Turbo durability?

somarilnos

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 26, 2016
Threads
7
Messages
182
Reaction score
94
Location
Metrowest Massachusetts
Vehicle(s)
2016 Honda Civic EX-T
Country flag
Oh wait...Here's a turbocharged 1989 Saab 900 SPG with a million miles!



http://www.automotive.com/features/...es-to-stay-in-the-race/1989-saab-900-spg.html

Yessir. It's a proven fact that turbocharged engines just can't last...
I just checked out that link. Is it really saying in the same article that he "took great care of it, and followed a strict maintenance schedule.", and "changed the oil every 45,000 miles."? How did he get this thing to 50,000 miles without blowing out the engine from waiting that long?
Sponsored

 

Slickone

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 13, 2015
Threads
24
Messages
893
Reaction score
327
Location
USA
Vehicle(s)
Le Car
Country flag
http://www.autotrader.com/car-tech/turbocharger-boost-why-so-many-turbos-211118
Another drawback is reliability. In years past, automakers have stayed away from turbo power because it may not be as durable as natural aspiration. By forcing more air and fuel into a smaller engine, turbocharging can lead to premature wear.
We're not certain that problem has been solved yet. But drivers who buy a turbocharged new car won't have to worry about it for a long time -- and they'll save a lot of money on fuel.



In aircraft, the TBO for turbocharged engines is much less than N/A engines.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_between_overhaul
the manufacturer's recommended number of running hours or calendar time before an aircraft engine or other component requires overhaul.
They tend toward the lower number if they are new designs, or include boosting options like a turbocharger.
 
Last edited:

hunter44102

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 18, 2015
Threads
9
Messages
515
Reaction score
247
Location
Cleveland
Vehicle(s)
2006 Civic Hybrid, 2016 Civic Touring
Country flag
The 2007 Acura RDX has a Turbo. Owners are posting things like '226K miles and still going strong'. But I do see one owner that says he got an engine light at 92K and dealer found a failed Turbo and cost $4500 to repair. Who knows if this was from abuse or just a failed part that caused the issue.

I guess with more parts there's more chance for failure but I'm guessing Honda is looking at these failures and improving on them.
 

Design

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 28, 2015
Threads
28
Messages
3,329
Reaction score
2,903
Location
Southern California
Vehicle(s)
09 MS3, 17 ABM Si Sedan
Country flag
All motors wear. The question is whether the parts are properly engineered for the application.

This has more to do with more moving parts = more things that "could" go wrong.
 


Slickone

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 13, 2015
Threads
24
Messages
893
Reaction score
327
Location
USA
Vehicle(s)
Le Car
Country flag
All motors wear. The question is whether the parts are properly engineered for the application.

This has more to do with more moving parts = more things that "could" go wrong.
But again, turbo engines generally wear quicker.
 

dick w

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 25, 2015
Threads
11
Messages
1,985
Reaction score
877
Location
Kapaʻa, HI
Vehicle(s)
'16 Civic Sedan Touring, '18 CR-V Touring AWD
Country flag
But again, turbo engines generally wear quicker.
gen·er·al·i·ty
ˌjenəˈralədē/
noun
  1. a statement or principle having general rather than specific validity or force.
    "he confined his remarks to generalities"
    synonyms: generalization, general statement, general principle, sweeping statement;
    abstraction, extrapolation
    "the debate has moved on from generalities"
 

Slickone

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 13, 2015
Threads
24
Messages
893
Reaction score
327
Location
USA
Vehicle(s)
Le Car
Country flag
OK,
gen·er·al·i·ty
ˌjenəˈralədē/
noun
  1. a statement or principle having general rather than specific validity or force.
    "he confined his remarks to generalities"
    synonyms: generalization, general statement, general principle, sweeping statement;
    abstraction, extrapolation
    "the debate has moved on from generalities"
OK, thanks professor. As usual, I don't get your point. I believe I have figured out you enjoy debating though. Generally.
 

dick w

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 25, 2015
Threads
11
Messages
1,985
Reaction score
877
Location
Kapaʻa, HI
Vehicle(s)
'16 Civic Sedan Touring, '18 CR-V Touring AWD
Country flag
My point is you are trying to infer durability of the Honda 1.5 turbo engine from a generality. It may prove more or less durable.
 

Slickone

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 13, 2015
Threads
24
Messages
893
Reaction score
327
Location
USA
Vehicle(s)
Le Car
Country flag
I said nothing about the Honda 1.5 turbo engine. I said engines in general. That would include the Honda 1.5 turbo engine since it's an engine.
The US Department of State often issues general warnings about traveling to certain countries, and most travelers heed their warnings.
In general, if people jump off hi-rise buildings, they die. But that's a generalization, so you'd still jump?
 


dick w

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 25, 2015
Threads
11
Messages
1,985
Reaction score
877
Location
Kapaʻa, HI
Vehicle(s)
'16 Civic Sedan Touring, '18 CR-V Touring AWD
Country flag
I bought a turbo Civic that I intend to keep a long time. I expect its turbo will in no way be the limiting factor in life of the car or a maintenance and repair cost driver. That's all that matters to me. TBO of turbo vs NA aircraft engines or the historic average durability of all automotive turbos is irrelevant to me. Maybe it's important to others, though I'm not sure why it would be.
 

Slickone

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 13, 2015
Threads
24
Messages
893
Reaction score
327
Location
USA
Vehicle(s)
Le Car
Country flag
And I would guess you likely won't have much if any trouble. No one said you will.

However the facts are relevant to you, whether you ignore them or not. They don't go away. And I didn't say anything that wasn't true. But don't take it personally. I personally hope you enjoy the car and it's trouble free.
 

oldjackbob

Member
Joined
Mar 31, 2016
Threads
1
Messages
9
Reaction score
6
Location
Arlington TX
Vehicle(s)
2016 Civic EX-T Sedan
Country flag
Turbos are extremely complex and unreliable. They have a moving part. That's why passenger planes never use turbo-fan or turbo-jet engines (or any other turbo-like device) to transport passengers or cargo. Turbos are just too dangerous and unreliable. That's why stationary generators that operate 24/7 never use turbos. You'd never see a turbo on an emegency generator in a hospital--and that should tell you something. That's why ships at sea never use turbocharging. Certainly no locomotive would be caught dead with any kind of turbo. That's why long-haul and even short haul truckers never use turbocharging. Certainly, the truck that delivers your Honda to your dealer would never rely on some sketchy turbocharger to get your car to it's destination...
This is my first post, and I registered to this forum just so I could reply to your post. I had such an urge to reply that I didn't even read the rest of the thread.

I'm just going to come right out and say this, because I don't know how to sugar coat words - dude, you are clueless. Let me address each incorrect statement you made.

1) "Turbos are extremely complex and unreliable. They have a moving part." Huh?? Turbos are extremely simple and reliable, precisely because they only have a single moving part.

2) "...passenger planes never use turbo-fan or turbo-jet engines (or any other turbo-like device) to transport passengers or cargo." Huh?? The vast majority of passenger airliners and cargo aircraft use high-bypass turbofan engines.

3) "That's why ships at sea never use turbocharging." Huh?? The RT-flex96C, the largest ship diesel in the world, is turbocharged.

4) "Certainly no locomotive would be caught dead with any kind of turbo." Wrong again. Virtually all diesel locomotives employ turbochargers.

5) "That's why long-haul and even short haul truckers never use turbocharging." Wrong again. Virtually every big truck diesel engine is turbocharged.

Additionally, virtually every automotive light truck and industrial diesel engine in America today is turbocharged.

Carry on.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Myx

Slickone

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 13, 2015
Threads
24
Messages
893
Reaction score
327
Location
USA
Vehicle(s)
Le Car
Country flag
This is my first post, and I registered to this forum just so I could reply to your post. I had such an urge to reply that I didn't even read the rest of the thread.

I'm just going to come right out and say this, because I don't know how to sugar coat words - dude, you are clueless. Let me address each incorrect statement you made.
He was being sarcastic (and silly). He forgot his emoticon.
http://www.civicx.com/threads/turbo-durability.1028/#post-13026
 

oldjackbob

Member
Joined
Mar 31, 2016
Threads
1
Messages
9
Reaction score
6
Location
Arlington TX
Vehicle(s)
2016 Civic EX-T Sedan
Country flag
I bought a turbo Civic that I intend to keep a long time. I expect its turbo will in no way be the limiting factor in life of the car or a maintenance and repair cost driver. That's all that matters to me. TBO of turbo vs NA aircraft engines or the historic average durability of all automotive turbos is irrelevant to me. Maybe it's important to others, though I'm not sure why it would be.
I tend to think like you. I don't operate my engine at 55% to 80% steady-state throttle like an airplane at cruise speed does. I bought our 1.5T for my wife, who I'm willing to wager will not "floor" the throttle more than once in the car's entire lifetime (if even that) and will typically operate the engine at 10% throttle or less nearly all the time, and only rarely go to 20% throttle even getting on the freeway. So turbocharging on my particular car likely won't even figure into service life at all.

Let us also remember that all of the diesel pickup trucks today are turbocharged AND run very high compression AND have wide open intakes all the time (no throttle plate), and those engines are made to last a very long time. So it isn't like the manufacturers don't know how to make a high compression turbocharged engine that lasts a long time.
Sponsored

 


 


Top