More on oil

[NeilS]

At the risk of starting a religious discussion...

I've always (for the past several decades) used Castrol GTX in all my engines, and I've never had any oil-related problems. But I was a bit worried about BMW's decree that SJ-or-later oils did not provide adequate anti-wear protection. OTOH, GTX is rated SH, SJ, SL, and SM, so I figured if it meets SH, it should be OK for BMW. I asked Castrol, and they (lamely) replied to do whatever the manufacturer recommends. I couldn't get a straight answer from my dealer. So I, somewhat nervously, used the GTX (in 20W-50).

I just came back from a trip of about 7000 miles, including a lot of high speed work at ambient temperatures up around 100 degrees F. And my total time on the oil was around 7500 miles, "stretching" BMW's recommendations by more than a bit. So I sent an oil sample to Blackstone Labs.

Their report was very encouraging: Wear was lower than average on all measures. Viscosity was still well within the expected range. And TBN (Total Base Number) was 4.6, where 1.0 indicates the additives are approaching exhaustion. Blackstone commented that I could "easily run the next oil longer, try 8500 miles."

I probably won't do that, I'll try to stick with BMW's 6000-mile number. But I now feel pretty good about continuing with the GTX. I don't see any reason to change.

FWIW,

[caprug]

That's great news. It supports my dealer's recommendation of Castrol GTX 20W-50. They recommend changing oil and filter every 3,000 miles. Nothing wrong with that but now I may extend the interval to 6,000.

Thanks.

[bobw]

How dare you have an oil thread that dispels fears and uses accurate information to support your findings VS insults and voo doo beliefs? What a sorry post

Thanks for sharing your results.

Safe travels.

[kay bill c]

Thanks for the info,I been a castrol user in most all my vehicle's for some time.My R1200R has had it in since after it's first change. I am sure some different veiws will arise. Maybe post a picture of your sample sheet from Blackstone's.

[xprof]

Yes, many thanks NeilS for that report. I'll probably move to the expensive BMW synthetic at 12,000 miles, but I must note that I used Castrol 20-50 in all my many previous motorcycles, with no oil-related problems at all. Now I feel good about that, at least!

[NeilS]

I don't have a good way to host the file for display on this board. But I'd gladly share it with anyone who asks. Send me a PM and don't forget to include your email address.

[websterize]

Here is Neil's report from Blackstone: