BMW M3, what motor oil?

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Hey everyone, I'm going to be picking up a 1995 BMW M3 with 157k on the motor. I know that this motor would take a nice thick oil like a 40wt, but I"m conflicted as to what I should use. Cost is no option, I'll pay what I have to for the best motor oil. I'm look for oil that will make the least amount of wear, seal seepage, and a decent OCI. Being this is a high performance motor, it needs to provide awesome protection with somewhat high RPMS (6500-7000)

I'm looking at:

M1 0w-40 euro
GC 0w-30 (i know its almost 40wt thick thats why)
Redline 0/5w-40
Rp 0/5w-40

What do you guys think?
 
Of all the oils available in USA and on MB 229.5 list, only M1 0W40 SuperSyn European Formula is approved to be used in AMG engines. If it good for AMG engines, it should be good for BMW engines.
 
Is that one of the M3 engines which need 10w-60 TSW? If so, stick with at least a 50 weight. SynPower 20w-50, Pennzoil Platinum 15w-50 or Castrol 5w-50 if you see cold.
 
If I had one of those M3's and money was no object I'd hit up one of the Amsoil Sponsors on this site and get myself some AMO 10w40. We have a UOA of an M3 that saw spirited track use and the results were stellar! That's just what I'd do.

If you want I can hunt up a link of this disscussion and a UOA.

By the way the M3 you are a gettin' was one of my "Dream Cars" during my teens. I suscribed to Car And Driver and they just raved this car every chance they got!

How bout a pic or two?
 
Pheww! I had to dig a bit but here it is!

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Main=75717&Number=974977#Post974977

Okay when you click on the guy's link you'll get to an album then click My Hobby and the UOA is still there.

You can experiment later with other oils if you like but if you want something in there that will protect your engine now this AMO is a solid choice. And you did say cost was no object right?

If you had said you wanted the best value I would have had a different answer, but you said you wanted a good oil that would work no matter what the cost. Besides, this is what I'd run in an M3 if I were ever so lucky as to get my hands on one!

Cheers!
cheers3.gif
 
In addition to what others have said:
Mobil 1 HM 10W-40
Mobil 1 TDT 5W-40 or Delvac 1 5W-40
Schaeffers 9000 5W-40 or 5W-50
or 20W-50 series 7000 blend

Besides the fact that some M1 oils are hard to find in the marketplace currently due to "allocations", I would go with the Schaeffers as their oils are outstanding and reasonably priced as well. I wish the 5W-50 came in qts, however!
 
M1 0W40 is a great oil, but many (myself included) have found it is prone to shearing, and I only drive an M52 528i.

If you're going to drive the M3 like it was meant to be driven, I'd skip the M1 0W40. What's your climate? If your profile is accurate and you're in the Bay area, you don't really need to be concerned with the cold rating so much. Feel free to venture into 10W or 15W land to get the characteristics you want at operating temperature and good shear resistance. That being said, a lot of folks like Amsoil AFL 5W40 in euro applications - look for some UOAs.

I wouldn't jump on Redline just because "group V is better". There are a lot of UOAs around which show high wear from running Redline. I've just seen enough of this to give me pause in recommending or using their engine oil products. I'm sure lots of people out there are perfectly happy with it too.

Personally I'd skip the RP. Lots of people seem unimpressed despite the hype on RP products in BMW circles.
 
Lots of recs. for 40-weights here - I'd be careful, and make sure your engine isn't one that is better off with and even thicker oil, like the 10W-60.

If it is, you can probably get away with a 50 weight, and if the car is going to be seeing spirited driving, you might want to try the new Amsoil Dominator 15W-50.
 
I have a 2000 Z3M with the 3.2l S52 motor - very similar to your car.

For my car, BMW specifies oil with BMW longlife 98 or LL98 approval.

I have been using Castrol 5W40 which meets LL98 and is performimg well in terms of low oil consumption.

I would also agree with the other posters abaove and recommend Mobil 1 0W40 or Castrol 0W30 which both have BMW LL01 approval (supersedes LL98). Also, the BMW 5W30 available at the dealer has been shown on this site to perform very well.
 
I used Mobil 1 0w40 in my 97 M3.

I would use German Castrol now if I still had it.



Very nice car, take care of it!!!
 
I'd check the owner's manual for recommended weights/viscosity for your climate range. The older BMWs (like the '95 M3) generally took the higher vis oils. Your owner's manual will probably indicate something in the xxw-50 weight range. M1 15w-50 is a very good oil (lots of zddp anti-wear additive). Total also has a 10w-50 synthetic (Grp IV PAO) that they market as being exclusively formulated for BMW's M cars.
 
Everyone needs to remember that the mid-90s US-spec M3s were not the same as the RoW M3s. They're short about 100hp, and have entirely different engine specs. The mid-90s US M3s, while still tons of fun, aren't nearly as exotic as their European brothers. IIRC they basically run tuned-up M52s. They certainly do not require 10W60 TWS.

As of the E46 M3 there is one engine spec.
 
Wow guys thats awesome! Thank you all for all the advice.

Yes, I'm going to be drivng this thing like it was meant to be driven! Most of the time, it would be my short 2 minute commute to work and back, so have a good oil that will protect my investment is key.

If anyone has any other suggestions, please, chime in!

EDIT: Also, I do live in the Bay Area so snow and exteme heat and cold aren't a huge issue, but in the summertime it can get to the 90's!
 
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I had a '97 M3 for a few years as well as a '98 540i 6-speed. I responded to a question similar to this back in Feb. 2008. Here's what I said:

I have (had) similar cars as yours and I've been happiest with Shell Rotella Syn. 5w-40. This oil is readily available at most parts stores and Walmart and is inexpensive.

I used Amsoil 0w-30 in my '97 BMW M3 (S52 engine) and it burned 1 qt./ 900 miles. I switched to Amsoil 5w-40 Euro and consumption dropped to 1 qt./ 1,600 miles. Fuel consumption and engine feel felt the same and engine was quieter with the heavier oil. I couldn't get the Amsoil for awhile so I tried the Rotella syn. 5w-40. Performance was the same as Amsoil for a fraction of the cost.

I have since sold the M3 and am now driving a '98 BMW 540i. I use Rotella syn 5w-40 exclusively, as do a few of my BMW buddies.

Please take into account that I live in Chicago and use 5w-40 for year-round use. In California where you don't have the extreme cold, I'd stick with the 5w-40 or switch to 10w-40.

Chris
 
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This 1995 M3 uses the S50 motor which does not fall under the 10w60 spec. I would use any of the oil mentioned above.

All 1996 and newer M motors should use a 10w60 recommended by BMW just to be safe.
 
i actually looked into that Total 10w-50 stuff, designed for M engines. It looks impressive, I'll probably get me a case (of 18 liters) A buddy of mine has a '97 328i, and we'll go have half on it and try this stuff out.
 
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Originally Posted By: ZeroDynamic

Yes, I'm going to be drivng this thing like it was meant to be driven! Most of the time, it would be my short 2 minute commute to work and back, so have a good oil that will protect my investment is key.


Well, that's going to kill it in a hurry.

If you're doing that, find something good, but cheap, and change it every 3k mi.

Nothing but short trips like that is no way to treat an "investment". You better not be driving it like it was meant to be driven with only 60 seconds of warm up. Take a bus, bicycle or walk if its 2 minutes.
 
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Originally Posted By: ourfamo4
All 1996 and newer M motors should use a 10w60 recommended by BMW just to be safe.


The first U.S. market M engine to require 10-60 was the S62 in the 2000 E39 M5 and E52 Z8, followed by the S54 in the 2001 E46 M3, and Z3M models.

The S50US like the OP has, and S52 in the '96-99 M3 and '99-00 Z3M duo don't need to drink the fancy $10/qt oil. They can get by with any regular good quality oil.
 
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