Why does the Boxster hold so much oil?
 

Hey, I'm new here, hope to own a Boxster in the future.
Well I was just wondering why it holds so much oil. I mean that is alot for a 2.7 litre engine. :confused:

The "boxer" engine design (there's no "t" in that name), coupled with the very high and sustained rpms of the engine require the 9 quarts of oil.

It's a great thing though... viscosity remains higher for longer periods of time due to having so much oil lubricating the engine. Engine temps remain lower under heavy stress as well. Finally, it's a good thing it has a bunch of oil because Boxsters burn a little oil, especially after they've been sitting for a week or more. Oil can accumulate in the cylinders after a time.

What bugs me is the fact that this car uses so much oil and has such a small gas tank! This makes sense though... it's not a large vehicle, so it would not have a 22 gallon tank!

Larger oil capacity vs size of engine also allows for longer periods between changes, esp. whey you use synthetic oil.

Our Mercedes SUV does the same thing: Mobil1 and lots of it! ... annual oil change.


Jim

I suspect the oil capacity has something to do with the "integrated dry sump" lubrication system, and constant pressure throughout the system, instead of the oil return being essentially under no pressure as in wet sump systems.
The air cooled 911s had an absolutely enormous oil capacity, with a completely separate oil tank that held about 12 qts, and supposedly if you drained the entire oil system, you ended up with about 16 qts! Of course the engine was about as much oil-cooled as it was air cooled, too.