Because of the turbocharger and the heat it generates, a full synthetic would be best. The turbo bearing, which can heat up to 600°F, is murder on oil--and synthetic can tolerate this heat much better without oxidizing.
If fossil oil is allowed to stay on the bearing for too long, as when a proper cool-down isn't given before shutting the engine off, coking results, which produces a solid and not something you want forming in your engine lubricant.

Pick from Amsoil, Mobil 1, and Royal Purple (listed alphabetically) for excellent results. M1 is by far the easiest to find and the cheapest of this group, while finding Amsoil, the most expensive, may be a fruitless effort. Priced between these other two, RP usually can be found at Napa stores or at discounted prices at http://www.oiltown.com. You can run these oils under normal conditions for 10k miles between changes with peace of mind. If you simply must use fossil oil, Road & Track magazine recommends changing no longer than every 3k. I use RP, as for my applications I feel that it is the best--15w40 in my Aero and a 20w50/Nitro-50 mix for my Harley Road King.

Castrol 5w50 (full-synthetic) performs nearly as well as Mobil 1 in one test I saw comparing oxidation and film strength. There may be other brands that perform well, but I haven't seen tests on them. Saab oil is an enigma, its origin unknown, but I'll wager that it is a relabeled synthetic and overpriced.

If synthetic is used and the car has a history of fossil oil use, it would be advisable to change early several times: two quick changes at 3k intervals with filter would be a good idea. Because fossil oil oxidizes more quickly than synthetic products, sludge and varnish (byproducts of this oxidation) can build up--and because synthetics typically have superior solvency, sludge deposits can mix with the oil and exhaust it prematurely. My '95 had 35k of fossil oil use prior to my ownership, and after two changes the remnants from this old oil still showed up in lab tests.

• Type of Oil for 97 aero, GC, Tue, 5 Jun 2001 13:22:35
  • Re: Type of Oil for 97 aero, Black Blur 9000, Wed, 6 Jun 2001 19:03:50
    • MTL, again, Robert Davis, Thu, 7 Jun 2001 00:28:23
      • Re: MTL, again, Wayne Edwards, Fri, 17 May 2002 12:11:32
  • Re: Type of Oil for 97 aero, GC, Wed, 6 Jun 2001 12:53:01
    • Viscosity, Robert Davis, Thu, 7 Jun 2001 00:18:00
      • Re: Viscosity, ls, Thu, 7 Jun 2001 11:13:15
    • Re: Type of Oil for 97 aero, Dick in Falls Church, Wed, 6 Jun 2001 15:28:14
  • Re: Type of Oil for 97 aero, Dick in Falls Church, Tue, 5 Jun 2001 22:22:30
  • Re: Type of Oil for 97 aero, Robert Davis, Tue, 5 Jun 2001 21:27:21 <-- Viewing This Message
    • In WA state, you can get Amsoil at G.I. Joes auto parts n/m, Aaron Gilbert, Wed, 6 Jun 2001 18:03:13
    • Saab Turbo Oil 5w30, ls, Tue, 5 Jun 2001 23:47:13
      • I use Saab Turbo Oil and Saab Filters. Good stuff., SaxMaster2112, Fri, 8 Jun 2001 12:49:26
      • Re: Saab Turbo Oil 5w30, Robert Davis, Wed, 6 Jun 2001 23:59:44
        • Robert, I don't know if this is what you're looking for as far as, Shahn, Thu, 7 Jun 2001 03:56:07
  • Re: Type of Oil for 97 aero, Ajay, Tue, 5 Jun 2001 14:53:08
  • Re: Well any good oil will work, it is just an engine., aero guy, Tue, 5 Jun 2001 14:04:28
  • Re: Type of Oil for 97 aero, SaxMaster 2112, Tue, 5 Jun 2001 13:51:45

No Site Registration is Required to Post - Site Membership is optional (Member Features List), but helps to keep the site online
for all Saabers. If the site helps you, please consider helping the site by becoming a member.

• Prev by Date: (none)
• Next by Date: Re: Cooling Fan Relays, Erwin Timmers, Tue, 5 Jun 2001 21:35:41
• Main 9000 Bulletin Board

StateOfNine.com

SaabClub.com

Jak Stoll Performance

M Car Covers

Ad Available

The content on this site may not be republished without permission. Copyright © 1988-2024 - The Saab Network - saabnet.com.
For usage guidelines, see the Mission & Privacy Notice.
[Contact | Site Map | Saabnet.com on Facebook | Saabnet.com on Twitter | Shop Amazon via TSN | Site Donations]

Random Saabnet.com Member Gallery Photos (Click Image)