Time for an oil change. What do we use in our 2004 BMW M3? We follow the recommendation of BimmerWorld’s James Clay. “15W50 for where you are,” he says. “No need to really even worry about the cold weight.”
For brand, he recommends Red Line Oil. Conveniently, a box just showed up.
Want to dive a bit deeper on the why behind 15W50 vs. the 10W60 recommended by BMW? Hop back to an earlier installment, but here’s the take-home point:
“Higher zinc is a thing certainly, but I think the biggest benefit is the higher grade of base stocks–group V full PAO-ester based–that provide better shear strength,” Clay adds. “That is the key in keeping bearings happy.”
And we’d like to keep those bearings happy.
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