Z4 2.0i sdrive with a tuning box.

[DevonLad]

Julian Thompson said:

DevonLad said:

I'm thinking I would like to increase the frequency of my oil changes, quick question. Is the recommended oil still applicable on the remapped engine or should I use a different grade? If so which one?

Use the same grade. You probably know all this but:

Say you have a 5w30 - that is an oil with a “5” grade when cold pouring it. The 30 means it is rated at “30” in respect of its resistance to thinning as it heats. The “5” and the “30” are on different scales and are not related to each other. So for example say you have a 10w40 - that’s a thicker oil because it’s a “10” not a “5” weight but also it has an better resistance to thinning because it’s a “40”.

When you think about it therefore, the oil delivery design of the engine is pre specified by the engineer who built it and so the best thing mostly is to stay within those guidelines and just adjust the frequency and quality of your changes. In the case of cars operated at wildly different temperatures - such as perhaps a car driven in a hot climate vs one driven in a cold climate - you’d tend to find that the local manufacturer representative would have already made the necessary changes to the vehicle handbook to make allowances for that and so again, sticking to the “book” is the best plan.

Edited to add - get the best API spec you can and stick to oils that have had approvals transferred by BMW on their appropriate spec.

The api spec is a series of letters that are backwards compatible. So if the manufacturer requires “SD CF” oil that means “S” (spark ignition - petrol engines), “D” (approval) then “C” (compression ignition - Diesel engines), “F” approval.

So an “SM CF” API oil is compatible with cars that need “SD CF” because M comes after D. But not the other way around.

Hope that makes sense. I like the Millers oils personally because the specs are clear and easy to read and the price is good for high quality product.

Edited by Julian Thompson on Saturday 4th July 16:39

Edited by Julian Thompson on Saturday 4th July 16:40

That's uncanny I ordered this about an hour ago, along with a new Mann filter and NGK plugs.

Order Details:
Product(s):
Product: XF Longlife C3 5w30 Engine oil - 5 Litres

Price: £29.12

Product: XF Longlife C3 5w30 Engine Oil - 1 Litre

Price: £9.96

Order Total:
Goods Net: £43.66
Delivery Net: FREE
Sub Total: £43.66
VAT: £8.74
Total Paid: £52.40

[DevonLad]

Julian Thompson said:

Great.

You’ll need a thin wall spark plug socket. The plugs are in the head at a slightly strange angle so a wobble bar is needed to do them.

Thanks for that info, I have ordered one from Amazon.

[DevonLad]

paultownsend said:

As long as the oil is LL04 spec you’ll be fine.

Specifications:
Performance Profile:
ACEA C3
API SN, CF
BMW Longlife-04
Mercedes-Benz 229.51
GM dexos 2
VW502.00, 505.01
Fiat 9.55535-S3

The Millers oil has been recommended to me by more than 1 person so hopefully it's money well spent.

[DevonLad]

Millers has been recommended to me by forum user Julian Thompson and a very good mechanic friend of mine that runs a 430bhp Audi S3. On those recommendations I am more than happy to put it in my Z4.

[DevonLad]

Nik Gnashers said:

I really like your car, and glad you went with a proper remap.

A decent tuning company, when remapping, will put a standard remap on, but monitor all sorts of things like boost, intake temps, timing, fuel, etc, to make sure it is safe, where a tuning box will basically just fool a couple of sensors to trick the engine.
This is a great video, and shows that some boxes are really just a con, and none are really that good : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_sIRoPgFFI&t=...

I went with a remap at a BMW specialist / tuning company for my M140i, and the rolling road / dyno print out showed a nice linear power & torque curve, exactly what I wanted.

Thank you

[DevonLad]

A quick update.

Been a few weeks now since the remap and I have to say I'm thoroughly enjoying it. The difference in the performance is phenomenal and fuel consumption is unaltered. It's fair to say it feels like a different car and never fails to bring a smile to my face.

Insurance increased by £81 for all those that might be interested.

[DevonLad]

Due to the recent sale of our Vauxhall Tigra the Z4 has been pressed into daily driver duties, no bad thing during the recent run of lovely weather.