Originally Posted By: Kaiser
But even with LL01 my engine will run with no issues right ?
I can put LL01 or LL04 ?
Because I found an oil which is good for me and my driving style (lot of very high speed driving on german autobahn over 200km/h)
but it meets only LL01
I also noticed that the OEM BMW 0w40 oil (the M TwinPower Turbo) meets only LL01 spec. So theoretically I can also put LL01 in my N55 engine ?
You can put either LL-01 or LL-04.
Difference is in SAPS level of those oils (SAPS=Sulfated Ash & Phosphorus). SAPS is not really good for DI engines. However, when gas has a lot of sulfur (like in the U.S.) one needs high SAPS oil. BMW high SAPS oil is LL-01. LL-04 is what is known as Mid-SAPS oil. It has lower SAPS levels. For example, Valvoline 5W40 HST is High-Sapst (HST=High Saps Technology) and has Sulfated ash at 1.23. Valvoline MST that I use in X5 is Mid Saps oil (MST=Mid-Saps Technology) and SAPS level is at 0.76.
How does that affects your engine? Higher SAPS will create more deposits on your valves since N55 is DI engine. That is bigger concern in the U.S> then Germany due to strict speed limits in the U.S. However, due to high sulfur levels in gas in the U.S. and nature of DI engine, we need to use High-SAPS oil in order to combat TBN depletion. In Europe, there is no excessive TBN depletion since EU has Ultra low Sulfur gas (ULSG), hence, you can use LL-04 and in that way prevent some carbon build up.
As for 200+km/h do not worry about that. LL-01 and LL-04 equally protect engines.