Which oil for Aston Martin V12

[MaverickV12]

I am looking at changing my oil again and this post is related to the V12, because I don't know how the V8 reacts. I have looked at the manual and as you can see from this high definition crystal clear photo......



It recommends the 0w-40 Mobile 1 .....



From what I can read about the 0 is not related to the oil in operating temp at all, it is only related to the ability of the engine to be cranked in low temperatures, it is the higher number that is related to the normal operating temp. I have been talking to some different people and they are saying that the 0w-40 is quite a thin oil, and to use a more thicker oil to keep the engine relatively quiet.

What people are telling me, and I'm agreeing with them, is that the V12 runs quite hot, the temperature gadge is clearly running at normal temp, but the V12 produces huge amounts of heat. In the Winter the V12 is great as the car is hot and snow does not build up on the bonnet for long and in the summer the AirCon just fights with the heat soak that the engine produces.

So I have just used this ......



But now the weather is turning warmer, only just, I'm looking at using (Mobile 1 still) ........



The lower number of 10 easily falls within the temperature range of our country and the higher 60 number will run better with the hotter V12 engine. In the old days, people used to have to change oils in the summer and winter and then in the 1970's (I think - can someone confirm when?) someone had the idea of All Season Multi Grades, then with the advent of Synthetic oils the variation of the scope of cold crank and normal operating temp was expanded all within one oil.

The 10w - 60 oil states the oil is for motor sport applications.

Would love to hear your comments on the use of 10w - 60 oils in the V12 and indeed in the V8, but I don't have any experience of the V8 ......

[MaverickV12]

Cockernee said:

Mobil 1 0 - 40 is recommended by Aston

Do they? The manual recommends Mobile 1 ........... and then in brackets it says (0w-40)

It looks like AM recommend Mobile 1.

On the right of the page, there is a detailed chart of ambient temp and the corrolating thickness of oil that they recommend, the chart does not even go down to 0W, it starts at 5W with a minimum temp of less than -30deg, the 10W starts at -20deg, so for this country the -20deg will easily surfice (well in the West Country at least).

So do AM recommend different oils for different temps?

[MaverickV12]

Bravo73 said:

Have you tried asking the Oil Man?

http://www.opieoils.co.uk/frmRecommendAnOil.aspx

I'll give it a go. Thanks.

[MaverickV12]

OK, its not instant, I thought it was, how long do they take to get back to you?

[MaverickV12]

Bravo73 said:

Well, for starters, you might have to wait for them to get into work tomorrow...

You mean a human reads it? Thats fantastic, we might even be able to enter into dialogue ...... ? As opposed to, "Computer says No".

[MaverickV12]

I directly lifted this from the Castrol Website ................

Castrol EDGE 10W-60 gives you the confidence to demand maximum engine performance in sports cars, competition and the latest technology engines which often operate under higher pressures requiring an oil with excellent strength and performance credentials.

Available in 4 litre and 1 litre packs

TRUSTED TO PERFORM

BMW M-Models
Aston Martin
GM / Opel / Vauxhall

When choosing oil, please refer to your owner's handbook and the product specifications shown above. May also be suitable for other vehicles.

MEETS OR EXCEEDS INDUSTRY SPECIFICATIONS
SAE 10W-60, ACEA A3/B3, A3/B4, API SM/CF Exclusive approval for BMW M-Models.
BENEFITS

Delivers and sustains maximum horsepower for longer, even when under pressure

Protects short and long term engine performance

Helps to sustain maximum protection under a variety of driving conditions, speeds and temperatures

Reduces engine deposits to help maximise engine response

Recommended by BMW M series.

This is a little confusing as it says that this oil is recommended for Aston Martin, anyone know of Castrol Edge being recommended for AM ...... ?

Wait, Wait, Wait, it says, "trusted to perform", what does that mean......?

[MaverickV12]

matias said:

In the offical AM dealer, in Madrid, they use CASTROL 0w30

Matias - 30 grade oil sounds a bit thin, especially for the ambiant temp of your Country, I'm assuming that you're not driving in snow ....

From what I can gather thinner oils are used for better fuel consumption, I just read an article about 0w - 10 oil that can save up to 6.5 mpg, but whether I would put a coupe of gallons of 3-in-1 in my car to get 6.5% better fuel economy is questionable.

I found this as well .......

http://www.aa1car.com/library/how_often_change_oil...

This guy is on about changing oil every 3000 miles

[MaverickV12]

yeti said:

I fear the OP will simply ignore you though and do what he thinks is best...

Not necessarily, I think I would be a fool to ignore sound advice, peoples comments are one thing, peoples specialist profession is another.

opieoilman said:

I would be looking at a 5w-40

Oilman, may I ask if the 0-40 is because you are following the Aston Martin manual? When I look at the manual I see a graph of all different oils viscosities, and wonder why they put them there if their cover-all advice is 0w-40.

I ask this because brakewell posted your results (thanks brakewell) and I see there that you recommend 10.4 litres of oil, we know the Dip Stick has been changed and we now put in 12 litres of oil. Hence I'm wondering if you are following standard OEM recommendations?

SS972 said:

,was thinking to switch to 10w60, your thoughs?

In theory, all engines run at the same temperature. If you're in the Arctic, your thermostat will warm your engine and it should run at OEM running temp, if you're in the Sahara, then your engine should also run at OEM. The only difference is the cold cranking temperature. Obvioulsy with -70C or +50C, the cold cranking issue is dramatically different. In essence, in the Sahara you could use Treacle as oil, because its so hot, it'll be thin, in the Acrtic, you will need water thin oil because its freezing.

Please correct me if I am wrong, but the first number of the oil viscosity relates only to cold cranking, so in Spain 10W would be fine. Indeed in England 10W would (unless extreme weather) be absolutely fine, the higher number (60) relates to the normal operating viscosity.

From what I can gather the difference between 40 or 50 or 60 is so marginal as to make almost no difference.

I have also read that oil degrades very quickly (Synthetic oils less so than Mineral), so a 40 grade oil will degenerate to a 30 grade over time, and so no ......

It would be good to hear from others like Bamford Rose and Generation AMR. Both engineers are into engine development, one racing cars and others making road rockets ........ so it would be good to hear both views ....?

[MaverickV12]

GTDB7 said:

Personally that cold start rasp when the engine first fires up before the oil gets up there always makes me cringe.

I know what you mean, mine sounds like a tractor for about 30 seconds (well only if I lift the bonnet and look and listen)

Any news on when a pre-oiler might be available ?

[MaverickV12]

Have been reading a few articles and found these .......

http://www.astonmartinlife.com/forums/preferred-oi...

http://www.astonmartinlife.com/forums/engine-oil-r...

Are our American Cousins told to use different oils than we are? And / or are the Franchise dealers also BMW dealers? I sometimes wonder (if they are BMW dealers as well) if they are all using one type of oil {10w-60} because its cost effective to only hold one type of oil.

Could our Colonial cousins comment .........

[MaverickV12]

Luna, DB9Volate - TBH, I am very much coming back to the OEM spec of 0W-40 or a slight change to 0W-50 (or 5W-50 in this country). It would appear that brand newly designed engines are going the way of thinner and thinner oils. With 0W-10 mentioned (newly designed engines) apparently it saves a lot of fuel.

I think if my engine was on 100k, and breathing heavy etc then I don't think I'd hesitate to use 10W-60, if the engine were on its last legs, what is there to lose!

I remember talking to Bruce at Bamford Rose a few weeks ago about oil consumption and he said that they tend to use oil because the engine has never worked hard when they were new (and if I recall right) he said the piston bores get polished. My memory is hazey so I apologise if I got the explaination wrong.

I remember in my old days of Cortinas and Cavaliers we used to use GTX which was 20W-50, that was almost state of the art oil in the day, but then the old Ford Pinto engine (whilst great for the day) cannot be compared to engine design in present day.

If we put high mileage engines to one side, so no 10W-60, then this leaves 0W-40 and 5W-50. I'm presently using 5W-50 and to me it seems fine.
Is anyone else using 5W-50 oil or similar?

[MaverickV12]

F1 NDW said:

Back to normal at last!