I emailed Mazda USA on synthetic oil for turbo engines

Yeah that's funny, a Miata engine at that...

It's not a debate that synthetic is just plain better in every way including cold starts and high temps, I'm not sure why it's even still discussed in 2023, going on 2024.
No, most of the Spider is a Miata but the engine is a 1.4T imported from Italy.
 
It's not a debate that synthetic is just plain better in every way including cold starts and high temps, I'm not sure why it's even still discussed in 2023, going on 2024.

Probably because it's cheaper and easier to process conventional oil and synthetic blends. Those oils then become even cheaper to buy in bulk, which is what most dealerships, independent shops and quick lube places will use whenever they can get away with it.

I'd have no issue using conventional oil in my 2.5T, it just doesn't make sense to use it when the price difference is so narrow and I only do two oil changes a year.
 
Well, my 2020 Fiat Spider with a Turbo engine requires synthetic supposedly because of the abuse the oil takes from the turbo.
A lot of companies ask you to use synthetic. I sincerely doubt they say somewhere "Because the turbo runs cooler on synthetic". Happy to be proven wrong.
Regardless as it relates to this thread: do what Mazda tells you to do. LOL
 
Regardless as it relates to this thread: do what Mazda tells you to do. LOL
I can't agree with this logic when it comes to oil, a known commodity. We have independent test results, so we know how it stacks up, and there doesn't seem to be anything special about it.
 
must be America thing with all the obsession and greed for corproate profit and s*** the end user. Because in Europe nobody talks about conventional anymore , at least for 10 years and even before.
 
must be America thing with all the obsession and greed for corproate profit and s*** the end user. Because in Europe nobody talks about conventional anymore , at least for 10 years and even before.
Probably because the price difference is negligible and the benefits for synthetic are way up there. But, yeah, I can see some Mazda bean counters seeing the savings in pumping vast quantities of conventional oil in the Turbo engines versus synthetic, purely conjecture on my part.
 
with short oil change intervals like 5k or 7500mi, conventional vs synthetic just isn't going to matter as long as the oil is SM (already an obsolete spec) rated or newer. Current SP rated oils already provide much better performance than the oils these engines were initially designed around
 
I can't agree with this logic when it comes to oil, a known commodity. We have independent test results, so we know how it stacks up, and there doesn't seem to be anything special about it.
I don't mean using "Mazda oil". If they say dino is fine for your turbo, I believe that.
 
I think if you read the statement carefully, it says the Mazda will get maximum performance from conventional oil. Then it references your local Mazda dealer. That doesn't preclude the fact that while syn oil doesn't improve performance it could result in longer engine and turbo life. If I recall early production cars with turbos, like Dodge, recommended full synthetic oil to prevent turbo bearing failure when the oil failed due to high heat, sometimes after engine shutdown.
They really just want people to visit their Mazda Service Provider and have them change their oil.
 
I think if you read the statement carefully, it says the Mazda will get maximum performance from conventional oil. Then it references your local Mazda dealer. That doesn't preclude the fact that while syn oil doesn't improve performance it could result in longer engine and turbo life. If I recall early production cars with turbos, like Dodge, recommended full synthetic oil to prevent turbo bearing failure when the oil failed due to high heat, sometimes after engine shutdown.
They really just want people to visit their Mazda Service Provider and have them change their oil.
Which is funny because there are plenty of posts saying their dealership didn't use conventional oil at their service.
 
Which is funny because there are plenty of posts saying their dealership didn't use conventional oil at their service.
i don't think a lot of people who have to have their dealership even know what their dealership uses..I bet have the dealerships in the US don't realize the mazda branded 5w30 is in fact conventional..the crazy thing is if you cross the border to Canada and buy Mazda branded 5w30 oil it is in fact synthetic.....it makes on freaking sense.......
 
i don't think a lot of people who have to have their dealership even know what their dealership uses..I bet have the dealerships in the US don't realize the mazda branded 5w30 is in fact conventional..the crazy thing is if you cross the border to Canada and buy Mazda branded 5w30 oil it is in fact synthetic.....it makes on freaking sense.......
Hmm, I've read that the 5-30 Mazda oil is made by Idemitsu and is synthetic. Why would U.S. and CAN be different? All the cars are shipped from Hiroshima with working motors full of oil. I guess they could fill them with different oil depending on the intended destination but I've never heard of that.
 
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Hmm, I've read that the 5-30 Mazda oil is made by Idemitsu and is synthetic. Why would U.S. and CAN be different? All the cars are shipped from Hiroshima with working motors full of oil.
that is the 6 million dollar question...seems insane to say the least....want to see what a deer looks like when it gets blinded by car headlights.....go ask your dealership service writer why it is......
 
Most dealerships do not use "Mazda oil" unless you specify it. When you bring your car in for an oil and filter change, they'll use whatever bulk oil they have that meets the specifications in the manual, because that keeps costs down. Could be conventional, or it could be a synthetic blend.
 
i don't think a lot of people who have to have their dealership even know what their dealership uses.
Most owners aren't like us on this forum. They just blindly take their car into the dealer and let them do whatever they do, without questioning what it is that they are actually using.
There's also the issue, documented here more than once, of dealers putting 0W20 oil into turbo equipped cars. Most owners are none the wiser. Most techs that do oil changes are at the bottom of the totem pole when it comes to proper training. Most of them are young low tenured, low experienced guys that have no clue. This is why I use indie shops for oil changes, where I bring my own Mazda filter, and where I can watch them do the work. I've also been burned in the past (many years ago) when the dealer took my car into the back, let it sit for 20 minutes, then brought it back out without having done the work, and charged me for it. I learned my lesson.
 
Yes, I do! From what I understand Turbo engines are hard on the spark plugs and the oil, and you need an oil that can stand up to the extra punishment. Turbos run hot and the engine oil is used to lubricate them. That extreme heat can breakdown the oil and result in sludge. So why not use the best oil out there, synthetic, which is less likely to breakdown in these conditions.

Not as hard as you think, with water-cooled center bearings. Most likely the shorter oil change interval negates most of the advantages synthetic oil has and Mazda's testing proved it. Not specifying synthetic oil also keeps life cycle costs below the BMW/Mercedes level. BMWs are easy to buy and hellish to maintain. I won't have that.
 
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