Oil filters and oil weight

[TimGun]

Has anybody tried Ams oil or K and N filters as replacements for the MAHLE filters?  How about 10/40 oil verses the OEM 5/40 weight?

[milleplod]

The only filters I'd use would be BMW, Knecht-Mahle (who make BMW's filters for them), or Mann - I've never paid more than £10 for any of them, why compromise when they're so cheap? Regarding oil - best bet, as always, is to use what it says in the handbook. If there's a range of viscosities given, no harm in moving between them to see if there's any benefit obtained - economy of purchase being one, of course!

Pete

[David.]

Don't know about K&N filters, however, BMW Insured Warranty have confirmed that both Mahle & HiFlo oil filters are considered to be of equivalent quality to an OEM filter, therefore, these filters can be used without affecting the warranty.

At £4.50 each, Hiflo oil filters have been supplied by me to a BMW dealer & fitted by them to my 2012 TC RT.

K&N claim that their "oil filters are designed to meet or exceed OEM requirements", therefore, "should" be ok to use, https://www.knfilters.com/oil-filters

[Levisp]

I see you are on a new 1250 so as the bike is under warranty I would stick with the recommended 5W40 oil. However to answer your question I don't think it matters if you use 10W40 providing you are not riding in a Polar region. My understanding of multi grade oil is that the lower the first number is the thinner the oil is for use in very cold conditions. The second higher number relates to the viscosity of the oil at engine operating temperature. So both these oils would behaviour the same once the bike got up to temperature. If I have this wrong then I hope someone more knowledgeable will correct me. Interestingly BMW do not have a viscosity chart in their owners handbook. Why that is I don't know. But here is one.


[attachimg=1]


As I personally do not plan to either start an engine or ride in temperatures below -30C I cannot see what difference the two oils would be. However maybe there is another reason that BMW specify 5W40. Anyone know ?

[David.]

However maybe there is another reason that BMW specify 5W40. Anyone know?

In the past, BMW recommended 10w-50 for the TC engines, at the time, it was only available from Castrol who were BMW's recommended supplier.
BMW now use 15w-50, using the same logic, could 10w-40 replace 5w-40.

The same may apply to the 5w-40, BMW specify an oil viscosity and ask their preferred supplier, (now Advantec made by Shell) to manufacture it exclusively for them.
Found this on UKGSER, "my mate is a mechanic with a trade account and contacted Shell, they do not make that oil available to the public or traders."

It could be a marketing ploy, I may be wrong!

[bicyclenut]

You are correct about oil weight, simply put, the first number is the Cold Index, the Second Number is the Heat Index. The W means he oil is suitable for use in winter in that it will flow suitably in cold temperatures. The designations are determined by the Society of Auotomobile Engineers (SAE). The second number, the 40 in 10w40 oil is a measurement of how the oil flows at 212 degree F, about the normal operating temperature of most engines. The higher that number, the better that oil works at higher temperatures and more stressful conditions. The first number, the 10 in a 10w40 oil is how well the oil flows at subzero temperatures, I forget the actual temperature they use to measure, but a 10w40 oil will flow like a 10 weight oil at freezing temperatures and then operate like a 40 weight oil at normal operating temperatures. So in many environments the second number is of more importance as heat and stress on the engine and how well the oil protects under these conditions in primarily what we are dealing with. In a cold environment you want a suitable oil that will flow better and offer good initial lubricating properties to the engine on start up and also the thinner, more viscous oil will crank faster and start easier. You don't want an oil that is thick won't flow easily to critical engine parts until it warms up.

I see you are on a new 1250 so as the bike is under warranty I would stick with the recommended 5W40 oil. However to answer your question I don't think it matters if you use 10W40 providing you are not riding in a Polar region. My understanding of multi grade oil is that the lower the first number is the thinner the oil is for use in very cold conditions. The second higher number relates to the viscosity of the oil at engine operating temperature. So both these oils would behaviour the same once the bike got up to temperature. If I have this wrong then I hope someone more knowledgeable will correct me. Interestingly BMW do not have a viscosity chart in their owners handbook. Why that is I don't know. But here is one.


[attachimg=1]


As I personally do not plan to either start an engine or ride in temperatures below -30C I cannot see what difference the two oils would be. However maybe there is another reason that BMW specify 5W40. Anyone know ?

[Hors Piste]

The concept of a "Multigrade" oil is all very well but if I used 20W/50 in my Norton Atlas it would empty the oil tank (about half a gallon) in 100 miles.  Switching to "straight" Castrol GP 50 meant that I could do 1500-2000 miles across Europe and use less than 1 litre.  The tricky times came when the days were hot but the nights were cold - it was impossible to kick the engine over until the bike had stood in the sun for an hour or so to warm up.  Winter was no problem as a straight 30 grade oil did the job then.

I don't really understand this obsession with oil (seems to be more of a US thing).  What's wrong with using what the manufacturer recommends?

[David.]

In the US, folks seem to use Shell Rotella T6 as an alternative to the BMW stuff, https://advrider.com/f/threads/shell-ro ... 765/page-3

"Shell Rotella T6 Full Synthetic Oil SAE 5W-40 meets API SM, which supersedes API SL, as well as meeting the requirements of JASO MA and MA2."

[TimGun]

The concept of a "Multigrade" oil is all very well but if I used 20W/50 in my Norton Atlas it would empty the oil tank (about half a gallon) in 100 miles.  Switching to "straight" Castrol GP 50 meant that I could do 1500-2000 miles across Europe and use less than 1 litre.  The tricky times came when the days were hot but the nights were cold - it was impossible to kick the engine over until the bike had stood in the sun for an hour or so to warm up.  Winter was no problem as a straight 30 grade oil did the job then.

I don't really understand this obsession with oil (seems to be more of a US thing).  What's wrong with using what the manufacturer recommends?

Hors,
We don’t have a 5/40 weight synthetic oil in the US....only through the BMW dealer.  I didn’t really want to pay their prices.  That’s why I asked.  I can buy Amsoil 10/40 for $9.25 a quart here. 


I would also like to use Amsoil or K-N filters verses the Mahle filters.  Thanks for responding.  TimGun

[David.]

We don’t have a 5/40 weight synthetic oil in the US....only through the BMW dealer.

Perhaps this is why folks use Shell Rotella T6.

[David.]

I would also like to use Amsoil or K-N filters verses the Mahle filters.

Amsoil don't list an oil filter for the R1250RT or R1200RT (both the same),  they say, "Please contact the AMSOIL Technical Service Department for a possible recommendation".

https://www.amsoil.com/lookup/motorcycl ... us-volume/

[beemerboy9]

You are correct about oil weight, simply put, the first number is the Cold Index, the Second Number is the Heat Index. The W means he oil is suitable for use in winter in that it will flow suitably in cold temperatures. The designations are determined by the Society of Auotomobile Engineers (SAE). The second number, the 40 in 10w40 oil is a measurement of how the oil flows at 212 degree F, about the normal operating temperature of most engines. The higher that number, the better that oil works at higher temperatures and more stressful conditions. The first number, the 10 in a 10w40 oil is how well the oil flows at subzero temperatures, I forget the actual temperature they use to measure, but a 10w40 oil will flow like a 10 weight oil at freezing temperatures and then operate like a 40 weight oil at normal operating temperatures. So in many environments the second number is of more importance as heat and stress on the engine and how well the oil protects under these conditions in primarily what we are dealing with. In a cold environment you want a suitable oil that will flow better and offer good initial lubricating properties to the engine on start up and also the thinner, more viscous oil will crank faster and start easier. You don't want an oil that is thick won't flow easily to critical engine parts until it warms up.

Bearing in mind the fussy oil-lubricated clutches on the LC machines and the tiny apertures that oil has to flow through to move around the engine&gearbox to enable the clutch release, I will be sticking to 5W/40 oils.

[Hors Piste]

I guess I wasn't taking into account the much higher mileages logged by US riders.  I would hazard that most riders in the UK only have the oil changed at the annual service - so the cost of that oil is only a very small proportion of the annual cost of ownership.

[David.]

For my 2012 TC, the BMW Advantec 15W-50 is £18.43 per litre x 4 = £73.72.

Got some Putoline Sport 4 15W-50 for £7.49 per litre x 4 = £29.96.

[Levisp]

Another reason for possibly considering 10W40 over 5W40 is availability. In the UK I have only been able to purchase 5W40 in 1 litre bottles. This is not only not very green but more expensive too. However 10W40 is readily available in 4 litre bottles and is cheaper.


Now I have not tried 10W40 yet ! I have 2 more oil changes of 5W40 left. Then the bike will have 54K on it and I will try the thicker grade and see if it makes any difference. I will stick with the recommended make for my bike which is Castrol Power 1 Racing 4T