Turbochargers and roadrips

Boosted2k2 · 04-09-2003

Suppose I have to go on a road trip... what would the precautions be other than keeping an eye on the oil temp.. Say I gotta drive 4 hours somwhere... i usually keep the rpms around 3000 (got 42mpg once!) I guess what I'm asking is under what conditions would the turbo get red hot and over heat. I would keep the boost to 4psi BTW. Would I need an oil cooler? Any suggestions?

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Speedracer32 · 04-09-2003

i was wondering the same thing because after i get mineput on i have a 2 and a half(speeding) to 4 hour( speed limit) trip to get back home from the shop.
anyone had any friends with experiences???

obtix · 04-09-2003

Hell..I have the factory volvo turbo in my 850... I'm gonna guess as long as they did a good job in installing your turbo right you could go for ever (i drove 24 hours straight in the volvo from PA to TX once) Just dont keep gunning the car and beating off the turbo. But im not a gear head... so I could be wrong

PlatCruiser · 04-09-2003

the turbo will be fine for the trip. no worries

Boosted2k2 · 04-09-2003

Thanks for the replies. I was just wondering, because I know after racing I've heard stories of the turbo getting red hot. That's pushing the turbo for a short amount of time though. I was just wondering if that is the equivalent of being easy on the turbo for an extended amount of time. Anyway, thanks.

Speedracer32 · 04-09-2003

Quote:

Originally posted by obtix
Hell..I have the factory volvo turbo in my 850... I'm gonna guess as long as they did a good job in installing your turbo right you could go for ever (i drove 24 hours straight in the volvo from PA to TX once) Just dont keep gunning the car and beating off the turbo. But im not a gear head... so I could be wrong

I'm sure Volvo engines are built a lot stronger than ours thou
but what you say should also apply if you take it easy at low speeds and
your not spooling hours at a time

iamboo · 04-09-2003

it should be fine as long as you're not going full throttle all the way there...

importgal · 04-10-2003

how about a commute? i commute everyday for about an hour there then back.....thats why i never threw a turbo on my lude......what is everyones opinion on daily commute and turbo?
(just threw it under this thread because it is similar)

Boosted2k2 · 04-11-2003

same idea I suppose. Just let the car idle ( or turbo timer it) before you shut it off. An hour commute shouldn't matter though.

Grey · 04-15-2003

Yeah, I'm slightly worried about long drives as well. Not because of overheating, but just because you're basically using up the engine and fuel when you don't need the power. I guess one solution would be to simply "turn off" your turbo. Simply set your wastegate to bypass as much of the exhaust gases as possible. With a large enough wastegate the turbo won't spool up and you'll have no problems. Hmm... Then again, premature wastegate failure comes to mind. LOL

I think I'll do that for my setup. Simply have a boost controller that allows me to decrease the boost for long road trips. To save fuel and to save the engine.

PlatCruiser · 04-15-2003

if the turbo is not boosting your not working it. If its not spooling it doesn't require more fuel. Commuting or road trips makes no difference as long as you stay out of boost.