Thread: turbo timers

They are Illegal , don't waste your Money.


get a Pyrometer installed preferably upstream , let your EGT drop down to 220-200 deg c and shut off your engine..

My theory is this:

There is no way I am going to walk away from my car while it is still running - bad guys, slipping out of park, good samaritans telling me the car is still running etc....

So therefore, if I am going to wait with the car to turn off after 1 minute, then I may as well delay turning it off myself.

This means:

1) Save money by not paying to install a theft device
2) Other issues as above are eliminated
3) I know the car is turned off...


My advice - idle the car for about a minute at the end of your journey, and save the hassle and money of a timer...



BTW - I didn't know they were illegal....

can someone explain about the whole waiting for your turbo before you switch your car off

because what i dont understand is no one brings there car to a stand still from 3000 rpm so as your pulling your car up the turbo is not under load...so why in hell do you have to wait a minute to stop the car?

i appreciate the engine will be hot but i cant see how 1 minute is going to sufficently cool down your turbo anyway

If they were illegal I doubt they'd insure them in a vehicle.

I like timers, I think they are good. Especially when out bush and it doesn't matter if you let it run when away from it. This is the illegal part however.

I do a lot of highway and hilly areas and when I get home I will happily park the vehicle in the driveway and walk away from it. And If I have anything in the vehicle I can lock the doors anyway and not set the alarm. If a burgular did get in, they are only going to be 1 minute down the road.

Xav

I think the idea has merit but in the real world having a incorrectly fitted turbo timer is just asking for trouble. I used to be in the japanese import circle and had a few mates incinerated after their car crashed but kept spewing fuel out over the red hot exhaust manifolds as the electrics were still timed on.
Though with diesel fuel is some what safer.
I know some of the better Brands of timers only keep the engine running when the hand brake is on, that would be a bit better lol.

Originally Posted by Xavie

If they were illegal I doubt they'd insure them in a vehicle.

I like timers, I think they are good. Especially when out bush and it doesn't matter if you let it run when away from it. This is the illegal part however.

I do a lot of highway and hilly areas and when I get home I will happily park the vehicle in the driveway and walk away from it. And If I have anything in the vehicle I can lock the doors anyway and not set the alarm. If a burgular did get in, they are only going to be 1 minute down the road.

Xav

the same arguement goes hand in hand with Illegal Lifts and Massive tyres etc , insurance companies are still insuring heavily modified vehilces.

What is illegal is being able to remove the keys from the ignition with the engine still running. and if your keys are still in the ignition with the Engine running then you might as well stay inside for an extra 2-3 minutes and then shut the engine off, in my case if I've been driving the vehicle hard for a while and I know that I'm soon to be approaching my drive way I start to drive conservatively so that EGT drops down to 250-300 , By the time I'm in my drive way the EGT has dropped sufficiently enough to turn the Car off after a Minute anyway , so how would an electronic timer know hot Hot the exhaust is inside your engine ?

I thought it was illegal because you were away from a running vehicle (I know that part is illegal)? I thought because you still had a quick cut off (the button on the timer) it would be okay? I think the thing is they are not illegal but they are used illegally?

Your right about the lift, I never thought of that. Mine is all done with RTA approval so it never occurred to me.

I guess cause I turn off the highway and then up hills to get home Driving without pushing the turbo doesn't really happen.

Xav

Originally Posted by Disco_owner

... .... .... in my case if I've been driving the vehicle hard for a while and I know that I'm soon to be approaching my drive way I start to drive conservatively so that EGT drops down to 250-300 , By the time I'm in my drive way the EGT has dropped sufficiently enough to turn the Car off after a Minute anyway ,... .... ...

Like you, I am in a position to drive the last few hundred metres to home at very low revs with almost no throttle and then I idle down the driveway, By the time I pull on the handbrake and gather up any bits and pieces like the groceries, the turbo has had much more than the recommended 10secs cooling off period, so it is hardly an issue. In fact I suspect it would have cooled down long before I even get the handbrake on.

I know this topic has been discussed at great length previously.

Perhaps it would be useful if someone who has fitted their vehicle with all those sensor like EGT upstream and downstream from the turbo could volunteer to post some actual figures to allay the fears of those who think that a turbo takes forever to cool down.

What I had in mind (for this generous volunteer) was a series of temperature readings with accompanying revs and a description of the amount of throttle opening at about 10 or 15 sec intervals. It would need to be done for the last few hundred metres of driving and after stopping, for however long it takes for the temperatures to drop well below what would be safe.

Sounds simple enough doesn't it. As they would say on Top Gear, how hard can it be?"

Any volunteers?

Unless someone is prepared to do that I am afraid the topic of turbo timers will raise its ugly head every few months.