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Oil Question/kicking the hornets nest š
- Thread starter blackpaw
- Start date
36654
New member
gsinnc
Well-known member
I have always understood that any oil spec higher than the recommendation is acceptable. You can just not use a lesser spec.
pglaves
#13338
Unless of course it was from SG or SH to SJ where BMW famously took on the API and said do not use SJ oil. (Insufficient anti-wear additive for flat cam followers)
Ever since the SJ fiasco I ignore the API ratings totally and go by the JASO ratings. If it is rated JASO MA2 and the correct viscosity you are good to go.
Added: The whole SJ joke was caused by auto makers coercing the API because they were tired of expensive emissions warranty claims caused by the deterioration of catalytic converters due to the anti-wear additives in engine oil. The API caved to pressure and BMW boldly called them on the lack of sufficient ZDDP in SJ oils. I have never trusted the API since. It simply is not true (or wasn't then) that later specs were better specs.
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gsinnc
Well-known member
36654
New member
Last edited:
ncpbmw1953
Member
I truly believe any perception of 'better shifting' coming out of any oil fully meeting the recommended specification is pure hallucination. I just don't think the differences in lubricity between same rated oils would have to be close to zero, and when you think about the forces involved I just don't see it. Of course any oil that isn't rated for wet clutch operation could change that but again, same rated oils. I've used Advantec Ultimate for 2/3 of my 42K miles now, LiquiMoly for one change, and now followed your endorsement on the Castrol you linked above and once again there is no difference in shifting whatsoever, as predicted.
FWIW, folks have posted BS lab analysis of Advantec Ultimate only to disclose it had far higher moly content than did this Castrol, which had far more (relative) than did LiquiMoly which had nearly zero.
https://www.bmwsporttouring.com/top...ting-with-oil/?do=findComment&comment=1032495
gsinnc
Well-known member
Corona Virus is not an issue with any oil that meets the BMW specs so long as you are not drinking Corona Light while changing your oil!
As one of the people who posted that assertion, I can only say that I am not hallucinating. There is a clear and significant difference between the way that my motorcycle shifts while using different brands of oil that have JASO MA2 ratings. Specifically, 1-2 and 2-3 upshifts and downshifts exhibit a distinct shock as the gears engage using some brands, and are butter-smooth using others. Perhaps your motorcycle is different... but you have no basis to conclude that other riders are hallucinating based on your experience with one motorcycle.
That's a good thread... Just to clarify, the "BS" does not mean Bull Excrement
. Rather you refer to a respected firm, Blackstone labs.Cap
36654
New member
If Beer is proof of God's love, as that good Pennsylvanian B. Franklin said, Light Beer is proof that you've died and gone to Hell
ncpbmw1953
Member
As one of the people who posted that assertion, I can only say that I am not hallucinating. There is a clear and significant difference between the way that my motorcycle shifts while using different brands of oil that have JASO MA2 ratings. Specifically, 1-2 and 2-3 upshifts and downshifts exhibit a distinct shock as the gears engage using some brands, and are butter-smooth using others. Perhaps your motorcycle is different... but you have no basis to conclude that other riders are hallucinating based on your experience with one motorcycle.
That's a good thread... Just to clarify, the "BS" does not mean Bull Excrement
Cap
Itās my belief Cap, and Iād bet $$ in a double blinded test the result would clearly demonstrate this to be placebo, a close cousin to hallucination. Just my belief and I respect others will see it differently. Only a double blinded test of subjective impressions would get to the truth.
36654
New member
As a kid, I truly enjoyed the F. Yankovic family TV commercials from the PA hard coal regions. There was something more than mine acid in that water.....
gsinnc
Well-known member
I can only share my own personal experience and observation but in all my years of owning and riding boxers (R1100RT, R1150GS, R1200RT hexhead, R 1200GSA camhead, R1200RTW and R1200GSW) I have never experienced a difference in shifting as a result of the oil I was using and for years I ran good old non-synthetic BMW oil and then semi-synthetic and now full synthetic. And have used BMW Advantec and Castrol and the bikes have always seemed to shift fine. Of course the newer models got better and better gear boxes and shifted smoother and smoother but not as a result of the oil. I know others have had different experiences but this is just what I have experienced.
I had some of those bikes, too. And they all shifted a bit rough, at least compared to the non-BMW bikes I owned. But the earlier boxers have dry clutches, so only the last two you mention might have their shifting affected by the choice of the brand of engine oil. In any case, the crunchy shifts on my 2017 R1200RTW began after an oil change to a new brand, and went away when I dumped that oil (after a long test ride of ~200 miles) and swapped to a third brand. Instant difference, across three brands of oil. Same bike, same rider, same technique, more or less the same mileage on the bike.
Cap
gsinnc
Well-known member
You are correct but to add further to my observations ... back in the dry clutch days there were a myriad of discussions on what "gear oil" to use to make the bikes shift smoother. Same observation .... no noticeable difference for me anyway. As the other poster noted ... same oil specs ... same bike ... same results. But that was just my observations. And to be clear I never thought ANY of my bikes shifted poorly. Not the 1100 or the 1150. They certainly did not shift like my Yamaha Royal Star or Honda Valkyrie but they all shifted fine and all got better with each iteration of the boxer motor. For me it's what you are buying when you buy a BMW and is simply part of the character of the bike. Much like the blue pipes ... just part of owning a BMW. Honestly if it bugged me I would probably have gone back to a Honda or Yamaha. But there is so much to love about my BMW's I could not imagine doing that.
