Platinum Euro.

I just checked the specs of Quaker State Euro. I looked up the specs from the Quaker State website and a link from Shell (Pennzoil) popped up.
https://shell-livedocs.com/data/publ...d17f3428b0.pdf
However I was able to find the a better deal on the Pennzoil version.

[F87source]

Originally Posted by AlpsRider

I just checked the specs of Quaker State Euro. I looked up the specs from the Quaker State website and a link from Shell (Pennzoil) popped up.
https://shell-livedocs.com/data/publ...d17f3428b0.pdf
However I was able to find the a better deal on the Pennzoil version.

That's because shell owns both pennzoil and quaker state lol. So it is the same oil just rebottled, so essentially buy whatever is cheaper and more readily available to you.


For me I have access to both so I just get what's on sale, and it tends to be pennzoil (which seems to have higher inventory too).

[edycol]

Originally Posted by AlpsRider

I just checked the specs of Quaker State Euro. I looked up the specs from the Quaker State website and a link from Shell (Pennzoil) popped up.
https://shell-livedocs.com/data/publ...d17f3428b0.pdf
However I was able to find the a better deal on the Pennzoil version.

Excellent. Use Pennzoil Euro 5W40 with confidence. Shell is big on new technology (Gas to liquid, GTL, base stocks), different additives to limit catalytic converter pollution and extend life of timing chains. You can never go wrong with Shell.
Their BMW TPT 5W30 oil was truly remarkable. To bad BMW gave deal to Castrol.

[VisualEcho]

Originally Posted by F87source

You also don't need to use a bunch of oil additives either, just frequent oil changes are good.

This is what has me. I have no idea when to do an oil change. My car is stock, and very mildly driven (for an M2). I change my oil in the Exige once every 3 years, and it's still good, I have the Blackstone Labs receipt to prove it!

But for my M2 daily driver that I only drive 5K a year, I can't imagine I will need to do this yearly with these new oils, right? Once every 1.5 years? 10K miles?

[F87source]

Originally Posted by VisualEcho

This is what has me. I have no idea when to do an oil change. My car is stock, and very mildly driven (for an M2). I change my oil in the Exige once every 3 years, and it's still good, I have the Blackstone Labs receipt to prove it!

But for my M2 daily driver that I only drive 5K a year, I can't imagine I will need to do this yearly with these new oils, right? Once every 1.5 years? 10K miles?

No I would do it every year or 6,000 km - 8,000 km whatever comes first. Oil is cheap insurance do not skimp out on it, especially with these hot turbo charged engines which destroys oils quickly - the n55 runs particularly hot compared to other engines.


edycol can comment with more detail on OCI, but I think once every 3 years is too long for an oil change. I don't know if the black stone test does a good enough job determining oxidative degradation of oil, and water ingress causing issues but again edy can comment.

[edycol]

Originally Posted by VisualEcho

This is what has me. I have no idea when to do an oil change. My car is stock, and very mildly driven (for an M2). I change my oil in the Exige once every 3 years, and it's still good, I have the Blackstone Labs receipt to prove it!

But for my M2 daily driver that I only drive 5K a year, I can't imagine I will need to do this yearly with these new oils, right? Once every 1.5 years? 10K miles?

Do it every year. N55 is Di engine and you will have contamination from fuel. Regardless that now fuel in the US is low sulfur, any sulfur in oil is degrading additives in oil. Oil is cheap, engine or part of engine is not.
Also, under no circumstances add any additives. Everything you need oil has. When one adds additives, chemical balance of oil is messed up.

[VisualEcho]

Originally Posted by F87source

No I would do it every year or 6,000 km - 8,000 km whatever comes first.

Will do. Once a year will work perfectly for me.

I'm in Missouri where our temps get as high as 105° F (40° C) in the Summer, and as low as 5° (-15° C) (with much lower wind chills) in the Winter. Do you still recommend 5W40 for me?

Originally Posted by edycol

Do it every year. N55 is Di engine and you will have contamination from fuel. Regardless that now fuel in the US is low sulfur, any sulfur in oil is degrading additives in oil. Oil is cheap, engine or part of engine is not.

I drive the Exige less than 500 miles a year. It sleeps in my climate-controlled basement. It has a Toyota 2ZZ 1.8L, 8500 rpm redline. Mild to spirited driving. Should I still change the oil once a year? I currently use Castrol Edge Syntec (fully synthetic) 5W30. In your opinion, is that the best oil for my application?

[F87source]

Originally Posted by VisualEcho

Will do. Once a year will work perfectly for me.

I'm in Missouri where our temps get as high as 105° F (40° C) in the Summer, and as low as 5° (-15° C) (with much lower wind chills) in the Winter. Do you still recommend 5W40 for me?



I drive the Exige less than 500 miles a year. It sleeps in my climate-controlled basement. It has a Toyota 2ZZ 1.8L, 8500 rpm redline. Mild to spirited driving. Should I still change the oil once a year? I currently use Castrol Edge Syntec (fully synthetic) 5W30. In your opinion, is that the best oil for my application?

1) for the m2 yes a 40 weight (5w or 0w is fine) would be perfect, your winter temps don't get cold enough to justify only a 0w or 30 weight so you have flexibility.

So you have a few choices of oil: Castrol 0w30/0w40 (no LL01 but edy discussed it would still be permissible to use), Pennzoil platinum euro 5w40/quaker state euro 5w40 (same oil and really cheap and really good at $19/5L in Walmart USA), or motul xcess gen 2 5w40.

2) for the lotus if you can use a 40 weight use the same oils as the m2, the m2 recommended oils are dang good. If you can only use a 30 weight use Castrol edge 0w30 which is really really good with a heavy Pao base stock, and if you only want to stock one type of oil use it on the m2 as well.


Castrol edge 5w40 and 5w30 are inferior to their 0w counterparts because of the base stock.

[edycol]

Originally Posted by VisualEcho

Will do. Once a year will work perfectly for me.

I'm in Missouri where our temps get as high as 105° F (40° C) in the Summer, and as low as 5° (-15° C) (with much lower wind chills) in the Winter. Do you still recommend 5W40 for me?

I drive the Exige less than 500 miles a year. It sleeps in my climate-controlled basement. It has a Toyota 2ZZ 1.8L, 8500 rpm redline. Mild to spirited driving. Should I still change the oil once a year? I currently use Castrol Edge Syntec (fully synthetic) 5W30. In your opinion, is that the best oil for my application?

So, first, high ambient temperature is not going to wreck havoc on cooling. 105 or 120, it is ok. Altitude on other hand is where things get dicy. 105 in MO is less stressful on cooling system than 40 degrees at the top of Pikes Peak here. Less air density means less heat exchange between radiators and surrounding air.
-15? I started vehicles using 10W40 at -42c. Any 5W oil will do good in lower 48. In MO, absolutely not to worry.
But, people using Castrol 0W30/40 are using it for other reasons, mainly very good shear stability, low KV100 compared to HTHS and very strong additive package.

[VisualEcho]

Originally Posted by F87source

Pennzoil platinum euro 5w40/quaker state euro 5w40 (same oil and really cheap and really good at $19/5L in Walmart USA).

It sounds like this is my winner for the M2 and the Lotus.

Originally Posted by F87source

For the lotus if you can only use a 30 weight use Castrol edge 0w30 which is really really good with a heavy Pao base stock.

I don't understand it enough to know if I can use a 40W instead of a 30W, the internet is insane on the topic. I can't imagine this would be an issue, so that's my plan.

Originally Posted by edycol

In MO, absolutely not to worry.

So I'm going to try the Pennzoil platinum euro 5w40/quaker state euro 5w40 in both cars, 2 birds with one stone, unless you say otherwise. Not sure about that 40W, should be fine, right? I'm not racing the car, it's just a fairweather friend.


And THANK YOU both for all the help.

[F87source]

Originally Posted by VisualEcho

It sounds like this is my winner for the M2 and the Lotus.




I don't understand it enough to know if I can use a 40W instead of a 30W, the internet is insane on the topic. I can't imagine this would be an issue, so that's my plan.





So I'm going to try the Pennzoil platinum euro 5w40/quaker state euro 5w40 in both cars, 2 birds with one stone, unless you say otherwise. Not sure about that 40W, should be fine, right? I'm not racing the car, it's just a fairweather friend.


And THANK YOU both for all the help.

Yeah I use the pennzoil variant myself, it's pretty good I just stock up on it when it goes on sale at Canadian tire. Keep checking pennzoil's (quaker state too iirc) website sometimes they have a rebate coupon out and you can save like $10 per 5L bottle so you really can drop the price on it.



The only concern for a 40 weight is dependent on the bearing clearance, like for example if it was supposed to take a 20 weight or 30 weight maximum but now you are stepping up to a 40 weight there might* (and I emphasize might) be a problem. I have no idea what lotus specs but it should be ok. As long as you don't put 10w60 in there like some people do for the s55.... then you should be fine. (Like this guy:

)



*Pennzoil/quaker state 5W40 is a relatively low viscosity 40 weight (kv100) so it should be fine.