BMW 318ti: 10w-30 Pennzoil Ultra OK?

[E365]

I've had my 1996 BMW 318ti (M44, 1.9 liter) for about 8 years and have almost always used BMW LL-01 oils: M1 0w-40 and GC 0w-30.

Last summer I picked up some clearance Pennzoil Ultra 10w-30 at AutoZone for about $3/ qt. It was just too cheap to pass up!

It's about time for my next oil change and I'd like to put the Ultra to use. Do you think this would be safe to use? The BMW viscocity chart says 10w-30 is good to about 50F "average seasonal air temperature". The Ultra HTHS is 3.2 and BMW LL-01/ACEA A3 min is 3.5. I know sticking with BMW LL-01 oils is the best choice, but as this car gets older and rustier I'd like to keep mx costs to a minimum.

Should I just use it this (MN) summer and not worry about it? I don't drive hard or fast, just general commuting.

Thanks!

 

[dparm]

Thicken it up with another oil. Going 50:50 with M1 0w40 would basically get you HTHS 3.5.

 

[E365]

I have a few quarts of left-over Valvoline MaxLife 10w-40, how about that?

 

[Eddie]

I'm not in favor of mixing different brands of oil. 10w30 PP should be good all year or at least in summer in MN as you state you drive easy. Ed

 

[CATERHAM]

Originally Posted By: E365

Should I just use it this (MN) summer and not worry about it? I don't drive hard or fast, just general commuting.
Thanks!

Yes that's what I'd do. There is nothing magical about the min' min' HTHSV 3.5cP rating, and you will not test the viscosity requirements for your engine the way you drive.

You could blend in the 10W-40 you have but I'd save it to blend with some 20wt or 0W-30 or 5W-30 syn' you might find on sale to use at a later date.

 

[JHZR2]

The M42/M44 engine should have oils according to this:

Now, 30wt oils have gotten better and I have no doubt their use can be expanded to a higher temperature range, so long as consumption is not seen.

That said, Id be looking for an ACEA A3 oil if 30wt.

 

[E365]

I have a similar (but different) chart in my owner's manual and the temps are shifted vs. that one. All the oils are listed for use at a higher temperature.

 

[JHZR2]

Good, use that - actually please post a pic if you can!

 

[E365]

They are a little different but maybe not as much as I thought originally. I'm also curious to what exactly "average seasonal temperature" means to BMW. The charted temps certainly can't be the max temp you will expose the engine to. If that were the case 20w-50 and 15w-50 would be the only acceptable grades for most of the USA.

Either way I do agree that 10w-30 is probably not the ideal choice. My only thought was that a quality, modern synthetic like Ultra will still protect like a API SG 10w-40 or 15w-40 would have in 1995.

 

[CATERHAM]

That's also a very old chart with the "special oils" being synthetic.

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: CATERHAM
That's also a very old chart with the "special oils" being synthetic.



Point being? The "w" number shouldn't change, unless API has changed their cold weather viscosity rating system.

Newer lubes may exhibit better film strength, oxidation resistance, adds, etc. But "may" is a key word to some of them.

A 2.9 HTHS 10w-30 with low VI would likely have qualified for the bucket they showed back then, and still would fall there.

 

[JAG]

Not sure if that engine is the same but I used to have a 1984 BMW 318i and bought it with 120k miles. I was oil-ignorant and used Castrol GTX 10W-30. 50k miles and 5 years later the rings/bores were so worn that it was leaving a smoke cloud behind it while I drove it. I wish I had used an XW-40 oil instead. This was from 1995 to 1999.

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: JAG
Not sure if that engine is the same but I used to have a 1984 BMW 318i and bought it with 120k miles. I was oil-ignorant and used Castrol GTX 10W-30. 50k miles and 5 years later the rings/bores were so worn that it was leaving a smoke cloud behind it while I drove it. I wish I had used an XW-40 oil instead. This was from 1995 to 1999.


Different engine. The M42/44 was a newer design that apparently shared a lot of technology with the BMW V12 engines of the time, FWIW.

 

[E365]

Gonna skip this stuff for the summer. Just picked up four gallons of Delvac 1300 for $1.99/qt. after rebate. Now I should decide if this oil could be used this winter

 

[MCompact]

In my 131K mile M42 I run M1 0W-40 year round(including track days). The 5W-30 should work fine for your application.