Turbo Information Thread (Needs your contributions!)
Turbo Information Thread (Needs your contributions!)
I think the current intarweb meme about ballbearing turbos not lasting on diesels is rooted in the rumor that since a turbo mated to a diesel has to maintain higher rpms at lower loads, this will cause the bearings to wear faster. But then I also heard, which also may just be a rumor, that ball bearing turbos were created for diesels to reduce emissions on throttle tip-in.
Personally, I take this with a grain of salt. If you size the turbo and the exhaust housing right, a quality BB turbo should last a long time.