sponger_pr

Everyone talks about how a t/c TC requires more maintenance than a N/A or even a S/C TC. What else than more frequent oil changes and premium gass do you have to do to a turbo charge to maintain it's reliability and performance?

MIAPLAYA

Thats it... premium gas oil change every 3k miles. End of story..

BlkSandPrlTurbotC

Not really end of story...

Dont cold start, you have to let the turbo heat up before you go driving off
Dont shut of the car after you have been driving for a while

how could you forget about those 2 things MIAPLAYA hehe

MIAPLAYA

WELLLLL Common sense is to let the car warm up before you drive off. But sure lets add that to the last. In regards to shutdown a turbo timer eliminates the need to sit in your car and wait. So common sense on start up and about $85-100 on shutdown takes care of that :D

BlkSandPrlTurbotC

ahhhh touche touche! lol we both win

MIAPLAYA

unlimited77

What do you mean cold start?

paul_dezod

What do you consider maintence? Typical FI maintence is as follows:

*frequent synthetic oil changes-3K miles or less if you race her hard all the time

*91 or higher octane all the time

*warm up time

*cool down time

*Frequently inspecting for cracks on manifolds or welds

*frequently checking for damage to the compressor or exhaust housing (crackes, sounds....)

*inspecting all charge piping to make sure pipes don't blow off (happens to the best of us....comes with the territory)

*inspecting your spark plugs with every oil change (make sure no burns or soot build ups)

*some recommend you to take the turbo apart and clean it every 10-20K miles....

*constant monitoring of noises coming from the engine bay (audible dentonation, BOV or lack there of, exhaust leaks....)

*throttle response (reaction to flooring it, car not going, or seeming real jerky)

*coolant temps (watch for over heating)

*monitor peak boost and such for boost spikes

*monitor AFR through a wideband O2 to make sure everything looks good (atleast 12:1 while in boost under throttle)

.........Driving and maintence becomes a routine. Sometimes VERY cumbersome and aggrivating, but it's the price we pay for power.

hawgs74

^^Does this refer to S/C as well?

paul_dezod

Pretty much all except the take apart every 10K miles.

sponger_pr

Paul, then maitenance should not be a debate when deciding to T/C or S/C. If this maitenance is true for both applications, than deciding factors should relate more to warranty, power, low-end/high-end, and price. True?

paul_dezod

Correct. Power goals, budget, use of car.....


[I can't spell for crap today]

sponger_pr

So what is it about the supercharger that convinces everyone being more reliable? Is it it's modest HP and TQ?

kytc

That boost is built up over time instead of almost instantaneous and you are not sending hot exhaust gases into your engine but sped up intake air

PlayinWithFire

i dont understand the cool down thing... i know ive been told by countless people that without a turbo timer i should sit for a minute to let it cool down... but wouldnt it cool down still if i shut it off? Does it have to do with releasing built up boost, or exhaust fumes or something?

zer0

Ive always wondered this as well. For example the EVO, STI, SRT4 all are turbo'd.
Why dont they come with a turbo timer stock?

BlkSandPrlTurbotC

A very good rule of thumb is to always let the engine idle for atleast a minute before you shut it off. The time you loose will be worth it compared to the time to fix the turbo.

As for warmup, you do not want to use any throttle until the engine oil has come up to pressure in the turbo. The big mistake that many people make is to start the car with their foot on the accelerator. This will lead to certain doom because the turbo is spun up as soon as the car is started.

To answer your questions:

If you don't have a ball-bearing turbo, it's very important to let your turbo cool down for at least a minute or two before you turn off your engine. The reason for this is that shutting down the engine while the turbo is hot can cause the engine oil in the turbo to "coke up", or become sludgy and sticky, coating the turbo. It's kinda like cholesterol in your arteries -- if too much builds up, the turbo will stop working and you'll be very, very unhappy. Letting the car idle for a few minutes allows the oil to circulate and cool the turbo down, thus preventing coking. Furthermore, if you use synthetic oil, it will not coke up at all. Synthetics are good.

To my knowledge the EVO is a water-cooled turbo setup which is far more effective at cooling down. It wouldnt still hurt having a turbo timer on an EVO.

If you seriously cant sit in your car for a minute or 2 fan cycles, you should invest in a turbo timer.

Ok I'm exhausted...lol

mattvs

The reliability of the Supercharger comes not from safe power, but the fact that if it breaks, you can take it in and claim warranty and they'll fix it for free. It is SMOG approved, street legal in all 50 states and allows you not only to have a warranty on the part itself, but allows you to keep your entire factory warranty as well.