Turbo lag can make even the highest performing turbocharged engine feel sluggish and unresponsive. This is because larger turbos take longer to spool, thus creating a time gap between when you hit the throttle and when your engine generates full horsepower response.
Is turbo lag good or bad?
Turbo lag is an inherent failing of the turbocharger design. Car makers have done their best to reduce turbo lag from the factory, however a car's turbo lag can increase over time.
What does a failing turbo feel like?
The most common signals that you may have a blown turbo are: The car has noticeable power loss. The acceleration of the car seems slow and noisy. The car doesn't easily maintain high speeds.
How do you know when turbo kicks in?
Press gas pedal, exhaust is generated, turbo starts to spin, more air and fuel is pushed into the engine, power increases. This starts to happen right off idle and you can feel it when starting from a stop. Press the pedal and a second or two later you feel the turbo kick in.
Related Question How does turbo lag feel?
At what RPM is turbo activated?
From 1-2,400 rpm, the primary turbocharger is activated; at 2,400-2,800 rpm, the second turbocharger is activated; and beyond 2,800 rpm, both turbochargers function. This system is recommended for diesel engines with displacements of 2.0 liters and above, and V engines.
At what RPM do turbos kick in?
While your car's engine revs, at cruise, at around 2,000 rpm, a turbo's turbine can reach rotational speeds of more than 280,000 rpm.
Why does my turbo whistle?
What causes turbo whistle? Turbo whistle is the sound of the compressor inside the turbocharger speeding up (also known as 'spooling up', which is why it kicks in at the boost threshold (when the turbo starts to kick in) as you accelerate up the rev range.
How do I test my turbo?
How can I make my turbo kick faster?
Why does my turbo kick in late?
WHAT CAUSES TURBO LAG? Turbo lag is caused by low engine speeds. Basically, when the car is coasting or power is not being applied, there are not enough exhaust gases to spool the turbine/s.
What can you not do with a turbo car?
Do all turbos have lag?
It's the delay between when you open the throttle and when the turbo begins delivering boost—when the engine is above its boost threshold RPM. Some engines have nearly zero turbo lag, some have a ton. But there isn't an engine out there that can deliver an immediate hit of boost below its boost threshold RPM.
How can turbo lag be reduced?
How do I make my turbo spool sound?
Can you daily drive a turbo car?
Yes, it is totally fine to daily drive a turbo car. In fact, turbocharging – at least from the perspective of many manufacturers – is more about making daily driving easier for the driver by making cars more powerful, more fuel efficient and easier to drive. This car comes – from factory – with a turbocharged engine.
Do turbos work better cold weather?
As air temperature increases the density of the air, and the amount of oxygen it holds, decreases. This means that the turbocharger has to work harder, spin faster and compress more air to produce the same amount of boost it would at lower temperatures.
Does turbo spin at idle?
Journal bearing turbos dont neccessarily spin at idle. BB Turbos on the other hand spin like 2 minutes after you shut down the engine from idle.
Should I cool down my turbo?
Turbocharged engines do need to cool down before they are turned off. That is sufficient for the engine oil to cool to a level that will not damage the turbocharger bearings. Also, always ensure that you are using the recommended grade and viscosity of engine oil for your car.
How hot does turbo get?
A turbocharger is exposed to very high temperatures because it uses exhaust gas energy. A normal gasoline engine can get up to 1,000 degrees hot. If the car is parked after a long full-throttle drive, especially after a long drive on the highway, a build-up of heat can form in the engine compartment.
Do turbos make boost at idle?
Boost pressure is usually very low at idle no load condition. Turbo is turning at lower speed due to smaller volume of exhaust going thru turbo. Your highest boost will happen at full load on engine and has the most volume going thru the turbo . A lot of engines now use a exhaust bypass to limit max boost pressure.
What noise does a failing turbo make?
A loud whining noise – Often, a failing turbocharger will make a loud, distinctive noise when under boost - a bit like a dentist's drill or police siren if compressor wheel damaged. If you start to hear this noise from your engine, it's definitely time to have it checked out!
How do you fix a noisy turbo?
Why do turbos leak oil?
Oil leaks can be caused by a variety of factors, the main factor being incorrect pressure within the compressor and turbine housings. Oil leaks can cause catastrophic damage to the bearing systems and occur within seconds of the turbocharger commencing operation.
Can you disconnect turbo?
Can a turbo engine run without the turbo?
Yes a engine will start and run without a turbo just make sure the oil line is capped off or you'll have mess.
How much play should a turbo have?
for acceptable turbo shaft endplay and radial play is 0.091 mm (0.0036 in) for the endplay, and 0.5 mm (0.02 in) for radial play.
Why do turbos fail?
Most failures are caused by the three 'turbo killers' of oil starvation, oil contamination and foreign object damage. More than 90% of turbocharger failures are caused oil related either by oil starvation or oil contamination. Blocked or leaking pipes or lack of priming on fitting usually causes oil starvation.
Does a bigger intercooler increase turbo lag?
It should be noted, however, that too large of an intercooler can actually do more harm than good. If you have an extremely massive intercooler, you will cause more turbocharger lag and more drag inside the whole system.
Do twin turbos have turbo lag?
Theoretically twin turbo systems should possess less turbo lag than a single turbo setup. But they would typically still have some turbo lag. The amount of lag is dependent on the size of the turbos used and the pressure setting.
What causes boost lag?
Turbo lag is affected by a number of different factors, including turbo size relative to engine size, the state of tuning of the engine, the inertia of the turbo's rotating group, turbine efficiency, intake plumbing losses, and exhaust backpressure.
How can I make my turbo more efficient?
The basic principle is that by cooling combustion temperatures and reducing the tendency of the fuel-air mixture to fire erratically, water injection allows engineers to increase an engine's compression ratio, or reduce engine size, that way increasing its efficiency.
Do I need to warm up my turbo car?
Just as you need to warm up your engine, you need to let it cool down. Extended journeys and high speed driving creates a lot of heat in your turbocharger, and if you turn off the engine whilst it's still hot, you can cook the oil inside, leading to unnecessary build up of carbonised oil inside your turbo.
Does turbo use oil?
Turbo systems are made up of moving parts which spin at incredibly high speeds, and work under intense heat and pressure. This means that they need a constant flow of quality engine oil to lubricate the compression valve and intake and outlet fans, to reduce wear and help them perform at their best.