Howban engine sold as drive hard, can come with short life bearings. Same happens to my Subaru Impreza. It ate 2 main bearings at 125k miles...
10w60 BMW M-cars
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Originally Posted By: Ohle_Manezzini
Howban engine sold as drive hard, can come with short life bearings. Same happens to my Subaru Impreza. It ate 2 main bearings at 125k miles...
The two (or three, depending on who you listen to) ///M engines with "rod bearing issues" have a specific output of over 100hp/l. The also have a redline at or above 8,000rpm.
If you drive ANY car hard for long enough, you will gall or spin the rod bearings. (Looking at you, Honda Civic) It just happens faster with cars with higher specific output driven at max load and rpm for extended periods (racing.) If you rev the engine cold or drive hard with the oil cold you can do damage because the additive package is not yet active. There is a reason the facelifted E46 M3 and beyond had a moving redline.
The ///M rod bearing issue is largely overblown. I have seen M3s well into the 200,000 mile range on their original bearings. I have seen M5s over 150k with original bearings. If you drive like a grandma and trundle around town you will likely never have a bearing issue. Most ///M owners do not drive easy, and many actively track their vehicles. Even more still, sad to say, will start the car and hammer down to impress someone.
When you consider how often race engines get rebuilt and how your typical owner will treat his/her car, you will find that the ///M "bearing issue" isn't so outrageous.
Howban engine sold as drive hard, can come with short life bearings. Same happens to my Subaru Impreza. It ate 2 main bearings at 125k miles...
The two (or three, depending on who you listen to) ///M engines with "rod bearing issues" have a specific output of over 100hp/l. The also have a redline at or above 8,000rpm.
If you drive ANY car hard for long enough, you will gall or spin the rod bearings. (Looking at you, Honda Civic) It just happens faster with cars with higher specific output driven at max load and rpm for extended periods (racing.) If you rev the engine cold or drive hard with the oil cold you can do damage because the additive package is not yet active. There is a reason the facelifted E46 M3 and beyond had a moving redline.
The ///M rod bearing issue is largely overblown. I have seen M3s well into the 200,000 mile range on their original bearings. I have seen M5s over 150k with original bearings. If you drive like a grandma and trundle around town you will likely never have a bearing issue. Most ///M owners do not drive easy, and many actively track their vehicles. Even more still, sad to say, will start the car and hammer down to impress someone.
When you consider how often race engines get rebuilt and how your typical owner will treat his/her car, you will find that the ///M "bearing issue" isn't so outrageous.
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