M3 Evo Oil recommendations (quickly please!!!!)

Mon Mar 06, 2006 7:09 pm

Hi, I'm ready to try to start my E36 M3 Evo motor (which now resides in my E30 touring)

What oil grades/manufacturers do you guys recommend?

I need to stick some in it tonight, just some cheapish stuff which will be flushed out and replaced when she's properly up and running.

Cheers.

Mon Mar 06, 2006 9:21 pm

Think BMW use the Castrol fully synthetic in that motor
Not sure of the grades though

Mon Mar 06, 2006 9:57 pm

You will never get a straight answer on this one.

I have used Castrol RS 0w40, Mobil 1 0w40 and currently Silkolene Pro S 5w40.

Lot's of people swear that you should use Castrol TWS or RS 10w60, but I personally feel this is a little thick for general road use. For a race car it's probably okay though.

As long as you use a good quality oil with a viscosity around 0w40 or 5w40 you should be fine. Just make sure it's a fully synthetic oil.

Ian.

Mon Mar 06, 2006 10:00 pm

Castrol TWS is needed for this engine.

BMW specify the use of this oil for their S engines, as it is THICKER. this oil is needed because the tollerances of M power engines are much greater than of normal engines

Trust me, i know, i work for BMW....

Mon Mar 06, 2006 10:05 pm

BUMP

didnt wanna sound big headed there, just wanted to lend my advice!!!

Mon Mar 06, 2006 10:11 pm

stuartgallafant wrote:Castrol TWS is needed for this engine.

BMW specify the use of this oil for their S engines, as it is THICKER. this oil is needed because the tollerances of M power engines are much greater than of normal engines

Trust me, i know, i work for BMW....

Just edited my previous post because I said 10w60 was thinner, not thicker - my bad.

Working for BMW does not guarantee you are specifying the correct oil. There have been some very lengthy debates on this subject on other BMW forums, and even different BMW dealers specify different grades of oil. As far as I'm aware, the TWS is only specified for the S54 and newer S series engines (E39 M5 etc).

Do you have any bulletins or other official documentation from BMW that specifically states that the S50B32 engine should use TWS 10w60 ?

Don't get me wrong, I'm not having a go, or saying you are wrong. I'm genuinely interested to know the official BMW stance on this.

Cheers,

Ian.

Mon Mar 06, 2006 10:14 pm

Ian, you have PM!

Mon Mar 06, 2006 11:44 pm

yeah, im pretty sure i can get hold of the technical bulletin about what oil it needs and why...

i'll have a look at work tomorrow. maybe this can settle a long lasting debate!!

Mon Mar 06, 2006 11:47 pm

stuartgallafant wrote:yeah, im pretty sure i can get hold of the technical bulletin about what oil it needs and why...

i'll have a look at work tomorrow. maybe this can settle a long lasting debate!!

That would be superb

I know a lot of people that would be interested to see a copy.

Cheers,

Ian.

Tue Mar 07, 2006 12:03 am

bigpimpin wrote:Hi, I'm ready to try to start my E36 M3 Evo motor (which now resides in my E30 touring)

What oil grades/manufacturers do you guys recommend?

I need to stick some in it tonight, just some cheapish stuff which will be flushed out and replaced when she's properly up and running.

Cheers.

where about in aberdeenshire are you?

Wed Mar 08, 2006 12:04 am

I need to stick some in it tonight, just some cheapish stuff which will be flushed out and replaced when she's properly up and running.

thats the most important time for an engine, and you want to stick bullshit oil in it?!?!?!

are you insane.....

Wed Mar 08, 2006 12:05 am

forgot to say, that i didnt get time to look today for the bulletin, but i'll try and do it tomorrow....

Wed Mar 08, 2006 9:22 am

Formula one?

= castrol sponsor BMW

I dont understand why an M engine needs thicker oil?

Andrew

Wed Mar 08, 2006 6:31 pm

M power engines are far more high spec than series engines.

they're complete blueprint engines, which means the tolerances and values are far greater. the clearances between the moving engine components are EXACT spot on in Mpower engines and they are higher revving

the temperatures of the engines get hotter, and are under a greater stress than normal series engines

all this accounts for the need for the thicker oil. if you look at the oil used in formula one vehicles, its like baby shit!!

like i said, i'll find the bulletin for it, and this will settle arguements/queries

if you dont believe me, go into any BMW dealership or even a website and ask the question...

Wed Mar 08, 2006 10:25 pm

Formula one engines and M engines are not the same!

Im not convinced that you would need such a thick oil for our climate, you will do more harm to the engine when cold because it has no protection than revving the tits off it with a thin oil!

Andrew

Thu Mar 09, 2006 1:28 am

I dont think that the oil has to be that thick when cold, it just has to be of a kind that doesnt thin too much when hot - there are additives used in making oils that can prevent this.

F1 oil, well they have to heat that up for about an hour before they run the engines

Thu Mar 09, 2006 11:23 am

Im not convinced that you would need such a thick oil for our climate, you will do more harm to the engine when cold because it has no protection than revving the tits off it with a thin oil!

Sorry Demlot, i didnt realise that you knew more than BMW Motorsprt Developements, that have been building high power engines for 70+ years, and Castrol Oil which have been refining and developing outstanding high performance oils for nearly a century....

...that was a bit "handbags", but i cannot see how you refuse to accept the need for a specific required oil, in such a performance engine...

its like saying "that nut there is 10mm, but i'll think i'll use an 11mm spanner to undo it"... it might work, but certainly nowhere near aswell as it should!!!

im gonna go look for that technical bulletin in a minute so this discussion can get wrapped up as quickly as possible

i tried explaining this to Lordschleife at Guildford last night, and i think he got the jist of what i was on about...

Thu Mar 09, 2006 12:42 pm

right, after browsing 8 interesting pages of Technical Data: Operating Fluids, i've come up with the following:

S50 B30 can run on fully synthetic oil 5w 40 i think was the grade

S50 B32 (early) can run on fully synthetic oil or TWS motorsport oil, dependant on the climate of the country. Cold countries need thinner oils (i think)

S50 B32 (late) run on TWS motorsport oil - 10w 60. Cold countries also use a different oil

it also states that to gain full advantage of the oils lubricating properties, the engine must be at optimum temperature, meaning the oil temp guage in the instrument cluster reads 120 degrees celsius (HOT!!!)

sorry to demlot about throwing my toys out the pram! please pass me the rattle!!

i hope this has helped people who are unsure of what is required...

Thu Mar 09, 2006 2:45 pm

Stuart,

Interesting stuff, any chance of a copy of the bulletin ?

I'm not so sure about the 120 degree oil temp though. My oil never got up to 120 degrees even after two consecutive laps of the Nurburgring. It may have nudged 115, but is normally under 100 degrees with regular driving.

Cheers,

Ian.

Thu Mar 09, 2006 5:22 pm

The stuff you need is Castrol TWS, i am a BMW tecnician too, in north wales and its used worldwide in the BMW network for M-sereis engines. Hope the car goes well!!

Thu Mar 09, 2006 5:38 pm

so its castrol tws 10w 60 then for the late s50b32 ?
If so where do i get it ?
Dont say dealer as they say " oh well we dont sell it at the counter,we only have it in big drums "

Also anyone know the correct capacity ?? i think its close to 7 litres.The reason i ask is i want to know if the 5 series sump and dipstick tally up with what it should be.

cheers
andy

Thu Mar 09, 2006 7:49 pm

i dont think you can buy it at a dealers, but the best thing to do is to ring around everywhere you know that sells oil and ask them.

failing that, if you go into a BMW dealers, ask them if you can buy it off them in small quantities.

but be prepared to pay at least Ãƒ”šÃ‚£15 per litre!!

and i also believe the correct amount is 7 litres, but could be 6.5.

Ian, you're right about the oil temp. its 90-110 degrees for the S50 for optimum performance and 120 degrees for the S54 (if you're really booting it!!)

in regards to the bulletin, its at least 12 pages, it took me ages to find the right info. the bad thing is, theres no way of transferring the bulletin from the GT1 unit to a normal computer, without having to type the bloody thing out all together!! however, if there is a way, i'll most certainly do it for you, ok mate

Thu Mar 09, 2006 8:15 pm

stuartgallafant wrote:in regards to the bulletin, its at least 12 pages, it took me ages to find the right info. the bad thing is, theres no way of transferring the bulletin from the GT1 unit to a normal computer, without having to type the bloody thing out all together!! however, if there is a way, i'll most certainly do it for you, ok mate

Any chance you could print it it out and post it

(I'll cover any costs involved).

Cheers,

Ian.

Thu Mar 09, 2006 8:28 pm

i'll see what i can do fella...