I am new to turbo and new to AWD, my first sports car now that I can afford one (go big or go home i suppose).

My question is:

When I am accelerating through the gears i notice the turbo lag, hear the spool and BPV, barely, and whatnot.

Now i love when the boost sets in, about 3300-4500 on my car. but after about 5k rpm it accelerates but doesn't really "pull" anymore.

Is this normal? is it just the torque dropping off after spool up like i've seen in a lot of dyno graphs?

I am bone stock and untuned for the moment, all i have in a k&n drop-in.

Like I said I am new so bear with me.

 

The turbo lag is normal sir.

When the car doesn't pull in that gear anymore, you know it is time to put it into the next one asap you feel it. After a while it comes natural to know when to shift when you are already hauling ***.
When tuned, I believe these "shift points" begin to change accordingly. If you want real high end power, you will have to make a speed sacrifice in the lower end. That is where different turbos come in. Always a trade off.

But your experiences are normal.

 

thank you my friend for that swift answer, I wasn't complaining about the lag, not as bad as I'd thought it would be. still just getting used to having all of that power (coming from a 2001 ford taurus FTL).

TopSpeed in ATL has quoted me a tune and said they could do it easiest if I buy the Cobb AP first.

I figure I would spend the little extra instead of going with a OTS map.

My ultimate goal will be between 350-400 whp. my have to do a contract in Afghanistan and build it all at once when I get back.

 

You don't need a Cobb. Do youself a favor and read the engine management sections before going in for a tune. The smartest way to approach this is to become a knowledgeable consumer!

 

Yeah it's a good idea to shift right around that point and nothing higher, you can usually tell you're shifting right when the oem dv is the loudest.

 

i agree with tehsteve and chu