What kind of oil should be used for turbocharging?
2 Answers
Turbocharged engines are best used with fully synthetic engine oil. The following is a related introduction to fully synthetic engine oil: 1. Fully synthetic engine oil is a man-made engine oil. During the manufacturing process, various natural substances are selected for chemical decomposition, and then synthesized with other various substances before finally producing synthetic engine oil. Its chemical properties are more stable, with better fluidity and less resistance, which can fully protect the engine while reducing fuel consumption. 2. When choosing the engine oil model, pay attention to the SAE and API indicators. SAE represents the viscosity specification of the engine oil, and API represents the quality grade of the engine oil. In the API engine oil quality grade (for example, "SN or CG"): "S" at the beginning represents oil for gasoline engines, and "C" at the beginning represents oil for diesel engines. When both "S" and "C" letters exist, it means that the engine oil is suitable for both gasoline and diesel engines. The letters following "S" or "C" indicate that from "SA" to "SN", each increasing letter means the performance of the engine oil is generally better than the previous one. Currently, the highest quality grade of engine oil is SN.
I've been repairing cars for so many years and have seen plenty of turbocharged engines. Those turbos spin at extremely high speeds, and the temperatures skyrocket too. Conventional engine oil can't handle it—it tends to thin out and form sludge. I always recommend customers use full synthetic oil, preferably with a viscosity grade like 5W-30 or 5W-40, and an API certification of SN Plus or higher. This kind of oil offers strong high-temperature protection and excellent cleaning performance. Don't forget to check the replacement interval—turbocharged engines degrade oil faster, so it's best to change it every 5,000 kilometers. Don’t just pick any brand; look for ones with OEM approvals, like Volkswagen’s VW 502.00 standard—that’s the safest bet. From experience, using the wrong oil can easily burn out the turbo bearings, leading to repair costs of thousands, which isn’t worth the risk. I’ve encountered a few owners who tried to save money with semi-synthetic oil, only to end up with severe engine shaking. Switching to full synthetic fixed everything. Maintenance is a small investment with big returns—don’t cut corners.
