Some thoughts on turbo timers guys.... do you think they are necessary?

My friends are always saying that they are a must have...
Does oil really deposit so easily on the turbo bearings? or is that a myth.
I come from the school of thought that says the best turbo timer is the one between your ears.... if you run your car hard... then you let it cool down... but for daily around town driving.. nah. What do you guys think?

 

thats basically it..a turbo timer is something u get if u dont want to actually stay in the car to let the turbo cool down. and if u run the car pretty hard and not let the turbo cool down, u risk damaging the turbo pretty badly..

so if u can take the time to stay in the car 2 mins, u dont need a turbo timer.

if u dont have that 2 mins, get a turbo timer.

 

Another good reason for a turbo timer is that sometimes (out of habit) you'll forget and just turn the car off. The timer helps.

Also, dates don't get pissed when they have to wait for your car to cool off...

 

not neccesary by any means...

personally i usually end up parking on an incline, and the parking brake alone is not good enough to leave the car in nuetral...

i usually always just mosy along at 3K the last 2-3 miles before i'm shutting her off anyway, so i just hang out in the car for an extra 30-60 seconds before i shut her off...

 

More of a convenience than a neccessity. When I don't have a couple miles of crusing after running it hard, it's nice to be able to walk away instead of sitting there like a choad. No offence to those who like to sit there of course. I tried it like that for a couple of weeks, then bought a timer. I lack the patience.

 

For me, they are neither hype nor necessity. They are just a tool. I don't mind waiting for the car to cool, I never leave my car running unattended or leave it out of gear. I like to have something that tells me how hard I have run my car and something that watches the time for me.

 

I have one... its nice to turn everything off, turn the car off get out, lock and walk away. But I also park on a flat street and never park in gear.

 

well, anyone have any recommendations on good timers? please email. thanks

 

Thanks for the replies so far guys... Does anyone have any objective evidence to state that the bearings (do our turbos use ball bearings?) get damaged by just turning off the car after a normal drive?

The Q I have always asked is... If its that important, why do car companies (even the European ones like Saab, Mercedes) not include some sort of stock TT in their cars?

I had a HKS TT in the E6, and it was a pain in the ***... caused all sorts of issues with the alarm/parking on an incline, and in automatic mode the TT would only need a few seconds to shut down on city driving anyway!!

 

Also check your local laws. In some states it isn't legal to leave a car running without someone in it. Like here in WV!

 

whoa forreal redcloud? that sucks

 

They are a neat thing to have, but not necessary. When I park any car with a manual transmission, I ALWAYS put the car in gear after I turn off the engine...parking brakes are notoriously unreliable, and I like to have that extra degree of safety. My habit does not mesh well with a turbo timer, which would obviously require the car to be in neutral.

In addition, problems with the bearings coking up from the heat is not really an issue with fully synthetic oils, such as the Mobil 1 used in the Evo.

Either way, I usually just chill in the car for about a minute or so after parking...there's almost always a good song on that I want to finish before leaving the car.

YMMV...

 

Also, dates don't get pissed when they have to wait for your car to cool off... [/B][/QUOTE]


I hear ya! I use to hear my girlfriend sigh everytime I pulled up to a parking lot until I got a turbo timer put in.

 

In order of importance:

1. convenience
2. the cool factor
3. the function of it

It's so cool when you get out the car while it's still running and you lock the doors, at the same time people are paying attention to it. They just get confused or amazed when the car shuts down by itself.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by jemm
[B]Thanks for the replies so far guys... Does anyone have any objective evidence to state that the bearings (do our turbos use ball bearings?) get damaged by just turning off the car after a normal drive?

The Q I have always asked is... If its that important, why do car companies (even the European ones like Saab, Mercedes) not include some sort of stock TT in their cars?


I doubt there would be any problem after a "normal" drive. But this is in the Evo manual (p. 3-32):

"Do not stop the engine immediately after operating the vehicle at high speeds and/or driving up hills. Allow the engine to idle for about 60 seconds or more to give the turbocharger a chance to cool down"

I wondered why tt's aren't standard equipment too. I think a good reason may be that you have to park in neutral. If people park their cars on hills in neutral to use a factory installed tt, then they would blame the manufacturer if the handbrake didn't hold.