So I went looking for some of the Euro Castrol 5w30 at Auto Zone today but they only had the European version in 0w30. I passed because I don't know enough about this product to purchase it. What's everyone's take on 0w30. From everything I've read the Castrol Euro is very good so I'm not as much concerned about the actual brand as I am this specific weight.

 

that will work fine, it will just have a lower viscosity when cold, which is desirable for cold starts.

personally i run 5w-40.

 

I am a noob when it comes to how oils work. Will the 5w40 reduce mileage?

 

The Castrol Syntec 5w-30 at Autozone is not "Euro," only the 0W-30 is.

Good stuff. I use it in everything I have (that's not a Cummins).

 

+1

It's a very heavy weight 0W-30, roughly comparable to a 5W35 or a 5W40.

Read on oil data over here.

- Matt

 

Are you saying you use the 0w30 on everything or just Castrol Syntec?

How does 0w30 and 5w40 each compare to the recommended 5w30? ie what would be some of the pros and cons?

 

Well I went back to AutoZone today on my lunch break and picked up 10 quarts of the Euro Castrol. After doing further researching that souded like a good product. I have also decided that I will be doing oil changes every 7500 miles unless oil analyses tell me to do otherwise.

 

What's the deal behind a Euro blend Castrol? Someone posted some specs a few weeks ago but I can't remember what exactly they said. Also, how does it compare quality wise to say, Mobil 1. I won't Royal Purple. To me, I can't justify the extra $1.50 for purple dye. I see RP advertised in a bunch of magazines but that's only because they're a sponsor. Mobil 1 is endorsed around the world by NASCAR, a lot of other sanctioning bodies and is factory fill on most high performance factory cars, anymore. Any thoughts?

 

German Castrol Specs:
Color: Green
Pour Point: -61*C
Flash Point: 238*C
Viscosity @ 40*C: 68.5
Viscosity @ 100*C: 12.1
Viscosity @ 150*C: 5.7
HTHS: 3.6
Cold Cranking Vis @ -30*C: 3200
TBN: 10.6
VI: 179

Head on over to Bobistheoilguy and compare it to their viscosity charts here. Thicker than Mobil1 5W-30.

Advantages of a thicker oil include greater resistance to shearing, less dilution over time, better sealing on higher mileage cars; disadvantages include more "system" losses (friction).

I am of the standpoint that going to thin oils for the horsepower gain compromises engine longevity...I like to run as thick an oil as I can without major system losses. The extra 1-3 hp is not worth the lowered engine lifetime, in my opinion. Additionally I live in a year round warmer climate...the higher viscosity allows it to shear down to a midrange 0W-30 when warm, rather than a low-weight 5W-30 shearing down into a 0W-20 when warm (and losing protection). Redline, for example, makes some low viscosity/weight 5W-30's (I believe).

Euro Castrol is the only stateside Castrol that is completely synthetic (i.e. only PAO groups IV + V). All the other Castrol oils are blended synthetics with dino oil (Groups I-III w/ IV+V mixed). None in the Castrol lineup, aside from the import/German Castrol, are true synthetics. More prone to coking, higher degree of contamination over time, higher degree of impurities are/were traditionally aspects of dino derived motor oil. Keep in mind though that these downsides are marginalized with modern production techniques...it's pretty damn good all the same.

Compared to Mobil1, one cannot make a general "better or worse" comparison. A person must look at their requirements, and compare that to the offerings provided by a given company (in terms of viscosity, stabilizers, etc). I personally think GC 0W-30 is a much better product, for our cars, than 5W-30's from Mobil 1, or any of the other brands out there in a similar weight range.

Mobil1 0W-40 is very similar to GC 0W-30 in approvals and viscosities, for reference. Both have BMW LL-01 approval (Long Life for our cars).

Final note: With the way I drive, I change it every 7500mi. Also, I have yet to send a sample off for analysis, so there is the chance this interval, or some of what (as it relates to weights for our cars) I said is bupkis. But I base my contentions off a lot of reading, so I feel pretty good in my estimates/actions.

- Matt

 

^Based off of that and the fact that I don't think I can get German Castrol at the local AutoZone, I'm gonna go for 0W40 Mobil 1 next time around and use up my 5-30 in the garage.

 

And until March 5th, Autozone has a special for Castrol Syntec: 5 qts for $25.99 and you get a free Mobil 1 oil filter. I know there isn't a Mob 1 filter for our MINIs but I end up getting one for my other vehicle. The price alone is cheaper than buying 5 qts without the filter.

 

Check it out...all the ones I've been to have carried it; they may be out of stock, but there was always a sticker for it.

If you're wondering whether it's the Euro stuff or not, it should say Country of Import or Country of Production as Germany on the back.

- Matt

 

I'll take a look when I go to work on Sunday. And, I know we carry 0W40. But, if we have it in stock or not is another question.

 

the 0W30 meets the ACEA A3/B3 & BMW LL-01 specs. buy it, use it!! Great stuff. I use it in both my 330i and MCS.

 

I looked in work today and we do carry 0W40 Mobil 1 (which I knew) but we had 1 quart left. We get our weekly resupply tomorrow and I'm going to try to snag a case. The bottle said it was produced here in the US. I wanted to shoot across the street to the Zone and look on their shelf but never did. Traffic is a b1tch that time of day. Maybe later. Or, I'll just bite it and go for the O-40 M1.

 

I grabbed a case of 0w40 M1 today at work. My next question popped into my head while carrying it out to my car. Now granted, this problem won't be around for a while yet, but am I okay running 0W40 year round here in PA? We have everything from 95 and humid in the summer to 15F in the winter.

 

The first and second numbers in an oil weight rating correspond to their cold and hot viscosities (respectively). A 0W (cold) is technically recommended for sub-zero conditions in most all engine applications. As I pointed out above though, a 0W can be very close to a 5W or so, which is what Mini recommends. Taking this into account. I would say you are fine. 40W when warm (good for summer, average for winter) and a 0W when cold (good for winter, average for summer).

- Matt

 

Valvoline has a synthetic 5W-30 that meets the A3/B3, LL-01, and I think even the LL-04 spec. It is their synthetic 5W-30 Max Life that is designed for engines over 75,000 miles. They say it is fine for new engines as well. It is the only synthetic 5W-30 I found that met those specs. Several manufacturers have a 5W-40 that meets them. You can download the spec sheets that shows the specs on their website.

 

If you're in a pinch, BMW Long-life High Performance Synthetic 5W-30 is just as good if not better. And, it's made by Castrol, similar to Euro Castrol 0w-30. This BMW oil is NOT the same series of Castrol oils you would find in your local auto parts store though. This was confirmed on BobIsTheOilGuy.

 

I am surprised no one has opened up the AmsOil can of worms. From my research it seems to outperform everything out there.

http://www.amsoil.com/performancetests.aspx

I know of one fellow in our club who runs it in his MINI with great success. I plan on switching to it as well.

 

that was the 5-40 i was talking about...

 

Nothing against AmsOil, great oil, but I have run many oils with success. In my way of thinking not killing a motor is success.

In most cases we are talking about good vs. better.
BTW I use Mobil 1 and change every 5,000.

 

just fyi, pep boys (at least the ones in the la area) are starting to carry german castrol 0w30 as their regular stock. i snagged 5 quarts, 6.29 each

 

Ever since I changed to Royal Purple I've been thinking I have a few extra HP.

 

All of the local Autozones are selling it here now too. I've been snagging a few quarts here and there.