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I always use what's specified in the manual. For my 1998 NG900 the manual calls for ACEA A3 rated oil. It lists 5/10W-30/40 as the allowed weight range.
ACEA A3 rated 5W-30 or 10W-30 is next to impossible to find in North America. The only one I know of is BMW 5W-30 sold through BMW dealers. That would be a fine choice.
Otherwise, you have fairly slim pickings. There is Castrol Syntec 5W-40 sold at Autozone, which is an average Euro-spec Group III based oil. There is also Castrol Syntec 10W-40 that is ACEA A3 rated, although it is NOT a Euro-spec oil. Meaning that it does not have any European manufacturer approvals. There are some imported European oils you can purchase at foreign parts stores and via mail order. Motul, Elf, Lubro Moly and Pentosin are pretty widely available. There are some others you may be able to find, such as Fuchs/Silcolene, ENEOS (Japan), etc. Valvoline Durablend 10W-40 used to have ACEA A3 rating but not anymore. Valvoline, Pennzoil and Kendall have "european formula" 5W-40 oils in theory but they are typically not available in retail stores. You may be able to order them from NAPA or a wholesale distributor. Amsoil offers 5W-40 oil as well.
In Europe there are many A3 rated oils to choose from, including 5W-30 and 10W-30. But mostly 0W-30, 0W-40 and 5W-40.
Speaking of 0W-30 and 0W-40. Current SAAB specs allow for these weights. It is likely that you can use them, as long as they are ACEA A3 rated. Mobil 1 0W-40 and Castrol Syntec 0W-30 (Autozone) are both excellent Euro-spec oils that have impressive number of manufacturer approvals.
I personally have been using Lubro Moly 5W-40 and 0W-40 for several years. I typically change oil every 10k miles or 6 months, whichever comes first. This accounts for short trip vs. long highway drives because if I drive short trips mostly, then the 6 months interval will kick in before the 10k interval. You get the idea.
I have done several oil analyses and have confirmed very low wear rates and overall robustness of Lubro Moly in this application.
posted by 12.198.2...
, Thu, 22 Feb 2007 09:05:07
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