New to turbo vehicles

[DJ Nexxus]

As a new person to turbo vehicles, what are some tips and tricks, you can offer people like me on keeping your turbo engine working good and reliable besides the regular oilchange and tuneup?

[mitsu4life]

pay more attention to your gauges monitor your oil/water temps etc, when you in boost keep glancing your rich/lean gauge, pull yuh bonnet an check for leaks every once in a while stuff may leak but wont reach the ground for you to see easily...listen to your engine if its pinging, stuff like that

[MISHI]

Make sure and keep your fuel quality at best... no super fuel. Use premium and a good octant booster/ fuel treatment from time to time...

Brakes and clutch take more strain with a turbocharged vehicle... so you may want to invest in better qualities in both if you haven't done so already.

Always make sure as posted above, to check oil levels and radiator as well... Buy good quality fluids/ parts to upkeep the vehicle

As well it would be beneficial to have three main gauges

Boost (Or boost controller would be fine)

Air Fuel (Or better yet Exhause gas temp)

Oil pressure


Don't ever drive the vehicle boosted and then shut it off immeadiately. Take your time and drive slow for a while before you reach where you are going... if not, park and leave to idle a minute or two or invest in a turbo timer...

Always inspect your mounts for wear.. especially if it's a conversion...

Beware of yourself... having a car with the amount of power can make you confident to do things with your right foot ... sometimes it makes you do stupid things. Keep your discipline as best you can...

[mitsu4life]

Beware of yourself... having a car with the amount of power can make you confident to do things with your right foot ... sometimes it makes you do stupid things. Keep your discipline as best you can...

this is especially true

[ryansouthman]

Properly explained^^^^^^^^^^^

[boogy]

Make sure and keep your fuel quality at best... no super fuel. Use premium and a good octant booster/ fuel treatment from time to time...

Brakes and clutch take more strain with a turbocharged vehicle... so you may want to invest in better qualities in both if you haven't done so already.

Always make sure as posted above, to check oil levels and radiator as well... Buy good quality fluids/ parts to upkeep the vehicle

As well it would be beneficial to have three main gauges

Boost (Or boost controller would be fine)

Air Fuel (Or better yet Exhause gas temp)

Oil pressure


Don't ever drive the vehicle boosted and then shut it off immeadiately. Take your time and drive slow for a while before you reach where you are going... if not, park and leave to idle a minute or two or invest in a turbo timer...

Always inspect your mounts for wear.. especially if it's a conversion...

Beware of yourself... having a car with the amount of power can make you confident to do things with your right foot ... sometimes it makes you do stupid things. Keep your discipline as best you can...

totally correct!!!

[DJ Nexxus]

Boost (Or boost controller would be fine)

Air Fuel (Or better yet Exhause gas temp)

Oil pressure

Check!!!

Brakes and clutch take more strain with a turbocharged vehicle... so you may want to invest in better qualities in both if you haven't done so already.

Pulled the carrige before the horse a little bit here, but it is the next upgrade, along with suspension.

Don't ever drive the vehicle boosted and then shut it off immeadiately. Take your time and drive slow for a while before you reach where you are going... if not, park and leave to idle a minute or two or invest in a turbo timer...

for the benifit of tuners like myself who now reaching this stage, this is because the exhaust turbine is at a high temp, and you need to give it time to drop or else you will damage the bearing by "cooking" what little oil is left in the bearing after you cutoff....is that about right?

Beware of yourself... having a car with the amount of power can make you confident to do things with your right foot ... sometimes it makes you do stupid things. Keep your discipline as best you can...

This honestly was the part that was most frightening to me, but I have proven to myself over the past year that I have the maturity (if not totaly, atleast almost there) to invest in something like this.

question: If the engine (RB25DET) was accidentally fed Super gasoline, what damage or problems would that do to the engine?

and why is the EGT guage reccomended more than the AFR guage?

[mitsu4life]

putting super gas in a turbo engine can cause detonation due to the lower octane however i have seen cars that are running stock boost (7-9psi) put super an nothing really came out of it an some have gotten sputtering when in boost...if you get super by mistake or have no chice try not to send the car into boost

i think the EGT guage is more recomended than a narrow band AFR guage becuse you have a range of temperatures that you know is safe, a narrow band will say you rich,lean or stoich an not very rich or very lean...it still better to have than nothin at all

someone care to elaborate more on this

[DJ Nexxus]

putting super gas in a turbo engine can cause detonation due to the lower octane

Oh so it is only because of octane?....I thought there was some additive or along that line that was the reason, so let me ask you this then. Now please don't read this as if I am being cheap, but I was taught the notion that before you can use something properly/efficiently or fix it, you MUST know how it works!...

With that said, if I use Super, and mix it with say toluene to raise the octane, would that work in place of premium?...also what about if I used super with a water injection kit?....would that alow me the use of super over the premium?
And what about the red residue that super leaves?, would not that clog the injectors sooner?

[mitsu4life]

hmmm well lets see,

toulene would raise your octane..but i think it'll screw up your O2 sensor and eventually your injectors or the seals i not 100% on that

now water injection works by lowering your intake charge temps decreasing the chances of pre ignition/detonation it doesnt raise your octante so to my thinking i dont see y it shouldnt work but is it worth buy a water injection kit just to run super gas?

the red residue i think is lead?? i leave that for someone else to answer

(someone correct me if i need correcting plz i doh wanna be spreading wrong info )

[DJ Nexxus]

^^^ Thanks man, waiting to see who else can add to this and share their views.

[bushwakka]

i interested to see what is the red residue cuz i have no idea it even had a red residue

[Marct]

my view is that the turbo timer is higher priority than the guages

[bushwakka]

^^it depends i guess on the persons driving style

[X2]

turbo timer is a MUST for any turbo vehicle... even diesel trucks and the like....


Avoid super.... don't waste your time... just use premium... you are going into a different realm of engine now.

ALWAYS check under the hood when you have the chance... learn where are you oil lines and so on, turbo vehicles are higher maintenance than n/a cars, but will do well once properly cared for. Also make sure you have chosen a proper oil and viscosity and stick with it... try not mix oils of different brands and definitely not different viscosities.

your coolant system should also be up to scratch to prevent any major malfunctions.... lots of good info in the thread otherwise.

[kes_vtec]

i think the EGT guage is more recomended than a narrow band AFR guage becuse you have a range of temperatures that you know is safe, a narrow band will say you rich,lean or stoich an not very rich or very lean...it still better to have than nothin at all

someone care to elaborate more on this

EGT=Exhaust Gas Temperature
AFR=Air Fuel ratio
the best way to tell if you are running lean or rich is with a good AFR gauge. this will make up a wideband O2 sensor, a controller for that sensor and most times a gauge. this tells you what you Air fuel ratio is (no guessing)
now you can tell if you your running lean or rich with a EGT, but this give you a idea if where are. Your EGT will better tell the power state of your motor eg. if you need more or less timing.

[DJ Nexxus]

i interested to see what is the red residue cuz i have no idea it even had a red residue

One of the benifits of owning an older vehicle at one point in time...I had a webber on a L28, the constant leaking from the accelereation pump, used to drip on the intake manifold, over a short space of time, there was this thick red residue from the super gasoline.

my view is that the turbo timer is higher priority than the guages

I have an installed viper pager alarm, and they have a built-in turbo timer system into them.

Avoid super.... don't waste your time... just use premium... you are going into a different realm of engine now.

Yeah I know, but like I said, it was more a matter of information, and what-if scenarios, not I am cheap and want to run super in my vehicle.

ALWAYS check under the hood when you have the chance... learn where are you oil lines and so on, turbo vehicles are higher maintenance than n/a cars, but will do well once properly cared for.

I am the person installing the engine, so I have a more than fair understanding of what is located where, the capabilities of certain parts, what can take strain and what cannot, and what needs to be cared for more.

Also make sure you have chosen a proper oil and viscosity and stick with it... try not mix oils of different brands and definitely not different viscosities.

golden rule!!.....

your coolant system should also be up to scratch to prevent any major malfunctions.... lots of good info in the thread otherwise.

Well this area still needs some work, it is up to par for the job, but I plan on installing a new radiator, dual core, dual electronic fan.

[Alpha_2nr]

also what about if I used super with a water injection kit?....would that alow me the use of super over the premium?

Why not just run meth/water injection WITH premium for even more power

now water injection works by lowering your intake charge temps decreasing the chances of pre ignition/detonation it doesnt raise your octante so to my thinking i dont see y it shouldnt work but is it worth buy a water injection kit just to run super gas?

Well you kinda contradicting your self there. Octane #...refers to the resistance of a fuel to pre-detonation etc. So by added water/meth injection, you're essentially:

1) Lowering fuel/air mix temps to reduce chance of detonation
2) Changing the sp. ht. capacity of the mixture such that detonation threshold is increased (higher octane).

And what about the red residue that super leaves?, would not that clog the injectors sooner?

No. It's a dye is all.

the red residue i think is lead?? i leave that for someone else to answer

No local fuels use "lead" or TEL, other than Av. Gas. (fuel for prop planes). The red is a dye that is added post-processing to ensure that gas stations (private) don't give you a 6-for-a-9 by selling you super when you're paying for Premium.

Air Fuel (Or better yet Exhause gas temp)

A/F ratio with a wideband sensor (as oppose to running on a stock O2 sensor) will prove more valuable than EGT IMHO....as the EGT is more of an "indirect" indicator....after the fact so to speak. A/F ratio is easier to understand for the "new turbo car user" as it is a more "direct reading" so to speak.

[DJ Nexxus]

Why not just run meth/water injection WITH premium for even more power

Read my replies to why I was thinking about super with a water injection kit.

[Alpha_2nr]

^^I read your replies on that. Which is why I gave ^^that reply.

Running meth with super is kinda pointless, as gains depend on the octane number you're starting off with. Plus you'd probably have to have different trigger settings for the water/meth injection between using Super and Prem. gas. And you'd be spending some good $$$ in prices of the kit, and installation, to get performance at...or a little above what Premium does straight off.

Sucks when you think about it.


Hence my reason for giving that answer.....use it with Prem. and be done.

With that said, if I use Super, and mix it with say toluene to raise the octane, would that work in place of premium?...also what about if I used super with a water injection kit?....would that alow me the use of super over the premium?

Adding a GALLON or more of toluene to your tank, will only give you about a 0.5 to 0.6 increase in RON octane at BEST (I can do the calcs to show if you want). So that doesn't make much sense either.





Why are you so bent on using Super AND premium?

[DJ Nexxus]

^^I read your replies on that. Which is why I gave ^^that reply.

Why are you so bent on using Super AND premium?

That is why I said read my post

it was more a matter of information, and what-if scenarios

Don't get me wrong bro I am not trying to create an argument, I realise the gains and the drawbacks, now.

Adding a GALLON or more of toluene to your tank, will only give you about a 0.5 to 0.6 increase in RON octane at BEST (I can do the calcs to show if you want). So that doesn't make much sense either.

This is did not know....so it would be better to run strictly toluene then?

[mitsu4life]

Knight1, thanks for the correction there
i learn somethin new

[X2]

toluene is more of an additive... you should not run on it 100%.... and yes, it will kill the O2 sensor.

Just run premium... super is NOT a performance gas by any means... neither is premium, but it's the lesser of two evils.

Methanol will give you the effect of an octane increase, but it's just adding more parts to go bad to your fuel system... you don't want to rely on that type of injection for a daily driven vehicle.... it's better for racing applications IMO.... and definitely not something you want to rely on for standard fuel enrichment.... you can always add it later for a frequent power boost.

Since your cooling system may not be the best, consider investing in an external oil cooler as well... it's cheap insurance for your turbo.

[DJ Nexxus]

Since your cooling system may not be the best, consider investing in an external oil cooler as well... it's cheap insurance for your turbo

Ahh...here is something I did not think about!....bess advice!

[Alpha_2nr]

Methanol will give you the effect of an octane increase, but it's just adding more parts to go bad to your fuel system... you don't want to rely on that type of injection for a daily driven vehicle.... it's better for racing applications IMO.... and definitely not something you want to rely on for standard fuel enrichment.... you can always add it later for a frequent power boost.

Best take on this so far. But Meth/water injection can be used on daily drivers. And is being done locally also. But....if you want reliability....as X2 said......