Castrol TWS 10w60

[m6pwr]

Below is a voa of the oil BMW prescribes for all the naturally aspirated port injected M cars, Castrol Edge Professional TWS 10w60. The voa was done by Polaris. The oil is made in Europe; it is API SM ACEA A3/B3. The bottle bears a "Filling date 12.07.12". I am under the impression that TWS is, or was in the beginning, ester based. The 10w60 grade was first used by BMW in 2001 with the new e46 M3's. It came in bottles labelled Castrol RS 10w60. About a year after that, the 10w60 used in the M cars came in bottles labelled Castrol TWS 10w60. My particular application is in a 2013 M3 with 4.0 liter V8, 414 hp @ 8400 rpm.

aluminum 8
iron 1
silicon 7
titanium 47
moly 198
boron 59
calcium 2823
phosphorous 804
zinc 922

vis 100 C 20.7
base number 10.8
oxidation (abs/cm) 8
nitration (abs/cm) 4

Polaris flagged the viscosity as "moderately low". I've always considered the TWS as a heavy 50 wt (at 100 C). The vis is just a hair under the 60 wt line (21.9), so I'm not too concerned with the viscosity out of the bottle.

I've read that in voa's that labs can interpret esters in the oil as oxidation/nitration, so I'm a little surprised that the oxidation/nitration figures aren't higher - - if indeed, TWS is still ester based. Of course, there's a lot in a formulation that doesn't show up in a voa. Any comments appreciated.

 

[OVERKILL]

The pre 03/00 E39 M5's also spec'd TWS. Then a recommendation to run LL-01 lubricants for the post 03/00 cars happened. This recommendation remains in Germany and Canada, but the US changed the recommendation back to using TWS 10w-60 for the post 03/00 cars for whatever reason.

This lubricant is actually quite old. A member here, Doug Hillary, was intimately involved in its development.

 

[A_Harman]

A VOA for Red Line 5w30 that had done a year ago showed oxidation of 108, compared to 8 for the TWS 10w60. This makes me doubt that the Castrol is ester-based.

 

[A_Harman]

And here is a link showing Oxidation numbers for Red Line and RLI oils:

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=1630856#Post1630856

 

[m6pwr]

Thanks for all your comments, and the link on RL and RLI oxidation figures.

I was going to include a voa of TWS that I did in 2008. Insofar as what voa's show, the oil has changed somewhat. The voa was done by Blackstone which doesn't test/report oxidation/nitration. I have no idea if it was ester based. The 2008 voa was different in that the calcium was much lower (1141) and the zddp was lower at 641/796 with no other complementary AW adds like boron, titanium, or moly. That kind of surprised me. I've read some reports that TWS is used as a racing lubricant by many of the Castrol-supported teams at the 24 Hrs of the Nurburgring. Must have some secret sauce in it that doesn't show up in normal voa's.

 

[fdcg27]

Is it just me, or does this oil not look all that special?
Nice that Castrol built in some aluminum and silicon.
Even nicer that a memeber posted a VOA so that with any future UOA, an owner will know that the oil starts off with virgin levels of these elements that are typical of UOAs from mainstream engines.

 

[m6pwr]

Silicon 5-10 ppm is fairly normal in most oils as anti-foam add.

But you are right, nothing really reveals itself as all that special in this voa.

 

[Doug Hillary]

Hi,
m6pwr - Yes as OVERKILL has alluded too I was involved with this product very early in its life - late 1960s. It was really a road going version of the famous Shell R30 and R40 easter based racing lubricants. My family used these in racing motorcycle. I was involved in my Career training with Castrol via BMC

The road going version was Castrol Formula R Synthetic - rated API SE. It had a 15w-50 viscosity, was red in colour and of course emitted the beautiful castor based odour in use

In the 1970s and 1980s I used/field tested the probuct in many diesel and petrol engines as it evolved and this involved hundreds of UOAs. I visited Japan, US and Europe to deal with various engine manufacturers and in the use of this product. In some small high speed diesel engines (Kubota,Isuzu etc) we ran up to 3000hrs without change

Two versions were later marketed - one "exclusively by BMW". I met with some BMW and Castrol engine/product development people at the Nurburgring a few years ago at a 24Hr event. They spoke so highly of the product it still amazes me. They also told me that the last of the German Castrol development team had recently died. They said that I was probably the last of that mob - wow............!

A great product in the correct application

 

[jaj]

The TWS formulation in use from "changeover" in 2000 is the original "Racing Syntec Formula RS 10w-60" product that BMW Motorsports used in their racing engines. Racing Syntec and TWS have the same part number in BMW's inventory system, and I have an old RS bottle in my garage from 2001 when I got my first M5.

What's special about it from BMW's standpoint? Hard to say. BMW Motorsport still uses it for racing but BMW M stopped when they switched to low-revving forced induction engines (the new turbo in the M5). I have read that it's been reformulated but I don't have any evidence, just hearsay.

 

[m6pwr]

Yes, I think the TWS has been reformulated to some extent. I'm not too hung up on the ester base stock thing. I think there can be a lot of good stuff in an oil that won't necessarily show up in a voa.

Thanks Doug for your info.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: jaj
I have read that it's been reformulated but I don't have any evidence, just hearsay.

Yup. I have a 2004 test report from Opie Oils and Fuchs stating that the RS 10w-60 has been reformulated with group III bases and has no close correlation with Castrol RS 10W/60 tested back in 1993.

Whether true or not, as long as the oil still does the job it was designed to perform, I don't particularly care what it's made of.

 

[jaj]

QP - you're right - RS 10w-60 was reformulated, which is why BMW stopped using it.

From what I've seen and read, BMW liked the original formulation enough that they made a deal with Castrol to keep the old formulation alive by branding it "TWS Motorsport" and for the first five years of the deal, TWS was only available from BMW dealers - it was not available anywhere else. After five years, TWS became available from Castrol directly as "Edge 10w-60".

What I've heard, but can't confirm, is that the old formulation, after more than a decade as TWS/Edge 10w-60, has now been reformulated.

 

[addyguy]

I find it the most interesting that it uses Titanium, like other Edge grades do.

I honestly think it is a fairly strong oil - 200ppm moly, Titanium and Boron, 2800ppm Ca detergent, TBN of 10+....what NOT to like???

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: addyguy
.what NOT to like???

The high viscosity spread. Probably not very shear stable.

 

[m6pwr]

Not sure about the new formulation, but TWS run to an extended oci usually wound up with a 100 C vis around 17 or 18 - - a light 50 wt (and it really began as a heavy 50 wt).

Based on Doug Hillary's posts a couple yeas ago about the 24 Hrs of the Nurburgring, it appears every Castrol supported team was running the TWS even when their service fill was something else (e.g., Audi R8).

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: m6pwr
Not sure about the new formulation, but TWS run to an extended oci usually wound up with a 100 C vis around 17 or 18 - - a light 50 wt (and it really began as a heavy 50 wt).

Based on Doug Hillary's posts a couple yeas ago about the 24 Hrs of the Nurburgring, it appears every Castrol supported team was running the TWS even when their service fill was something else (e.g., Audi R8).


I've seen a few UOA's where it ended up a heavy 40-weight as well, FWIW. IIRC, those were posted on M5board.