What Oil For BMW Water Cooled Boxer?

[JonfromCB]

The "new" since 14 BMW Water Cooled Boxer (1200 CC) which now also shares it's oil with it's gear box calls for 5W40 MA2. BMW switched suppliers from Castrol to Shell, and recommends their BMW label "Advantec" concocted from natural Gas @ $16/litre.

Hardly any UOAs on WC boxers, so what would you guys recommend other than BMW oil?

Thanks

 

[Atesz792]

RT6 maybe?

 

[SilverC6]

Why over think it?

Use the BMW oil.

Alternately, find the commercial version of the Castrol oil meeting your spec.

 

[bmwpowere36m3]

Rotella 15W-40 works well in all my bikes.

 

[Bandito440]

Rotella T6 for sure, or:

Mobil 1 TDT 5w-40
Delvac 1 5w-40

I could make a huge list, but those are easy enough to come by. The showerhead isn't all that different compared with the older boxers.

 

[ammolab]

RT6 is just "MA" I think. I saw a 5W-40 MA2 MC oil at Walmart but not sure if it was the Castrol or Valvoline I looked at.

I guess gone are the days when a good "Car" oil suited the Boxer engine just fine. Wet clutch? Gearbox sharing oil? Times are a changing.

 

[JonfromCB]

Two reasons. Experience has shown manufacturer recommended and labeled products are not the best performing oils in their products and I don't expect this natural gas derived "syn" to be any different.

2nd, it's $16/qt and can get many esters delivered to my door for much less.

 

[ammolab]

Originally Posted By: Bandito440
Rotella T6 for sure, or:

Mobil 1 TDT 5w-40
Delvac 1 5w-40

I could make a huge list, but those are easy enough to come by. The showerhead isn't all that different compared with the older boxers.


Water cooled, wet clutch, gears in the engine oil..not all that different from older boxers? I guess it could have been a Rotary engine or a turbine!

 

[ammolab]

Would you rule out a 10W-40 MA2 oil? Plenty of those available.

 

[4wheeldog]

That natural gas oil is made from German unicorn farts.

If I were you, I would use whatever Mobil I product meets the requirements for grade of oil the BMW suggests, and I would buy it at WallyWorld.

 

[Rand]

Originally Posted By: ammolab
RT6 is just "MA" I think. I saw a 5W-40 MA2 MC oil at Walmart but not sure if it was the Castrol or Valvoline I looked at.

I guess gone are the days when a good "Car" oil suited the Boxer engine just fine. Wet clutch? Gearbox sharing oil? Times are a changing.


http://s7d9.scene7.com/is/content/GenuinePartsCompany/1843126pdf?$PDF$

t6 is ma2?

 

[ammolab]

Mobil 1 and most of the other oils recommended do not meet the MA2 or 5W-40 requirement of this still in warranty motorcycle.

 

[ammolab]

Originally Posted By: Rand
Originally Posted By: ammolab
RT6 is just "MA" I think. I saw a 5W-40 MA2 MC oil at Walmart but not sure if it was the Castrol or Valvoline I looked at.

I guess gone are the days when a good "Car" oil suited the Boxer engine just fine. Wet clutch? Gearbox sharing oil? Times are a changing.


http://s7d9.scene7.com/is/content/GenuinePartsCompany/1843126pdf?$PDF$

t6 is ma2?

Is your pic Rotella T6? I ask because my jug is just marked "M". If M2 I would use it no sweat.

 

[JetStar]

Originally Posted By: JonfromCB
The "new" since 14 BMW Water Cooled Boxer (1200 CC) which now also shares it's oil with it's gear box calls for 5W40 MA2. BMW switched suppliers from Castrol to Shell, and recommends their BMW label "Advantec" concocted from natural Gas @ $16/litre.

Hardly any UOAs on WC boxers, so what would you guys recommend other than BMW oil?

Thanks


What are the guys on the BMW forums using in these new engines, and have they posted any UOAs?

 

[bmwpowere36m3]

Originally Posted By: ammolab
Mobil 1 and most of the other oils recommended do not meet the MA2 or 5W-40 requirement of this still in warranty motorcycle.


Where does it state in the manual that ONLY 5W-40 oil can be used... I would be surprised if it didn't offer a climate/temp chart with various oil weights. I won't get into the discussion of warranty, but suffice it to say its not something to be worried about (i.e., oil choice causing a denial of warranty claim).

 

[bmwpowere36m3]

If you "must" stick with 5W-40, then I'd go with a HDEO like T6 or Delvac. 10W-40 gives you a lot more options and 15W-40 even more.

 

[JonfromCB]

I haven't seen any UOAs, which would make it easier to select an oil intelligently.
To the best of my knowledge, most new water cooled boxers are using the old recommended Castrol or the new recommended BMW/Shell.

I could always go with Motul, Bel Ray, or a couple of other esters because I know what an ester does for a gearbox. As I originally posted, I'm looking for other recommendations and hopped this post would draw out some WC boxer owners.

 

[JonfromCB]

Originally Posted By: bmwpowere36m3
Originally Posted By: ammolab
Mobil 1 and most of the other oils recommended do not meet the MA2 or 5W-40 requirement of this still in warranty motorcycle.


Where does it state in the manual that ONLY 5W-40 oil can be used... I would be surprised if it didn't offer a climate/temp chart with various oil weights. I won't get into the discussion of warranty, but suffice it to say its not something to be worried about (i.e., oil choice causing a denial of warranty claim).


Be surprised. There is no "climate chart" or any such reference to ambient operating temperature. It's a pretty straight forward specification for SAE 5W-40, API SL/JASO MA2 with remark that molybdenum-based substances (additives) "are prohibited."

 

[Franklim]

Using Mobil 1 Racing 4T 10W40 on my 3 month old 15 GSA. So far so good.

 

[bmwpowere36m3]

Go read the BMW forums... there's guys running 20W-50. Any non-EC oil will likely do fine. Otherwise stick with BMW oil and enjoy a lighter wallet.

I've run 5W-40, 10W-40 and 15W-40 in all my water-cooled bikes and they do just fine (shared trans sump). The Harley gets 20W-50.