Liqui Moly vs Motul vs Shell

Banned

Drives: M2 & 330CI

Join Date: May 2018

Location: The Interweb

How so? A 0w oil will better protect your engine on (cold) start up. The rest of the spec is designed to make the car engine as efficient and long lasting (helped by the low temperature viscosity) as possible.

You can change the oil and filter every track day and/or every 6 months and get it checked just to make sure it's doing the job.

Yes?

First Lieutenant

Drives: m135i

Join Date: Sep 2015

Location: Durban

when it comes to modifying the m2 im basically doing everything but a ps2 turbo. what oil should i run? i think a 40 weight is probably better then a 30 weight due to the extra heat.
what brands would you go with? im looking at the following three

shell helix ultra 5w40 (pennzoil platinum euro 5w40 its the same thing)
motul 8100 xcess 5w40
liqui moly molygen 5w40
(or what do you all suggest rather?)

(here in south Africa the oem oil is 5w30 for the m2. BMW will not sell me any other alternative . this was just a response to a previous comment stating that they will only use 0w30 as that is the oil the engine was designed for)

Captain

Drives: 2018 M2, 2019 M2C

Join Date: Mar 2018

Location: Canada

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChristosD

when it comes to modifying the m2 im basically doing everything but a ps2 turbo. what oil should i run? i think a 40 weight is probably better then a 30 weight due to the extra heat.
what brands would you go with? im looking at the following three

shell helix ultra 5w40 (pennzoil platinum euro 5w40 its the same thing)
motul 8100 xcess 5w40
liqui moly molygen 5w40
(or what do you all suggest rather?)

(here in south Africa the oem oil is 5w30 for the m2. BMW will not sell me any other alternative . this was just a response to a previous comment stating that they will only use 0w30 as that is the oil the engine was designed for)

Those are all good choices and won't make much of a difference which you go with. Personally, i would go with penzoil ultra euro 5w40 (low NOACK score of 6.8%) in a hot climate or tracking and Redline 5w30 for all other uses (fully ester based synthetic with very low NOACK score)

Second Lieutenant

Drives: F87 M2

Join Date: Aug 2015

Location: Sydney

Quote:

Originally Posted by KevM2

Those are all good choices and won't make much of a difference which you go with. Personally, i would go with penzoil ultra euro 5w40 (low NOACK score of 6.8%) in a hot climate or tracking and Redline 5w30 for all other uses (fully ester based synthetic with very low NOACK score)

My mechanic told me when looking up in Liqui Moly's database, he couldn't find certified oil for F87 M2, very weird, so he recommended to stick to original BMW M Twin Power Turbo 0W-40 (Australia).

__________________

2016 F87 M2 DCT LBB

Captain

Drives: 2018 M2, 2019 M2C

Join Date: Mar 2018

Location: Canada

Quote:

Originally Posted by terrywang

Quote:

Originally Posted by KevM2

Those are all good choices and won't make much of a difference which you go with. Personally, i would go with penzoil ultra euro 5w40 (low NOACK score of 6.8%) in a hot climate or tracking and Redline 5w30 for all other uses (fully ester based synthetic with very low NOACK score)

My mechanic told me when looking up in Liqui Moly's database, he couldn't find certified oil for F87 M2, very weird, so he recommended to stick to original BMW M Twin Power Turbo 0W-40 (Australia).

That's a good choice too. I get my dealer to do the scheduled oil changes with BMW 0w40 - but I have to ask them since their default is now 0w30 which I think it's too thin for hot climates and tracking. And then I change my own oil every 5-7k Kms and put something more expensive- probably doesn't make a difference what oil you use but I'm just OCD

Private

Drives: 2018 BMW M2 LBB LCI

Join Date: Sep 2018

Location: Phoenix

Quote:

Originally Posted by greasypeanut

Quote:

Originally Posted by gsrbri

BMW wants 0W-30 in the car, so I'm sticking w/the factory recommendation - I'm just changing it more frequently. If it needed a thicker oil they would have specified it for different conditions (hot weather, track) Every current turbo M engine uses this oil viscosity and they all carry a 50k mile warranty, so that's enough reason for me.

You do you. Just don't spread misinformation. No where in the manual does it state 0w-30 is the ONLY viscosity approved or is what they want. What BMW wants for this engine and their other current turbo engines is a LL01 oil.

In the manual it doesn't mention any specific viscosities at all. It only states BMW Long Life 01 FE or BMW Long Life 01 approved oils should be use. You keep bringing up the 50k mile warranty which makes me believe you're not going to keep it past the 50k for very long. Others might and would want to protect their engines for the long haul in the event they use it in "severe conditions". I along with many others as shown in this thread and other oil threads switch to a 40 weight oil especially if tracking the vehicle due to the higher protection that 40 weight will provide in those "severe conditions" aka higher engine temps. I live in So Cal, all the tracks here are in the desert. I'm going to protect my engine with a 40 weight oil. My last free oil change the dealer put in 5w-30, going to switch that out before my next track day.

My manual for the 2018 LCI only states 0w-30 as the approved viscosity. For this reason I have ordered German Castrol 0w-30. I am questioning this being in AZ though as maybe I should try LiquiMoly 5w-40

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Major General

Drives: 2017 Bmw M2 6mt

Join Date: Aug 2018

Location: Canada

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tiss'er

My manual for the 2018 LCI only states 0w-30 as the approved viscosity. For this reason I have ordered German Castrol 0w-30. I am questioning this being in AZ though as maybe I should try LiquiMoly 5w-40

For me (pre LCI 2017 BMW m2) my manual has zero mention if viscosity and says to contact a service center for more detail.

I'm pretty sure 0w40 would be fine especially since you're in a pretty hot climates year round, but use it at your own risk.

Private

Drives: 2018 M2 AW 6MT

Join Date: Dec 2018

Location: Atlanta, GA

I am due for an oil change and one of the local BMW performance shops recommended using LiquiMoly 10W-60 on my 2018 M2. It sounds so far out of range from the 0W-30 to 5W-40 discussion being held here, but I am still curious if anyone has run that oil in their M2 and what the experience has been.

First Lieutenant

Drives: LCI BSM MT M2

Join Date: Dec 2018

Location: CT

I personally would never run 10w60 as it is so far out of range of what is required. I mean, maybe if it was a dedicated race car but even then, it might be too thick.

Is this an "off schedule" oil change by chance? Otherwise, I'd just let BMW put the appropriate oil in when they service it.

Private

Drives: 2018 M2 AW 6MT

Join Date: Dec 2018

Location: Atlanta, GA

Quote:

Originally Posted by CTSean

I personally would never run 10w60 as it is so far out of range of what is required. I mean, maybe if it was a dedicated race car but even then, it might be too thick.

Is this an "off schedule" oil change by chance? Otherwise, I'd just let BMW put the appropriate oil in when they service it.

I am the 2nd owner of the car, so I was not transferred the free maintenance. The reason for this oil change isn't because of the miles on it but rather the fact that the oil is about a year old now.

First Lieutenant

Drives: LCI BSM MT M2

Join Date: Dec 2018

Location: CT

Quote:

Originally Posted by Q_Subsub

I am the 2nd owner of the car, so I was not transferred the free maintenance. The reason for this oil change isn't because of the miles on it but rather the fact that the oil is about a year old now.

gotcha - to be honest, unless you're tracking it, you can run any LL01 oil as long as you change it at appropriate intervals and you'll never experience an oil related engine failure.

Car Guy

Drives: 2018 M2

Join Date: Sep 2018

Location: Richmond Hill

I am going to change my oil shortly and will run Motul 8100 Xcess 5W40. I hope it is all good.

__________________

2018 BMW M2 Long Beach Blue
2018 BMW X3 M40i Alpine White

Banned

Drives: M2 & 330CI

Join Date: May 2018

Location: The Interweb

Has anyone noticed any difference between Eastern and Western Diamondback oil? How does it compare to Coral oil? Are any of them as good as Copperhead or Cottonmouth oil?

Edit:

The oil clearance of our engines has been designed to a particular viscosity. If you are not increasing the output - and hence operating temperature - of the engine, you need to stick with the manufacturer recommended viscosity. It might be biased for fuel efficiency over peak performance, but unless you're in the fast group on the track day it's unlikely you'll be troubling the performance parameters of the stock oil. If you are upping the output and/or fully exploiting the performance on track days, you might wish to investigate oils that have a higher viscosity when hot. But, that it.

HTH

Last edited by M Fifty; 08-02-2019 at 03:53 PM..

Second Lieutenant

Drives: 2016 AW M2

Join Date: Jun 2018

Location: Orange County

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scrape

I am going to change my oil shortly and will run Motul 8100 Xcess 5W40. I hope it is all good.

I just did this over the weekend. My 2nd off cycle oil change with 8100 Xcess 5W40. I think it feels great. Engine is a bit smoother at both idle and pulling through the rev range. MPG did drop, but that's to be expected.

Captain

Drives: 2018 M2, 2019 M2C

Join Date: Mar 2018

Location: Canada

Quote:

Originally Posted by Q_Subsub

I am due for an oil change and one of the local BMW performance shops recommended using LiquiMoly 10W-60 on my 2018 M2. It sounds so far out of range from the 0W-30 to 5W-40 discussion being held here, but I am still curious if anyone has run that oil in their M2 and what the experience has been.

Ya I think 10W60 is a bit of an overkill and I wouldn't want to risk it. I personally like the Motul 0W40 or their 5W40 but mostly run Redline 5W30 which I love because of its low volatility (Noack score) and also despite it being a 5W30 its viscosity is on the higher end of the range

Major General

Drives: '08 M Roadster

Join Date: Oct 2007

Location: NJ

Quote:

Originally Posted by Q_Subsub

I am due for an oil change and one of the local BMW performance shops recommended using LiquiMoly 10W-60 on my 2018 M2. It sounds so far out of range from the 0W-30 to 5W-40 discussion being held here, but I am still curious if anyone has run that oil in their M2 and what the experience has been.

Don't use 10W-60 in an N55. If they insist, find another shop. The engine and oil pump were not designed with 10W-60 in mind. There is no rational reason to use 10W-60; thicker is not always better. Without any data, it could easily be worse. The high revving NA S engines (S54, S65, S85) used the 10W-60, and there is some evidence that even in those applications it is not ideal for street use. If they think that just because it has an M in the model number it needs 10W-60, they are not a very thoughtful or thorough shop.

Major General

Drives: 718 Cayman

Join Date: Jan 2008

Location: SoFla

Quote:

Originally Posted by Q_Subsub

I am due for an oil change and one of the local BMW performance shops recommended using LiquiMoly 10W-60 on my 2018 M2. It sounds so far out of range from the 0W-30 to 5W-40 discussion being held here, but I am still curious if anyone has run that oil in their M2 and what the experience has been.

The shop is confused and I would 100% not listen to them. The 10w60 was the recommended oil for previous generation non-turbo M cars. This is no longer the case.

Lieutenant Colonel

Drives: M2

Join Date: Mar 2018

Location: California

do not use 10w60. There was someone on the M2 FB group that listened to their shop somewhere in europe who recommended it and their engine blew up. Idiot shop who doesn't update their technical knowledge with the times

Private

Drives: 2018 M2 AW 6MT

Join Date: Dec 2018

Location: Atlanta, GA

Thanks everyone for the feedback on the 10w-60. Greatly appreciated!

Major General

Drives: RR Velar R=Dynamic M2C R1200GS

Join Date: Apr 2007

Location: Toronto

Just had an oil service done on my M2C and according to the bulletin that I was given ,BMW is no longer supplying the 0-40 BMW M Power Turbo LL-01 which has been used in my car since new.The recommendation is now for 0-30 BMW Longlife-01 FE.

Lieutenant Colonel

Drives: F87 Competition

Join Date: Sep 2012

Location: Katy, TX

My race shop uses Liqui Moly. Good recommendation for me.

Private First Class

Drives: M2C

Join Date: Aug 2018

Location: Cali

Funny observation.... ever since BMW started this included maintenance scheme, OCIs have nearly doubled. When you have as much cancer (Administrators and marketing) as most businesses tend to have these days, directives are often not in the best interest of customers, their interests are in cheaping out and shaving off every penny they see to pad their bonus check.

IMO your best bet to find the oil that best suites you is to determine how long you plan to keep the car and then to take an evidence-based approach. Routine UOAs will tell you what your favorite oil is doing for your engine, thats proof. BMWs new guidelines for a thinner oil are favoring emissions and fuel economy over engine longevity.

Just came off of the factory fill and went with Motul 8100 excess 5w40. I will do a 3k mile UOA on this and post results when it comes back. I drive the hell out of my M2c so the oil gets a work out!