Help me pick 1 of 3 oils for my 800hp E63s (overwhelmed)

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Aug 20, 2025
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I didn't want to be "that guy" and make an other similar post, so I first spent HOURS on this site over the last couple days to try and pick my next oil and quite frankly - i'm overwhelmed. I've been read countless threads on 0w40/5w40 euro oils, done a lot of learning about saps, oil shear, sp ratings, oils for lspi, etc, but although I've learned a bunch, I'm no closer to picking.

The car: tuned w213 m177 e63s making ~700whp running pump 93. I'm in western Canada, so I won't see super cold temps (think seattle weather). The motor is a DI hot V twin turbo 4.0L v8. It's my daily and fun car, it won't see track racing but it'll see lots of WOT pulls/ spirited driving , some 1/4 mile stuff, etc. I don't beat on my cars, always warm them up, don't do short trips, etc. I'm also not using price or what's on sale as a factor. I need the 229.5 mb rating, but all 3 of the oils below seem meet the MB, Porsche AND bmw ratings now. All are SP rated too.

The 3 oils I can't decide between are:

Mobil 1 0w-40 euro
Castrol 0w-40 euro
Penzoil Platinum 5w-40 euro

My car currently has castrol 0w40 euro in it, but I checked the bottle in my trunk earlier today and it said SN on the back, even though I just bought it a year ago. So I popped over to the local store and looked at their current stock, the m1 and castrol were marked SP. In reading here, it sounded like the PP 5w40 might be the best for lspi prevention, even though they're all sp rated. But then it sounds like I also watt high saps (castrol/m1?), and when using chatgpt it said the castrol was high saps and the PP was mid saps, and that the castrol wasn't specifically good for lspi, but I think it was pulling info from the older castrol formula. And then I came across threads talking about the m1 thinning more than alternatives for some people.

Again, i'm clearly overwhelmed/confused, but I'm leaning toward the castrol 0w40 euro or PP 5w40 euro.

So, if you were me, which of the 3 oils would you pick and why?
 
Castrol you have now is fine. 4.0 doesn’t have LSPI issues. However, tune changes that possibility. That Castrol while having high calcium also has higher ZDDP like all high SAPS Euro oils. ZDDP “suppresses” LSPI possibility.
You can try all of them and check which one feels warmer around the heart :).
 
I didn't want to be "that guy" and make an other similar post, so I first spent HOURS on this site over the last couple days to try and pick my next oil and quite frankly - i'm overwhelmed. I've been read countless threads on 0w40/5w40 euro oils, done a lot of learning about saps, oil shear, sp ratings, oils for lspi, etc, but although I've learned a bunch, I'm no closer to picking.

The car: tuned w213 m177 e63s making ~700whp running pump 93. I'm in western Canada, so I won't see super cold temps (think seattle weather). The motor is a DI hot V twin turbo 4.0L v8. It's my daily and fun car, it won't see track racing but it'll see lots of WOT pulls/ spirited driving , some 1/4 mile stuff, etc. I don't beat on my cars, always warm them up, don't do short trips, etc. I'm also not using price or what's on sale as a factor. I need the 229.5 mb rating, but all 3 of the oils below seem meet the MB, Porsche AND bmw ratings now. All are SP rated too.

The 3 oils I can't decide between are:

Mobil 1 0w-40 euro
Castrol 0w-40 euro
Penzoil Platinum 5w-40 euro

My car currently has castrol 0w40 euro in it, but I checked the bottle in my trunk earlier today and it said SN on the back, even though I just bought it a year ago. So I popped over to the local store and looked at their current stock, the m1 and castrol were marked SP. In reading here, it sounded like the PP 5w40 might be the best for lspi prevention, even though they're all sp rated. But then it sounds like I also watt high saps (castrol/m1?), and when using chatgpt it said the castrol was high saps and the PP was mid saps, and that the castrol wasn't specifically good for lspi, but I think it was pulling info from the older castrol formula. And then I came across threads talking about the m1 thinning more than alternatives for some people.

Again, i'm clearly overwhelmed/confused, but I'm leaning toward the castrol 0w40 euro or PP 5w40 euro.

So, if you were me, which of the 3 oils would you pick and why?
A LSPI test as part of Mercedes Benz approvals so don't get too hung up on API. They're all going to perform relatively the same because they all share the same approvals and consequtly have little wiggle room with regards to formulation.
 
700 ÷ 8 = 88HP per cylinder.

I use this criteria to determine oil viscosity. In general terms, connecting rod bearings don't vary all that much in size, for practical reasons. So the HP per Cyl 'metric' is casually useful.

Here is roughly how I pick. 50HP per cyl, any 30 viscosity oil will handle the loads. Up to and beyond 70HP per cyl, a robust 40 viscosity is called for. And when pushing 90 or more HP per cylinder, strongly consider a 50 viscosity oil.

There is no situation where I'd use a lower viscosity oil in an engine that truly makes 90HP per cylinder. Consider Mobil 1, 15W-50 in the summer. It is not unusually 'thick' for a 50, has a great pour point, and an HTHS of at least 4.5, and more likely 4.9-5.0 (according to recent tests).
 
I didn't want to be "that guy" and make an other similar post, so I first spent HOURS on this site over the last couple days to try and pick my next oil and quite frankly - i'm overwhelmed. I've been read countless threads on 0w40/5w40 euro oils, done a lot of learning about saps, oil shear, sp ratings, oils for lspi, etc, but although I've learned a bunch, I'm no closer to picking.

The car: tuned w213 m177 e63s making ~700whp running pump 93. I'm in western Canada, so I won't see super cold temps (think seattle weather). The motor is a DI hot V twin turbo 4.0L v8. It's my daily and fun car, it won't see track racing but it'll see lots of WOT pulls/ spirited driving , some 1/4 mile stuff, etc. I don't beat on my cars, always warm them up, don't do short trips, etc. I'm also not using price or what's on sale as a factor. I need the 229.5 mb rating, but all 3 of the oils below seem meet the MB, Porsche AND bmw ratings now. All are SP rated too.

The 3 oils I can't decide between are:

Mobil 1 0w-40 euro
Castrol 0w-40 euro
Penzoil Platinum 5w-40 euro

My car currently has castrol 0w40 euro in it, but I checked the bottle in my trunk earlier today and it said SN on the back, even though I just bought it a year ago. So I popped over to the local store and looked at their current stock, the m1 and castrol were marked SP. In reading here, it sounded like the PP 5w40 might be the best for lspi prevention, even though they're all sp rated. But then it sounds like I also watt high saps (castrol/m1?), and when using chatgpt it said the castrol was high saps and the PP was mid saps, and that the castrol wasn't specifically good for lspi, but I think it was pulling info from the older castrol formula. And then I came across threads talking about the m1 thinning more than alternatives for some people.

Again, i'm clearly overwhelmed/confused, but I'm leaning toward the castrol 0w40 euro or PP 5w40 euro.

So, if you were me, which of the 3 oils would you pick and why?
Unless you put your trans in manual mode and lug the engine down to below 2k and floor the gas, you will never have the conditions needed for LSPI. ECUs will drop down one or more gears and get the RPM up past where LSPI is a concern.

I know you’re new here, but LSPI certainly seems more boogeyman than actual concern. I have a bolt-on and tuned 3.5 Ecoboost making around 600hp at the crank, and I run HPL No VII Euro 5w30, which certainly doesn’t fit the anemic formulas claimed to be needed to avoid LSPI. I also run 30% ethanol, and have had no issues whatsoever in over 75k miles in this method.

I can’t really recommend anything for your specific case since I don’t use those oils, but @OVERKILL may have some insight on the three you chose. My point is, don’t potentially chose a lesser oil for something that’s not likely to happen. There are other ways besides lower calcium to combat LSPI. 👍🏻
 
M1 0w-40 or look into boutiques. Amsoil/HPL will also take care of you.
It's funny because the m1 is actually on sale for 36 CAD right now, but I didn't want that to sway answers. For some reason I'm leaning toward the Castrol still.

Still open to opinions though, oil change is Friday. Need to pick by then.
 
Those are three excellent choices. I’m a Mobil 1 user and it has done well in my MB.
Agree, all are good. Most users will never see a diff in any of them.
Mobil 1 0w-40 euro
Castrol 0w-40 euro
Penzoil Platinum 5w-40 euro
There are others as well, like AMSOIL that will meet/exceed your needs.
 
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I agree with Cujet, look for a 50w.
Mb says 0w40 or 5w40 only. Any person I know making considerably more power than me on the same platform, including guys with built motors, still all run those two. I'm not saying a 50w would be wrong, I just feel comfortable being by the "book" for now. Also not trying to open a new can of worms / discussion.


Unless you put your trans in manual mode and lug the engine down to below 2k and floor the gas, you will never have the conditions needed for LSPI. ECUs will drop down one or more gears and get the RPM up past where LSPI is a concern.

I know you’re new here, but LSPI certainly seems more boogeyman than actual concern. I have a bolt-on and tuned 3.5 Ecoboost making around 600hp at the crank, and I run HPL No VII Euro 5w30, which certainly doesn’t fit the anemic formulas claimed to be needed to avoid LSPI. I also run 30% ethanol, and have had no issues whatsoever in over 75k miles in this method.

I can’t really recommend anything for your specific case since I don’t use those oils, but @OVERKILL may have some insight on the three you chose. My point is, don’t potentially chose a lesser oil for something that’s not likely to happen. There are other ways besides lower calcium to combat LSPI. 👍🏻
Thanks for the reply, I'll keep that in mind. In that scenario I don't know what you mean by being below 2k rpm, but I'm assuming you mean generally lugging the engine at low speed in a gear that is too high?
 
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800hp M177......bet its quick! Mobil 1 would be my pick, but its boring.....try one of these.....HPL is the best overall. Ravenol although has some critics has some excellent approvals and awesome UOAs......300v is for the track, but dailys fine up to 3k miles. Amsoils better than Mobil 1. Redline is great, but HPL does the POA/POE thing better...

On a side note, have you had youre RMS replaced yet? What turbos you running? Change the oil often to keep the oil seperators clean....also rocket that thing say once a week.....keeps the carbon buildup down....
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Similar thread that may be of help. There are more if you look around:

 
800hp M177......bet its quick! Mobil 1 would be my pick, but its boring.....try one of these.....HPL is the best overall. Ravenol although has some critics has some excellent approvals and awesome UOAs......300v is for the track, but dailys fine up to 3k miles. Amsoils better than Mobil 1. Redline is great, but HPL does the POA/POE thing better...

On a side note, have you had youre RMS replaced yet? What turbos you running? Change the oil often to keep the oil seperators clean....also rocket that thing say once a week.....keeps the carbon buildup down....
Car is stock turbo. Has ecu, tcu and cpc tunes. They all make 680-720 whp with stage 2.

Haven't had to do my RMS, but I know 2 local cars that have. Although I know of about 15 of them locally that haven't as well . I'm hoping I get lucky but who knows. I thought the problem was that the oil seperators were actually faulty and causing positive crank pressure. I'm not sure that frequent oil changes will help, but I'm sure willing to try lol. I'm honestly only doing this oil change because it's been a year and I just did a tank of gas with techron fuel cleaner, so I want to change it out, but I've only got 5000 KM on this oil. I never go past 7500km (4600 miles) though .
 
800hp M177......bet its quick! Mobil 1 would be my pick, but its boring.....try one of these.....HPL is the best overall. Ravenol although has some critics has some excellent approvals and awesome UOAs......300v is for the track, but dailys fine up to 3k miles. Amsoils better than Mobil 1. Redline is great, but HPL does the POA/POE thing better...

On a side note, have you had youre RMS replaced yet? What turbos you running? Change the oil often to keep the oil seperators clean....also rocket that thing say once a week.....keeps the carbon buildup down....View attachment 296294
OP is in Canada, so unless he has a way of receiving mail in the US, HPL is pretty much unavailable. 😢
 
Mb says 0w40 or 5w40 only. Any person I know making considerably more power than me on the same platform, including guys with built motors, still all run those two. I'm not saying a 50w would be wrong, I just feel comfortable being by the "book" for now. Also not trying to open a new can of worms / discussion.
I’d be more comfortable with the extra HT/HS. No worms involved.
 
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