RE: True cost of a turbo. Was: (no subject)

From: Craig Baltzer (Craig.Baltzer@anjura.com)
Date: Thu Apr 01 1999 - 00:35:11 EST


Haven't done it on a Mopar motor, but have on a number of small motors
(Hondas, Mazdas and a 5.0 Ford :-)). The motor internals cost are a wash
for equiv. boost (i.e. positive manifold pressure is positive manifold
pressure regardless of whether a supercharger or a turbocharger is
making it). O-ringed heads, blower pistons, etc., etc., etc. are all the
same. If you setup a turbo or a blower for modest boost (5-6psi) then
life with the stock internals is prob. ok. Above that, particularly if
you go nuts to 15+psi, then new internals are in order.

Heating of the intake charge is a bit higher on a turbo, but again with
higher boost levels then a supercharger tends to develop bad heat
problems as well. If you're looking for big power, then both will
require an innercooler.

The expense on a turbo is usually getting the proper exhaust manifold to
mount the turbo on. You can't exactly cut out a section of exhaust pipe
and stick them inline :-). Likewise getting the boost regulated
properly, esp. with late model engine management. Just an aside, but one
of the common mistakes is setting up the wastegate to just dump excess
boost into the air. Not a good plan, since its already been "counted" by
the computer (it needs to get dumped back into the intake tract before
the blower). Supercharger is easy, as the only "adjustment" is the size
of the pulley.

The only unique problem I can think of with a generic supercharger kit
is the mounting and plumbing to the intake "hat", as well as "oil
plumbing" if its not self contained oiling.

Anyway, from my experience doing either with a "generic kit" will test
your patience and wallet before you have something that runs right :-)

Craig

-----Original Message-----
From: Jon Steiger [mailto:stei0302@cs.fredonia.edu]
Sent: Thursday, April 01, 1999 12:02 AM
To: dakota-truck@buffnet.net
Subject: DML: True cost of a turbo. Was: (no subject)

At 12:43 PM 3/31/99 , you wrote:
>At 02:55 PM 3/30/99 , you wrote:
>
>>Yup...if you compare the price of a Turbo Kit (with O-Ringed heads,
new
>>gaskets, Pistons, Intercooler, etc.) with just a Paxton (or Vortech)
kit,
>>it comes out about the same. (With labor charges included.)

   Why is it nescessary to buy new pistons, gaskets, and O-ring the
heads
with a turbo but not a blower? (The intercooler I can certainly
understand, although a blower isn't exactly an icebox either...)

  I'm not flaming you or anything; I actually don't know the answer...
I
am tossing around the idea of homebrewing an intercooled twin turbo 360
Magnum for my Dak, so I am trying to learn everything I can now.
(Doesn't
cost anything to think and plan; I'd ike to have this thing fairly well
designed before I start buying parts...)

   Anyone else out there with any experience or thoughts about
turbocharging who'd like to chime in about what is involved would be
most
welcome to do so! :-)

                                               -Jon-

  .--- stei0302@cs.fredonia.edu ------------------------------------.
  | Affiliations: DoD, EAA, MP Race Team, NMA, SPA, USUA. RP-SEL |
  | '96 Dodge Dakota v8 SLT CC (14.58@93.55), '96 Kolb FireFly 447 |
  `----------------------- http://www.cs.fredonia.edu/~stei0302/ ---'



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