Turbo Timers are not needed but if you want one go ahead. I have a slow drive through my apartment complex before I park, and I'm rarely on the turbo looking for a parking spot elsewhere, so I don't really see the point. However, in germany, I know at least one person went from sustained full throttle autobahn cruising to stopping at a rest-stop in and shutting off his engine in a 1g eclipse with non-synthetic oil. It never started again. I'm not sure what happened but it couldn't have been good.

 

Not needed, just use a little common sense; run the car for a minute at no boost before parking, and spend the $ elsewhere. I have a 1G TSI AWD I bought new; no turbo timer, 267,000 miles, never rebuilt. At best I run 50/50 synthetic/conventional, often no synthetic at all. After ~120k the seals on the turbos start to weep a little (traces of oil) and I change the turbo at that point. They still look new inside, no oil coking at all.

 

i got an apex-i, its awesome, one of the best mods ive done.

 

What he said. Oil cooled turbos needed to cool down to reduce coking of the oil in the turbo. Water cooled turbos dont have this potential. Turbo timer is not needed on stock turbo but if you want to get one theres no harm in doing so.

 

to those without a TT, do any of you hear a popcorn pop noise coming from your engine bay after shutting down? try it and post up then decide on a 100 TT

 

every car makes that noise after it's turned off from driving around a lot. my moms minivan makes that noise. should i tell her to buy a TT??? NO.


a TT is really only needed for old oil cooled turbos, not oil/water cooled ones. although it doesn't hurt to have one for added safety. if you're on a budget don't bother and take the $100 elsewhere or save it for something that will add a little more power or save it incase you break something.

i've also heard of people running TT and coming outside after a hour or 2 and their car is still running, but i've also known people where they work fine. it's up to you if you want it or not.

 

from what i understand, a TT is not used to cool a turbo down...it is used to keep the oil pump flowing oil over the turbine bearings to keep them lubricated...otherwise, the turbine wheel may seize over time. After a hard run, your turbine is spinning at upwards of 100,000rpm. When you shut the car off, the turbine continues to spin down, but there is no oil movement over the bearings. I believe that is what a TT is designed for.

However, as mentioned earlier in the thread...with the synthetic oil that is used in our cars, there really is no need for a TT. Theoretically, the turbine would sieze up over time...but other parts of the turbo would probably fail first. I am running a TT in my Evo, but only b/c I already had it from my previous car

if you do track your car or beat on it repeatedly, i would recommend getting a TT or letting the car sit and run for a few seconds before shutting it off to give the turbine time to slow down.

 

My turbo timer records my peak boost which my boost gauge doesn't. Surprisingly it is very accurate. I use my TT for peace of mind, still on 16g btw.