[GFEA]

I use Pennzoil Platinum Euro 5w40 and stand by it if that helps at all.

[F87source]

Originally Posted by GFEA

I use Pennzoil Platinum Euro 5w40 and stand by it if that helps at all.

Me too, as do alot of euro guys on BITOG. I just purchased 3 5L jugs for half off at Canadian tire so I'm ready for this summers flush of the old bmw oil.

[vrooooom]

I've always used Amsoil in my cars and i thought it would also work here but how come when i go in their website and select the BMW M2, i dont understand why the 5w30 is not coming up.... or the 0W30.

Does anyone know why Amsoil can't be use?

[F87source]

Originally Posted by vrooooom

I've always used Amsoil in my cars and i thought it would also work here but how come when i go in their website and select the BMW M2, i dont understand why the 5w30 is not coming up.... or the 0W30.

Does anyone know why Amsoil can't be use?

I don't believe any of their 30 weights meet LL01 requirements.

You should look for LL01 not weight, and iirc (last time I checked tis) no amsoil product is truly LL01 certified by bmw. They just say that it "meets" or "exceeds" LL01. LL01 is an important recommendation because bmw's vanos system especially the valvetronic worm gear oil squirter has extremely tight tolerances and you want to make sure that the oil has the proper additives to not gum it up.

1) https://www.amsoil.ca/p/sae-0w-40-fs...motor-oil-efo/
0w-40 (efo): HTHS: 3.7, NOACK: 9.9%, TBN: 10.1
Price per L: $13.90

2)https://www.amsoil.ca/p/sae-5w-40-fs...motor-oil-efm/
5w-40 (EFM): HTHS: 3.7, NOACK: 8.7%, TBN: 10.1
Price per L: $11.15

3) Pennzoil platnium euro 5w40
HTHS: 3.8, NOACK ~6-7%, TBN: ?
Price per L: $6.59 when on sale for 45% off, or $5.39/L when %55 off
and sales at Canadian tire are extremely frequently

So as you can see imo pennzoil platnium euro has a better HTHS, better NOACK, and is way cheaper than amsoil.


Overall I am not a huge amsoil fan, their oils have a pretty high NOACK rating (which is really bad for carbon build up) and HTHS is nothing remarkable and fairly typical of a 40 weight oil. So why would you pay botique oil prices for a not LL01 certified oil when you could pay a fraction of the price for a better oil like pennzoil platnium euro 5w40? If I were to buy an expensive oil it would be for track use and I would want to have really high HTHS ratings, so I'd go for a 5w40 redline in that case.

I don't know why there is so much misinformation/misconception about oils on bmw forums/groups, people always want to buy the most expensive boutique oils (thinking they are going to get better protection when in reality they aren't, expensive doesnt always mean better) which have inferior specs (cough cough liquimoly) to cheaper off the self oils like pennzoil when they don't have to.

[vrooooom]

Thank you for that.

Now I need to read up on HTHS, NOACK & TBN.

[F87source]

Originally Posted by vrooooom

Thank you for that.

Now I need to read up on HTHS, NOACK & TBN.

It's more than just that, there's oil group which is dependent on its base stock, there's kv100, etc. Those 3 I mentioned were the easiest to understand, but there's alot more to it than just that.

[SEAT TIME RULES]

Yup F87 is spot on once again...

I also used Amsoil and some other boutique brands in previous track rides.

I'm using the 5/40 Penzoil for all the reasons he stated..

5K changes

[e92ben]

I'd stick with mobile 1 0-40.

[F87source]

Originally Posted by e92ben

I'd stick with mobile 1 0-40.

Not LL01, hths is .1 lower than pennzoil, but otherwise a solid oil that alot of guys use on BITOG.

But since it's not LL01 I'd stick with pennzoil.

[e92ben]

Originally Posted by F87source

Not LL01, hths is .1 lower than pennzoil, but otherwise a solid oil that alot of guys use on BITOG.

But since it's not LL01 I'd stick with pennzoil.

So what's the LL01 gonna do for you?? Wait until 10k for an oil interval? Anything over 5k miles is a no no

[F87source]

Originally Posted by e92ben

So what's the LL01 gonna do for you?? Wait until 10k for an oil interval? Anything over 5k miles is a no no

Bmw oil certifications are more than just about mileage....

Remember bmw ensures that oils are clean enough, and have the correct additive packages to ensure wear protection and don't cause lubrication or gunking issues to extremely tight tolerance parts like the valvetronics system.

What do you think causes valvetronic failures when the oil squirter jams?


There are other oils other than pennzoil I would use, such as motul excess gen 2 5w40, same specs as pennzoil but more expensive. Then the other LL01 oils at the current moment lack the hths pennzoil has and is just a bit off. So for the time being my personal preference is pennzoil, until someone comes up with a better oil.

[F87source]

I should also clear this up:

1) If you're only going to be street driving your car and it's never going to see the track, you can just pick any LL01 oil (not a fan of the fe stuff because it stands for fuel economy and means the oil is less viscous and thus offers less hths ratings, but if you want an fe oil no problem that's fine too) you want and use that. This is the simplest method and you won't have to worry about anything.

2) this is an extension of 1, but you pick the oil based on the best possible specs at the best possible price. This eliminates the botique oils that are just a waste of money.

3) you track the car for 30-40 min sessions for an entire day, or do endurance racing. You can start off with an LL01 oil with high hths ratings, then you should send off your oil for a used oil analysis after the track day to see the results. This will determine if you need to switch to an oil with even more high temperature protection. This way you don't waste your money buying crazy expensive oils for no reason, just like spark plugs changing your oil to different types without data is not ideal. So if the oil analysis shows that you have excessive wear and you notice your oils temps are really high (because your oil cooler isn't adequate) then move to something with an even higher hths (something like redline 5w40), and do another oil analysis. Most of the time an LL01 oil should be fine for track days, unless you're really doing some hard endurance stuff.


And remember oil weight isn't everything, just because an oil is a 30 weight doesn't mean it's "water", hths, base stock, tbn, etc determines how stout the oil is not weight.

[vrooooom]

https://www.shell.com.ph/motorists/o...tra-5w-40.html

So is this good? Can't find Pennzoil Euro here but this one is available.

[AlpsRider]

I believe this is the one you're looking for.

https://solutions.shell.com/us/produ..._Oil__001H0972

https://www.amazon.com/Pennzoil-5500...4443924&sr=8-5
Edit: It is BMW LL-01 rated.

[F87source]

Originally Posted by vrooooom

https://www.shell.com.ph/motorists/o...tra-5w-40.html

So is this good? Can't find Pennzoil Euro here but this one is available.

Yes shells helix ultra is very very good oil, iirc it might even be better than the pennzoil platinum euro 5w40 (untill they reformulated it to this new version where the specs might be the same now).

Hopefully you don't over pay for it.

[vrooooom]

Originally Posted by F87source

Yes shells helix ultra is very very good oil, iirc it might even be better than the pennzoil platinum euro 5w40 (untill they reformulated it to this new version where the specs might be the same now).

Hopefully you don't over pay for it.

i wouldn't know that part. everything here has a bit of premium. The car prices here are almost double. i could have gotten a CS in Canada. Unfortunately.

This 2nd hand M2 is actually from Canada.

[vrooooom]

That Amazon link for the pennzoil is just $7 a bottle in the US. It's probably double here, like a boutique.

So by using a 40w.... would that lower my km/L?

[F87source]

Originally Posted by vrooooom

i wouldn't know that part. everything here has a bit of premium. The car prices here are almost double. i could have gotten a CS in Canada. Unfortunately.

This 2nd hand M2 is actually from Canada.

Dang I didn't know things were so expensive there. Well I hope you are able to purchase the oil you want/need.

[vrooooom]

So by using a 40w.... would that lower my km/L? i'm sure not as much as my lead foot does.

[F87source]

Originally Posted by vrooooom

So by using a 40w.... would that lower my km/L? i'm sure not as much as my lead foot does.

It might be negligibly lower because it is no longer an FE fuel.

[Pray for Mojo]

Only reason I don't run the Pennzoil 5W40, the pour point is only -36c. I ran Motul X-Max 0W-40 this winter and it seems to be pretty good. We see mid -30s a few times a year, and I'd rather not hope its flowing if I end up with a cold soaked outdoor start.

[F87source]

Originally Posted by Pray for Mojo

Only reason I don't run the Pennzoil 5W40, the pour point is only -36c. I ran Motul X-Max 0W-40 this winter and it seems to be pretty good. We see mid -30s a few times a year, and I'd rather not hope its flowing if I end up with a cold soaked outdoor start.

Yes it your climate calls for it run a more optimized oil, for me I recommend oils more suited for performance.

If it gets to -30's I'd run an 0w30 oil and switch to a 40 weight in the summer. If you wanted you could run a 30 weight all year round of you don't track for increased convenience as a daily car.