Turbocharged engines must use synthetic motor oil if they are to last.

Although mineral engine oils are improving in quality it’s still vitally important that turbocharged engines must use synthetic motor oil to prevent premature failure and expensive repairs.




Because turbochargers operate under severe conditions: Shaft speeds exceeding 100,000RPM and temperatures that often approach or exceed 900C it’s vital that turbocharged engines must use synthetic motor oil. To make life even more difficult on start up the turbo may lack lubrication, and on shutdown temperatures could reach 1000C.

Turbocharged engines must use synthetic motor oil to handle elevated temperatures.

It’s a well-known fact that synthetic base stock oils are engineered to withstand high operating temperatures without oxidising. Therefore it’s important to use synthetic motor oil in a turbocharged engine to extend the life of the engine lubricant, as well as provide adequate lubrication at the elevated operating temperatures found in turbo applications.


Because regular crude based motor oils contain impurities, such as sulphur and paraffin, which readily carburise at high temperatures or even become corrosive, it’s important that turbocharged engines must use synthetic motor oil. The carbon particles that are formed are extremely hard and can cut into bearings leading to rapid bearing, and consequently turbo, failure.

Turbocharged engines must use synthetic motor oil to improve cold-start lubrication.

Once an engine is shutdown the oil gravitates back to the sump – this includes the oil in the turbo. As this oil is hot it’s somewhat thinner than the oil that’s pumped from the sump on startup, which means that it readily drains away from the bearings.

Conversely on cold start the oil is thicker and therefore takes longer to fully lubricate the wearing surfaces. When you use synthetic motor oil in a turbocharged engine the oil can be relatively thinner than the viscosity of a regular engine oil.

Turbocharged engines must use synthetic motor oil because full synthetic oils generally have superior shear and lubricating properties when compared to their mineral counterparts. This means that a less viscous fully synthetic engine oil performs as well as a significantly thicker crude based engine oil, even when hot.

Although synthetic oils are superior in performance to mineral base oils, not all synthetic oils are equal. Therefore although turbocharged engines must use synthetic motor oil it’s important you choose a high quality fully synthetic oil such as that produced by Habot Oil. For expert advice on what oil to use call our professional staff.