Alternatives to Castrol 10w-60 TWS

[Granted]

First time poster here and although I am still digesting the quantity and quality of oil posts here, thought I would ask you for your thoughts regarding my BMW M6. I purchased this vehicle second-hand with approximately 45000km on it, drive it only in summer, enjoy driving it “spiritedly” but am a bit put-off with the cost ($425) of oil changes at my dealer.

TWS is difficult to get in my neck of the woods and purchasing the oil from my dealer is no bargain either. I understand that Castrol 10w-60 TWS was developed in conjunction with and specifically for the M-series engine but am curious about the Redline alternative. I can purchase Redline 10w-60 and although this isn’t the specified brand, I’m wondering if any of you have had any experience with it? Thanks in advance.

 

[Doog]

Buy it on line

http://www.ecstuning.com/BMW-E46-M3-S54_3.2L/Maintenance/Engine/Oil/ES10317/

 

[MBS500]

Lubro Moly GT1 10w-60, you can get this at Napa. Under $40 for 5 Liters.
Ebay has same oil: 10 liters for 79.99 with free shipping.

 

[Quattro Pete]

There is also Lubro Moly Synthoil Race Tech GT1 10w60. Not sure if you have access to it in Canada.

 

[Doog]

Lubro Moly 10w60

http://www.amazon.com/Lubro-Moly-Synthoi...#productDetails

 

[MBS500]

BTW I hear only good thing about this oil from guys in Europe, one of them uses it in his eclipse over here in US. As to me it is crazy heavy for stock v6 Eclipse.

 

[Bandito440]

Red Line makes great products. I used their oils regularly in my motorcycle before I sold it.

 

[Quattro Pete]

TOTAL Quartz Racing 10W60 would be another option.

 

[CATERHAM]

If your thinking of Red Line forget their 10W-60 (HTHSV 6.7cP) which is a massively heavy oil, much heavier the TWS HTHSV 5.3cP). Even RL 5W-50 (HTHSV 5.9cP) is still too heavy.
For street use, RL 0W-40 will be more than heavy enough.

You have an oil temp' gauge. If you never see oil temp's over 100C (which is undoubtedly the case) just use Mobil 1 0W-40 which is a much more suitable lubricant for street use.

 

[bigjl]

I know Caterham has much more knowledge when it comes to oil.

But I would feel uncomfortable with anything other than 10w60 in that engine.

BMW have specified that oil for good reason.

Choosing an oil specification on the basis that you don't operate your vehicle to its full capacity is like fitting smaller brakes to your car as you don't use the brakes to full capacity.

Just my opinion and all that. But I would stick with the Castrol oil.

This isn't a 320i we are discussing.

I would definitely try to find the Castrol oil cheaper, but would stick to it.

 

[OVERKILL]

Use the recommended oil for this engine. It is too expensive to replace to play the game of "maybe this will work!".

If my engine specifically called for TWS, that's what I'd run. I'm lucky that it doesn't, but yours DOES, so follow BMW's advice.

There are many places to buy it on-line inexpensively, so just do that. Order a few cases. I'd also contact Maranello BMW (where I buy my bimmer parts) as they may be able to ship it to you a lot cheaper than your local dealer is willing to sell it to you for.

 

[A_Harman]

Here is a link to an article on Red Line's web site about what fluids to run in BMW's:

http://www.redlineoil.com/news_article.aspx?id=13

Some key quotes:

"Recent years have brought much controversy to the topic of BMWs and motor oil; given BMWs unprecedented drain intervals and Castrol relationship at the dealership level. We have much respect for BMW and many at Red Line are BMW enthusiasts, but photos like you see in this article back up the consumer's concern. To start, Red Line recommends our 10W40 Motor Oil for engines up to 1998 and our 5W30 Motor Oil for engine from 1999 and up. As for the M-cars, track day activity, and specialty applications, many select Red Line motor oils for their stability at temperature, so moving up an oil weight is likely to cause a loss in power and fuel economy."

"Most E36 and E46 cars run fine on the recommended 5W30-even with all but the most dramatic aftermarket mods. The need for 10W60 motor oil in the M-cars is questionable to many (including Red Line, as we've seen customers run as light as 5W30 in E46 M3s without issue), but we now offer this product for sale in North America (we have sold this product in Asia for many years). Folks like Bavarian Autosport smartly recommend that that their Red Line customers use the lightest weight that's appropriate for seasonal conditions. We don't argue that."

So even though Red Line makes the 10w60, they are skeptical about using it. If you really want an HTHS in the range of 5.3 for your engine, I suggest Red Line's 5w50, which is 5.7. This is still probably much thicker than necessary for normal street use.

 

[CATERHAM]

Originally Posted By: bigjl


BMW have specified that oil for good reason.

Choosing an oil specification on the basis that you don't operate your vehicle to its full capacity is like fitting smaller brakes to your car as you don't use the brakes to full capacity.

Not a good analogy.
Of course BMW specified the TWS 10W-60 for "good reason".
Those reasons undoubtedly include the possibility of high oil temp's and high oil consumption which can occur when cruising at sustained high speeds and at high rev's in the 250 km/h plus area. So if it's simply a matter of maintaining a certain minimum operational viscosity that can be determined through more precise means than the grade on a bottle of oil; i.e., oil temp's and oil pressure.
That said, some claim that TWS 10W-60 has some unique properties that go beyond it's heavy oil grade. I don't know if that's true but if you are going to stick with the 10W-60 grade I would not recommend deviating from TWS. It is known to fortunately shear down to a 50wt or even 40wt oil in service.

 

[Granted]

Thanks for all your input. I have previously ordered the TWS online from the States out of sheer frustration with my Armani-clad dealership however, after paying for exchange, shipping and customs it really wasn't a bargain after all. Ahhh, the joys of BMW ownership! Thanks again.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: Granted
Thanks for all your input. I have previously ordered the TWS online from the States out of sheer frustration with my Armani-clad dealership however, after paying for exchange, shipping and customs it really wasn't a bargain after all. Ahhh, the joys of BMW ownership! Thanks again.


Join maxbimmer forums. PM Maranello BMW. Their prices are excellent! And you won't have to pay duty or brokerage, as they are in Canada.