Oil for E30 M3

Due to a lot of questions like "do I sell these oils?"

Tha answer is yes, Castrol, Silkolene, Fuchs, Mobil and Total!

MY CONTACT DETAILS:

OPIE OILS - Simon Barnard

Tel: 01209 215164

Fax: 01209 314019

Email: sales@opieoils.co.uk

Tech Specs: http://www.opieoils.co.uk/lubricants.htm

FOR PRICE LIST, PLEASE EMAIL ME.

Cheers

Simon

This thread seems to be slipping downd the list and it shouldn't be considering the info it contains.

This makes for interesting reading too as I have been recommending

PRO S 5w-40 to many of you. Wouldn't advocate 0w-20 though! 

http://www.silkoleneoil.com/techtip6.htm

Eamo wrote: I thought I read somewhere that 5/40 oils were too thin for cold stratups on the s14 engine??? anyone confirm/deny this??

Believe me, a thin oil is better at start up so long as you don't compromise on the top end, minimum sae 40.

What you want is good circulation where 75% of the engine wear occurs.

BMW recommend 5w-40 for "all year round" use.

Cheers

Simon

M3Nally

Yes or Silkolene XTR 10w-40.

I would still consider 5w-40 for "all year round" though.

Cheers

Simon

M3Pilot wrote: Do you do any Ester based gear oils?

Yep, just one. (pretty rare stuff these days!)

Silkolene Syn 5 75w-90

Spec here: http://www.opieoils.co.uk/lubricants.htm

Cheers

Simon

I'm posting this as it will probably be of interest to those wishing to learn more about synthetics. It's heavy going because it was written by a Chemist not a Salesman but, it's worth reading.

Building a good oil.

It is impossible to make a good 5w-40 or even 10w-40, using only mineral oil. The base oil is so thin, it just evaporates away at the high temperatures found in a powerful engine that is being used seriously. Although there are chemical compounds in there to prevent oil breakdown by oxygen in the atmosphere (oxidation) they cannot adequately protect vulnerable mineral oil at the 130 degC plus sump temperatures found in a hard working turbocharged or re-mapped engine.

The answer to this is synthetics. They are built up from simple chemical units, brick by brick so as to speak; to make an architect designed oil with properties to suit the demands of a modern engine.

The synthetic myth

The word “synthetic” once meant the brick by brick chemical building of a designer oil but the waters were muddied by a court case that took place in the USA some years ago. The outcome was that the right to call heavily modified mineral oil “synthetic” was won. This was the marketing executives dream; the chance to use the word “synthetic” on a can of oil without spending much extra on the contents!

Most lower-cost “synthetic” or “semi-synthetic” oils use these “hydrocracked” mineral oils. They do have some advantages, particularly in commercial diesel lubricants but their value in performance engines is marginal.

TRUE synthetics are expensive and in basic terms there are three broad catagories, each containing many types and viscocity grades:-

PIB’s (Polyisobutanes)

These are occasionally used as thickeners in motor oils and gear oils, but their main application is to suppress smoke in two-strokes.

The TWO important ones are:

ESTERS

All jet engines are lubricated with synthetic “esters” and have been for more than 50 years but these expensive fluids only started to appear in petrol engine oils around 20 years ago.

Thanks to their aviation origins, the types suitable for lubricants work well from

 -50 degC to 200 degC, and they have an added benefit. Due to their structure, “ester” molecules are “polar”; they stick to metal surfaces using electrostatic forces. This means that a protective layer is there at all times, even during that crucial start-up period. This helps to protect cams, gears, piston rings and valve train components, where lubrication is “boundary” rather than “hydrodynamic”, i.e. a very thin non pressure-fed film has to hold the surfaces apart.

Even crank bearings benefit at starts, stops, or when extreme shock loads upset the “hydrodynamic” film.

Synthetic Hydrocarbons or PAO’s (Poly Alpha Olefins)

These are, in effect, very precisely made equivalents to the most desirable mineral oil molecules. As with “esters” they work very well at low temperatures and equally well at high temperatures, if protected by anti-oxidants. The difference is, they are inert and not polar. In fact, on their own they are hopeless “boundary” lubricants, with less load carrying ability than a mineral oil. They depend entirely on the correct chemical enhancements.

It is a fact that “PAO’s” work best in combination with “esters”. The “esters” assist load carrying, reduce friction and cut down seal drag and wear, whilst the “PAO’s” act as solvents for the multigrade polymers and a large assortment of special compounds that act as dispersants, detergents, anti-wear and anti-oxidant agents, and foam suppressants.

Both are very good at resisting high-temperature evaporation, and the “esters” in particular will never carbonise in turbo bearings even when provoked by anti-lag systems.

So, in conclusion, Ester gives the best protection and Ester/PAO combinations have great benefits because they work well together. They are more expensive but worth it if you wish to do the best for your engine.

Cheers

Simon