Synthetic Oil

[320 driver]

I'm sure this has been asked more than once but here goes again. Just bought a 2008 C-70 with about 17000 miles. I have been using Valvoline Synthetics in my other vehicles for years ( Ford Truck 300000+ with same engine) and I'm just wondering if there would be a problem running synthetic oil in this car considering it has a turbo? I usually run my vehicles till the wheels fall off so I try to take care of them the best I can. Manual says to use Castrol oil. Is there a particular reason or does Volvo just have some deal with them as a supplier? O.. Love this car!

[jblackburn]

Synthetic is great for turbo engines!

Make the switch, and pick whatever kind of synthetic you want to use. I live in NC/VA and run a 10W-30 year-round since the summers get hot and the winters aren't that cold.

[JRL]

With your low mileage now would be an excellent time to switch to full syn.

[320 driver]

Thanks for the reply. I also live in NC with the mild winters so the switch will be done soon. Cheers.

[lexluther]

Contrary to popular believe there is nothing stopping you from going to synthetic back to mineral oil and then back to synthetic. You should run mineral oil in a new car as the parts are still breaking in and synthetic has lubricity properties that differ from mineral oil. New cars such as toyota use a special break in oil. Synthetics are will have the same viscosity and ratings as mineral oil although synthetic are more durable the rating are on the bottle and should be roughly the same as mineral oil,synthetics will also meet a few more specification. However vehicle age plays a factor and because synthetic have more lubricity they can flow past worn seals and gaskets causing leaks and where the mineral vs synthetic use sparked from. Mineral oils are mixed with additives and as such the base oil like all things in life will deteriorate and go back to the base components such as oil and vinegar and other things you may have seen with the same effect. Synthetics start life different and as such are engineered with the other compounds from the beginning, mineral oils use binders to hold it all together hence synthetics last longer and have longer drain intervals before the oil breaks down. Yes synthetics are great for turbo engines due to the cook off effect that happens to the oil from the turbo use as turbos get very hot and the shaft rides on a thin layer of oil as it spins there are no bearing (select cars with IHI twin scroll turbo are the exception and use ball bearing). Modern turbo's are oil and water cooled the water assisting with the cook off effect when you stop your car and the turbo is still spinning as well as being hot and now with engine turned off lacking oil supply and cooking what oil is left and has contact with. The effect is minimized but synthetics help in this regards vs mineral oils. Synthetics flow better helping with cold starts in cold conditions as well as fuel milage but only 1-2% increase averaged over a years use.

bobstheoilguy.com offers all this information for gears heads like me to regurgitate. Oil based forums as greats resources as well for oil facts and again the debate is not vehicle specific rather performance versus requirements.

Be cautions as new federal standards means ultra refined mineral oils can meet the federal requirement and be labeled as synthetic. So you pay more for purer mineral oil versus receiving the added properties of synthetic. Look for the oils with guarantees for drain interval and warranty coverage as they would not risk a law suite for name sake in the event of failures cause on their part and in fact are typically true synthetics or semi-blend.

[writer100]

1. Many new cars leave the factory with synthetic oil in their crankcases.

2. Contrary to myth, use of synthetics no longer leads to leaks. I switched over to full synthetic in my 17 year old 184000 mile car with no leaks.