987.2 Engine Oil Recommendations - Driven DI40 or ???

Hey all! I did a search for " 987.2 oil recommendation" and it led me to this post which is a bit dated now. I still very new here, but my default on forums is to 1) search 2) post to that thread so as to 3) not create a new thread of previously discussed topis. However, I noticed on new member area that necro-posting (ha! new term to me!) is frowned upon. Thus, I have some questions. What is the generally accepted "go to oil" for these cars? I guess I'm looking for the "GAAP for the 9A1 DFI motor oils" 😀. In other manufactures, there are some specialty cars/motors that run a very specific oil designed just for a particular motor. Not sure if the 3.4L in the 982.2 is one of those. Brand? Mobil, Pentosin, Motul, JGR/Driven, Red Line - the list is long. I know this question is one that typically strikes debates, but because of how long this platform has been around, if there were issues with a given brand it would be known. So maybe my question is: any specific product to avoid? Viscosity? It seems 0W40 is what most people run, but I've also seem people running 5W40 or even 5W50. My car will be primarily a street car operated in NC and above 40F, so cold weather related bore scoring isn't a huge concern... but I could need an education. Oil analysis? After you've made a recommendation (thank you!), curious if anyone has run an oil analysis from companies like Blackstone Labs on their recommended oil. A bit more here. I have a new-to-me Cayman R on the way (~24,xxx miles) and as a baseline, I plan on dropping ALL lubricant fluids in the car. I may do cooling system too, still learning what I should / should not do on this platform. -Casa

Another thing you may want to be aware if is regarding posting "oil threads"... you will get MANY opinions and options. And complaints about "yet another oil thread"... Anyway, quickly stated, let me try to summarize. It really depends on the usage. If you're planning on tracking the car, then many are going to suggest the specialty formulations like Driven and such. You also need to be aware of other upgrades to the oiling system, pan, etc. There are many threads on this. There are also discussions recommending 50-weight (ie xW-50) for racers, due to the higher heat load in those applications. There are recent threads about that too. If you're just driving the car normally, then you can pretty much choose any oil. M1 is the recommended oil, but any well-known full synth is likely fine. I, for example, have been on "Tigers Head" which is supposedly Napa oil, per my non- Porsche -specialist-indy who I do trust. I have done UOAs and found that I am fine beyond 7500 miles so far (only had 2 oil changes so far). I could continue with this, but I may go back to M1.. haven't really decided yet. I know others would consider it blasphemy to use a non-branded oil. That's why I do UOAs (as my avatar shows, show me the data!)... if there is data to show a problem, I'll happily be convinced to switch. Again, being data-driven, I also have posted about weights and my analysis on that matter... including (IIRC) some posts from tribologists who agree with my conclusions (that was more of a discussion on whether 15W50 was ok, which for that user I (we) felt it was fine... the 50 is in-spec per the manual, so that's a non-issue, really.

Thank you @schwinn . Got it and fair point. I will try searching again. The "not another oil thread" thing I totally get is an annoyance and isn't unique to P9. Thanks for the info regardless, it's very helpful and pretty much tells me what I need to know. I have some follow-up questions but rather than bifurcate the topic any further, I'll go dive in/search more.

FWIW, the discussion I had about 15w50 was on the other forum here: Anyone Using 50 Weight Oil - ******** - Porsche Discussion Forums You haven't answered the usage question here yet... are you a regular driver or planning to track?

Yeah, I didn't want belabor the thread any further. When I say I get the "not another oil thread", I truly do. I was going to pepper in some questions into that thread I linked to originally, but still getting a feel for the etiquette around here and was following the necro-post guidelines. Not sure yet. The car I'm buying is setup for the track, but I'm not sure if I'm going to track it. If I did, I'd like do a dedicated race oil and change before & after an event. At the moment, my plans are to use the car as a street car and to take on rallies. I have a dedicated racecar, so this car scratches a different itch. I'm right there with you re: UOAs. The reason I was asking about Blackstone or other is because I'm a data guy too - I believe in facts. Genuinely curious what people's analysis results have been with a given oil and use (street / track) if so. BTW - my Driven DI40 reference was because when I was searching, everyone seemed to be recommending DT40 oil for the pre-DFI cars (pre-2009). Driven is what I used to run in another racecar (different make/model altogether, so apples-to-oranges) so it most definitely caught my eye. However, I wasn't sure if the their DI40 oil / direct injection specific formulation was what everyone was running for the 2009+ motors. This is a totally new platform to me, car isn't even in my garage yet! Thanks for posting that link. I'm slightly short on time and couldn't finish, but super interested to keep reading that thread. Some interesting stuff over there.

Don't be concerned about necro-posting. That's mostly used to warn posters if the person who posted the thread is no longer on Planet-9, I have no issue with necro-posts (and I'm sorta the guy here..), but do check if it seems worth bringing a thread back to life, particularly if the OP hasn't been here in a decade or so. You can check that by just mousing over to their user name under their avatar in a browser window. I doubt it could be done with a phone interface. I personally like Pensotin 5W-40, but have also used LubroMoly 5W-40. I've given thought to an oil you're undoubtedly familiar with - TWS Castrol . I have used it for a decade or two on BMW oil-cooled boxer motorcycles, and obviously a few S54 engined cars I owned ( M3 /Vert and an M-coupe). I've had UOAs done on it for the motorcycles, and it's always come through with flying colors. I rarely ride the bike much below 35F, so even the 10W is OK for that, and the 60 top number is reassuring when stuck in traffic with an oil/air-cooled engine. I'll have to look at a bottle and see if it has the Porsche A40 approval...

Got it on the necro-posting. Makes more sense to me now. I'll apply that logic go-forward. Wow, that hover over feature is pretty slick. There are a lot of great embedded features on this site. The photo upload and preview functionality is the best I've seen. Don - hovering over you I saw you're from NJ. I'm from Sparta, still have family sprinkled about the state. I miss that place and the food in it and the roads up in northwest NJ are pretty fantastic. Castrol TWS and the S54 motor is 90% of the reason why I have the questions I do, ha! There are alternative oils people run (myself included) but there is so much information available on TWS in the S54 that it's almost a no-brainer to run it. That's the tribal knowledge I was hoping for in my original post. Re: TWS's A40 designation, I'll have to go look at a bottle. I don't remember seeing any Porsche approval and the bottle labeling, which has changed a bit over the years. According to the following links, the answer is "not definitively yes": Castrol Edge Supercar | Car Oil And Fluids | CASTROL UK & IRELAND Castrol EDGE Supercar is for drivers who demand maximum engine performance from supercars, sports car and, high-powered engines. Discover the range. www.castrol.com https://www.turnermotorsport.com/p-348918-edge-professional-tws-engine-oil-10w-60-1-quart/ API SN/CF ACEA A3/B3, A3/B4 VW 501 01/ 505 00 Approved for BMW M-Model 60 is definitely comforting in motors that spin past 8k. In an air cooled motor, I could see where the oil's cooling ability would be beneficial. The downside is getting the oil temps back down once it gets too hot - it just takes longer.

Casa, for what it's worth: I wrote recently to Flat 6 Innovations, a well-known shop that repairs and builds Porsche engines, to ask a few questions about the likelihood of bore scoring being an issue in 987.2 cars, including my 2009 Cayman with its 2.9L 9A1 engine. I had read that direct-injection engines in the series (the ones in the S models) could be subject to it, but I hadn't seen anything definitive about whether my engine, which is not direct-injected, was also subject to cylinder scoring. Since part of the response dealt with engine oil and its role in helping reduce the chance of an issue with this problem, I'll quote verbatim from the email response I received: Yes, all of these Porsche engines that do not have either Nikasil or Sumebore cylinder treatments are prone to scoring. Your series engine is a little less likely to score than a 2006 through 2008 3.8L M97 engine but it can happen. The only thing you can do is change your oil with any oil that carries the A40 approval specification on the back other than Mobil 1 We do like an oil by Liqui-Moly LM 2040 (part number not viscosity) that we have proven to be a superior oil for all of these engine series, and keeping your fuel system clean with a high quality product such as Seafoam fuel treatment. Change the oil every 6 months or 5K miles whichever comes first! Hope this is helpful; it was to me. By the way, I'm also in North Carolina, and my Cayman is only for street use. Chip

What is the issue with M1? I have used it for all my German cars, and just did the 987.2 2.9. 0w40 Euro for gas.

Hey Chip, thanks for posting that. I'll go look at that oil's properties/ formulation and see if I can glean any insight into why Flat 6 recommends that oil specifically. NC roads in the mountains are phenomenal. I organize a small rally with some friends and we hit the Great Smoky Mountains, plus also eastern TN. Some fabulous road out that way! Thanks again for the input.

My Flat6Innovations 4.3L build has around 4,000 miles on it now. After break in behavior was evaluated Jake Raby & team recommended LM2041. In general they have suggested high ZDDP Mid SAPS oils. Driven's DT40 was their prior go to. M1 is never recommended by them.