castrol 0w30 vs Castrol 5w40 or 5w50

[Russell]

I am currently using Castrol Synetec 0w30.

If in fact, Castrol 0w30 goes away, which of thses Castrol Syntec oils would be best for my older BMW with 137,000 miles.

I have no oil usage between oil/filter changes at 4-5,000 miles. Thanks in advance.

 

[wavinwayne]

What viscosity of oil does your owners manual recommend? I'd stick with whatever is recommended, especially since you stated that it is not consuming any oil between changes.

 

[Russell]

The manual is dated 1995 so it hardly mentions synthetic oil. 15w40 conventional is mentioned. i also seem to remmeber that , in general higher weight oils are favored for older BMWs.

 

[wavinwayne]

In that case, I'd use Syntec 5w40, even though it might not be quite as "good" in some folks' opinions as GC.

Truth be told, any of the three oils in question would likely be perfectly fine in your BMW. I would guess your oil usage might increase with GC, and your gas mileage might go down ever so slightly with the 5w50.

In the end, the choice is yours, and with the three oils you're considering, it would be hard to go wrong with any of them.

 

[Thatwouldbegreat]

How about Shell Rotella 5W-40 ? Or Redline 5W-40?

Or any of the BMW LL01 approved synthetics...most are probably 5W-40 oils.

 

[Russell]

Rotella seems like a good choice, if it was easily available in my area.

 

[Thatwouldbegreat]

No Rotella 5W-40 at Wally World?

 

[Russell]

The ones I check always seem to be out or have 1 quart. Must be popular or they just keep a small amount. Not known.