castrol motor oil

[vizslaowner]

to anyone who might know....where can I get castrol 20-50 motorcycle oil in the US? The shop I deal with says BMW recomends this oil in europe but its not availible here in the US. Everytime I've changed my oil myself, I just went to WalMart and got Castrol GTX 20 50. A freind pointed out to me that this is AUTO oil! Never even thought about that before. My RT did heat up last year in a traffic jam in Pittsburgh to the point where I pulled off the road for a half hour to let it cool before I damaged the motor. If I cant get this oil here is there another brand I can get besides synthetic that is compatible to the $$$ Beemer oil?:banghead

[lensuz]

I've been using Castrol GTX 20-50w in my '06 RT for 60K miles and nothing has blown up yet. I'm not sure why your bike heated up, but I've been in 110 deg F heat with no overheating.

In my opinion, a lot of this auto vs motorcycle stuff is over thinking on an issue. I don't use excessive oil between oil changes, in fact I'm not sure I burn a measurable amount...at least eye balling through the peek window.

[vizslaowner]

I'm sure it heated up because the situation was... couldnt shut it off as traffic was moving very slowly...1 car length at a time.... I was 2 up also....we were in this situation for at least 20 minute before I decided to pull off and let it cool. I got on castols web site but so far I haven't had any luck finding anything out.

[NavyCWO]

I get mine at O'Reilly Auto Parts store near us. Make sure it states "motorcycle oil".

[henzilla]

AutoZone and O'Reilly's also .... 20/50Castrol 4T Motorcycle oil SH/SG on the rear circle label

Mobil 1 SYN 20/50 motorcycle oil here also called V-Twin blend , but it also is SG/SH

time for more oil debate,eh?

[Andy VH]

There are big differences these days between cycle specific and car oils, even from Castrol, and even in the 20W50 range. I would only use car oil in a pinch and then only temporarily.

Buy a motorcycle specific oil from whichever brand you can find as long as it is the right visoscity range and load range (SF, SG, etc). At that point, brand name and dino versus synthetic makes little difference. But do not use car-general oil unless you have no choice. Ten years ago that wasn't quite the case, but it is today with the many changes in car oils that are not good for cycle engines.

[hlothery]

I'm sure it heated up because the situation was... couldnt shut it off as traffic was moving very slowly...1 car length at a time.... I was 2 up also....we were in this situation for at least 20 minute before I decided to pull off and let it cool. I got on castols web site but so far I haven't had any luck finding anything out.

Been there, done that. I hope I am solving this issue as we speak.....my RT is in the shop having an RT/P oil cooler fan installed. :thumb

[AKBeemer]

Been there, done that. I hope I am solving this issue as we speak.....my RT is in the shop having an RT/P oil cooler fan installed. :thumb

What is the costing you, Hugh? I think it is a good idea.

[hlothery]

What is the costing you, Hugh? I think it is a good idea.

I am not inclined to do it myself, so the local dealer ordered the BMW parts and is installing it. Expect it to be around $500. No price tag on peace of mind, though.

[rthomas9620]

My understanding that the Castrol in Europe is completely different than that in the US. This has been true for a long time. The BMW branded oil sold in the US is made by Spectro. The 20w-50 is Spectro 4.

This oil also is sold in a single 4 liter bottle which works out great for my 4 liter capacity R1200

[PGlaves]

As noted above:

Castrol 4T Four Stroke Motorcycle Oil, rated API SH/SG, available in 10w40 and 20w50 weights at O'Reilly and Autozone. Only cents per quart more expensive than GTX.

[tbryant]

I get the Valvoline MC 20W50 at Autozone, it's only $3.50 per quart...no problems in 60k.

Terry

[Bob1100RTC]

I got a gallon of Castrol 4T at Pepboys for something like $14 or $15. I have around $25 in computer fans behind my oil cooler. (I did have relays and wire laying around) I haven't overheated since.

[jenkenj]

I am now more confused than ever. If the engine is separated from the transmission and clutch, why should MC specific oil be used? I understand that newly formulated automotive oils may affect wet clutches and may not stand up to the shearing forces within a transmission, but so what? I don't have a wet clutch and my gear box is full of gear oil. Is it just a heat issue with an air/oil cooled engine, or is there some other reason I should use MC specific engine oil in my hexhead?

[marcopolo]

Castrol MC oil is readily available in Canada. That said, there are plenty of other MC-specific oils available, e.g., Spectro, Motul etc. I've used Castrol, Motul and Spectro in my R12RT. They all met the requirements that BMW specified in the owners' manual. BMW does not specify a particular brand of oil, though they do recommend Castrol (recommending is not the same as specifying, in my view).

[BMWRich58]

Currently using Mobil1 15w50 after reading more than enough "to put you to sleep" reports on more than enough 'cycle Web sites about this oil...

So why did I switch??
Riders posted their oil sample analysis,which show the additive packages still present in the sampled oil after thousands of miles (like 5000) .
Just about anywhere in the US is a Wally World or big chain store which carries this brand/weight of oil.
No more carring the extra weight or losing the precious space on the bike.
Lastly,price...I can't believe a 5 qt jug sells for $26.00+tax...$5.20 a qt...

[BuddingGeezer]

I am now more confused than ever. If the engine is separated from the transmission and clutch, why should MC specific oil be used? I understand that newly formulated automotive oils may affect wet clutches and may not stand up to the shearing forces within a transmission, but so what? I don't have a wet clutch and my gear box is full of gear oil. Is it just a heat issue with an air/oil cooled engine, or is there some other reason I should use MC specific engine oil in my hexhead?

In the 10W-40 and 20W-50 weights It ain,t about the wet clutches. It's about the API grade SG/SH which means more extreme pressure additive or ZDDP (zinc and phosphorus) which non roller rocker/camshaft engines (motorcycle engines) need.

If you want to know what the amounts of ZDDP some oils have, do a Google search of "virgin oil analysis" and look for the levels of zinc and phosphorus. 1200 ppm zinc and 1100 ppm phosphorus come close to the old API SG rating.

Castrol 4T is fine. Castrol Acteevo SJ oil has around 900 ppm zinc.

Run what you want. It's yall's camshaft, not mine.

Ralph Sims



Ralph Sims

[henzilla]

Mobil 1 FAQ's, just saying there are different Mobil 1's

one FAQ being what is difference between car vs motorcycle blend. There are maybe 5 different Mobil 1 formulations. The motorcycle blend has the SH/SG label that the others do not that is recommended in the owners manual of hexheads. Mine says 20/50 also.
One blend I have used in my diesel and would not use in my boxer.
http://www.mobiloil.com/USA-English/MotorOil/Oils/Motorcycle_Oil_FAQs.aspx#FAQs2

use what makes you happy , oil discussion # 429 :laugh

[BMWRich58]

Mobil 1 FAQ's, just saying there are different Mobil 1's

one FAQ being what is difference between car vs motorcycle blend. There are maybe 5 different Mobil 1 formulations. The motorcycle blend has the SH/SG label that the others do not that is recommended in the owners manual of hexheads. Mine says 20/50 also.
One blend I have used in my diesel and would not use in my boxer.
http://www.mobiloil.com/USA-English/MotorOil/Oils/Motorcycle_Oil_FAQs.aspx#FAQs2

use what makes you happy , oil discussion # 429 :laugh


Just more reading thats all.

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=1086285

[rglassma]

I use Castrol 4T 10w/40 in winter and 20w/50 in summer. Buy it at Pep Boys for 13.95 a gallon. Good for 6K mile oil changes as per BMW recommendations.

[markgoodrich]

I am now more confused than ever. If the engine is separated from the transmission and clutch, why should MC specific oil be used? I understand that newly formulated automotive oils may affect wet clutches and may not stand up to the shearing forces within a transmission, but so what? I don't have a wet clutch and my gear box is full of gear oil. Is it just a heat issue with an air/oil cooled engine, or is there some other reason I should use MC specific engine oil in my hexhead?

This issue comes up all the time. There really is only one answer to "which oil?" and it's written down in English in your owner's manual. Different BMW models' owner's manuals will specify different oil types. For instance, my 2006 R1200RT manual says to use API SG/SH "or better." There will be some who jump up and start parsing "or better," but BMW's head of customer service in the U. S. made it very clear to me that "or better" means what you might expect: ANY OIL WHICH MEETS THE API SG/SH SPECIFICATION. All oils with a letter designation later in the alphabet, such as SJ, are backwards compatible, meaning they meet the SG/SH specification. Therefore, it's sensible and reasonable, and warranty-safe, to conclude that I can run down to the store and buy any oil which has the "correct" API specs.

"Motorcycle" oil is marketed as such because it's good for motorcycle engines (and old cars), and because it's very bad for catalytic converters in cars, which carry very long warranties; thus the "improvements" over the years via reduction of ZDDP with substitutions which don't ruin the cats. Making the auto manufacturers happy. My bike has a cat converter. Does yours?

Let me repeat: read your owner's manual and follow its advice. Your warranty will be safe. Your engine will be fine. "Auto" oil with the proper API specification will work just fine to protect your engine, warranty, and peace of mind.

Here: read this thread:

http://tinyurl.com/absfko

And this much longer one:

http://tinyurl.com/cggp7x

There's a large difference between personal opinion and objective information.

Don't just follow my advice; don't just follow anyone else's either. Read your manual. The answer is there.

[victorlipp]

I have an 07, R1200RT, my manual specifies API classification "SF" or better. If the classifications are higher as the designations go further down in the alphabet, then SG and SF, which I am seeing referred to in this thread are higher classifications and OK for my bike. I didn't know that there was any distinction between Automotive and Motorcycle oils, I thought that the classification was the whole story. Here in Canada, there seems to be no shortage of brands and ranges of viscosity, so lots to choose from. I have been using Mobil Synthetic 15W50 which has a classification of "SM" which is about seven letters better than my manual calls for! Out of interest, I add a litre of Lucas Oil Stabilizer to each oil change, this helps to maintain the oil on the bearings during shutdown, which significantly reduces wear during startup, the "slippery" synthetics will slide off everything and settle into the crankcase during shutdown leaving the bearings without oil for the next start. Well that my story and ideas anyway.
Ciao, Vic
Tires and Oil are sure popular topics on this Forum!

[ragtoplvr]

I am now more confused than ever. If the engine is separated from the transmission and clutch, why should MC specific oil be used?

Car engines almost all exclusively use roller follower (lifter) on the cam shaft.

The BMW engine still uses a sliding lifter. This type is lighter, and less expensive.

It however has a down side, it needs a higher level of extreme pressure additives, and uses up those additives faster.

If, big IF, your EP additives ever drop below the critical level, you will begin to get excess camshaft and follower wear. The magic critical level is not published.

The level of this magic additive was lowered in SM oil to protect the catalytic converters on cars. Some SM oils have low friction additives a clutch does not like, this does not apply to Air, Oil, Hex heads and Flying Bricks.

More of the critical EP additive is in 15W50 and 20W50 SM rated oil than in 5W30 SM rated.

There are thousands of beemer riders using SM oil without a problem, and many if not more using SF or motorcycle rated oils without problems.

Camshaft failures are pretty rare.

So, choose your side and ride.

Correct SF rated oil is widely available at reasonable prices. The pragmatist would choose to use it when convenient. If the pragmatist ever encountered a situation where the oil was not convenient. then SM oil in the correct weight would be used. While the pragmatist was riding, the perfectionist would be at home posting in the internet cranky about not riding.

I vote with the pragmatist.

Rod

[rspennachio]

[QUOTE=henzilla;423475]AutoZone and O'Reilly's also .... 20/50Castrol 4T Motorcycle oil SH/SG on the rear circle label


I bought this same oil at Murray's too. The SH/SG rating (or better) is called for in the owners manual for my 2007 R1200RT. Since the manual says it's ok and my wallet agrees it is a unnimous decision.




cheep oil -:fight - expensive oil

[Andy VH]

Unless you actually start and ride your bike in really cold weather (meaning sub 20 degrees) there is no reason to switch to 10W40 oil for "winter" riding. I live and ride in Wisconsin(Green Bay) and in the 15 years and 140k on my 94 R1100RS I have never run a lighter weight oil for "winter" temperatures. There is no real gain in doing that. I do use synthetic oil because it generally has better flow characteristics in colder weather, but still maintains the lube/protection at the actual riding temperatures.

[Polarbear]

M/C Valvoline is available everywhere in California and other western states, as IS Castrol M/C oil..$3.79 a qt. here in Ca..Sure beats the Spectro Brand and others at extreme prices. I simply gave up on synthetics(motor oil), years ago, due to the price at 12$+ out here, a quart. I still use the synthetics in my gear boxs, Tranny and FD and I get it at WalMart for 10$ a qt.(full synthetic)75-140w GL5, Gear oil...GSA1200 rider, Randy

[JDWexler]

HI, just wanted to report on a 1994 R1100RS with 159k on it that has been run on GTX 20-50 "car oil" for all but the first 6k of its life. It uses about 1/2qt in 3000mi. There do not appear to be any problems from using this oil. I do not consider a little oil consumption that big a deal. (It was normal in air heads partly because there were no valve stem seals)

JW

[jm1515]

In the 10W-40 and 20W-50 weights It ain,t about the wet clutches. It's about the API grade SG/SH which means more extreme pressure additive or ZDDP (zinc and phosphorus) which non roller rocker/camshaft engines (motorcycle engines) need.

If you want to know what the amounts of ZDDP some oils have, do a Google search of "virgin oil analysis" and look for the levels of zinc and phosphorus. 1200 ppm zinc and 1100 ppm phosphorus come close to the old API SG rating.

Castrol 4T is fine. Castrol Acteevo SJ oil has around 900 ppm zinc.

Run what you want. It's yall's camshaft, not mine.

Ralph Sims

Ralph Sims
Well, if it's Zinc @1200ppm and Phos @1100 ppm everyone's worried about :scratch,
check out my latest UOA......

The last one shows Castrol SyntechBlend 20w50 @ 6100mi OCI, and the first one shows M1 15w/50 @ 3260mi OCI.
They both show more Z than 'recommended' after thousands of miles, and plenty of P too :dance
WOOHOOO.....my camshafts are safe......:thumb
BTW....FWIW...neither one is moto specific oil.....:scratch

[Polarbear]

BMW fixed under warranty, replacing the cams in my '95 1100 engine at 95000 miles. I never knew why, BUT cams do go south and BMW has a history a ways back, fixing these. Oil related, unknown. The cams are(were) not solid units then, as the lobes were pressed on the camshaft! They moved, during the life of my engine. SO, you can figure how important oil "may" be? Its a question mark. Iuse the Valvoline m/c 20/50 today in my GSA1200, no issues. SOME issues, oil related, take years to show themselves. The zinc, phos. additives are good answers already spoken:). Randy:thumb:usa

[BordenBmw]

Since my first oil change that I did myself at 5000Km, I've been using GTX 20w50 in my R1200ST. Change it every 5000Km including filter, even if BMW recommend 10000Km. I normally don’t add any between oil changes and now have 40 000 km on it. Before, I had a Ducati 907ie for 10 Years and I was using the same oil with no problems. When I sold it, I had over 50 000 km. In my opinion, auto oil is fine if you have the right grade and API rating and have a dry clutch.:thumb