Ian C
03-04-05, 21:19
Name:
Turbo Timer
Also known as:
n/a
What is it?
It's an electronic gizmo that runs the engine on for a while when you turn the ignition off to allow oil to circulate and cool the turbos down. If you turn the engine off straight away after hooning about the oil stops flowing past the turbo bearings. Because the turbos are so hot, oil can solidify and form deposits which can knacker your turbo bearings. Which is bad. That is why you should always let the car idle for a while before switching off, to let the oil circulate and cool them down (you do that already right? :) )
A turbo timer is a lazy mans’ gadget that wires into the ignition and does the idling for you, by counting down on a timer. The simplest ones are just timers, the more sophisticated measure boost, revs or some other variable and use it to work out how long to idle for. Most have a feature that cuts the engine immediately if the handbrake is released by an opportunist thieving scumbag, although of course not having the keys in the ignition means the steering lock will kick in.
An alternative is an alarm like a top end Clifford which has IntelliStart - basically remote engine starting and stopping.
Pros:
Idles the car so you don't have to (but see cons below)
Most have other features like stopwatches, boost gauges etc.
Takes the guesswork out of things.
Cons:
Can cause problems with some alarms as they will think the ignition is on. Some creative wiring is required to let you arm the alarm and lock the doors while the engine is running.
It's actually illegal to leave your car with the engine running.
These two things mean you have to sit there waiting anyway, but at least you know how long for :)
-Simon B
Turbo Timer
Also known as:
n/a
What is it?
It's an electronic gizmo that runs the engine on for a while when you turn the ignition off to allow oil to circulate and cool the turbos down. If you turn the engine off straight away after hooning about the oil stops flowing past the turbo bearings. Because the turbos are so hot, oil can solidify and form deposits which can knacker your turbo bearings. Which is bad. That is why you should always let the car idle for a while before switching off, to let the oil circulate and cool them down (you do that already right? :) )
A turbo timer is a lazy mans’ gadget that wires into the ignition and does the idling for you, by counting down on a timer. The simplest ones are just timers, the more sophisticated measure boost, revs or some other variable and use it to work out how long to idle for. Most have a feature that cuts the engine immediately if the handbrake is released by an opportunist thieving scumbag, although of course not having the keys in the ignition means the steering lock will kick in.
An alternative is an alarm like a top end Clifford which has IntelliStart - basically remote engine starting and stopping.
Pros:
Idles the car so you don't have to (but see cons below)
Most have other features like stopwatches, boost gauges etc.
Takes the guesswork out of things.
Cons:
Can cause problems with some alarms as they will think the ignition is on. Some creative wiring is required to let you arm the alarm and lock the doors while the engine is running.
It's actually illegal to leave your car with the engine running.
These two things mean you have to sit there waiting anyway, but at least you know how long for :)
-Simon B