Opinions on Tiny Turbo Charged Engines?

ecotourist said:
I had an '86 Volvo 740 Turbo, a "Turbo Brick". Bought it new. It had a 240 cc 4 cylinder engine, which was considered small for a large car at the time. The turbo on the '86 model was only oil cooled - later models were also water cooled.

It was considered a fast car back in '86.

I put 285,000 km (178,000 miles) on it in 18 1/2years with no problems with either the engine or the turbo. I sold it to friends who drove it for 5 more years with no problems that I heard about.

So yes, reliable small turbo engines have been around for a long time in Europe.
Click to expand...
My sister had the that same vehicle and racked up similar numbers without issue.
 
wemay said:
I think you issue is with him, not Toyota/Lexus.
Click to expand...
Yep, but it's just a matter of principle. He's a loyal disciple that has been "spreading the word" on here for as long as I've been a member. The sanctimony and piety has well-jaded me over my tenure and I've just come to a point where I'll avoid both of the Toyota brands just out of spite for that incessant plugging. Petty? Absolutely, but I'm OK with that.

lovcom was/is another "keeper of the faith" but his participation has all but ceased at this juncture.
 
grampi said:
I always think of it this way; would I rather have a 2.5 liter turbo, or a NA V-6 or V-8 that produces similar amounts of power? As far as the driving aspect of it goes, I think the turbo offers more torque down low, especially with a dual turbo system (like the Skyactive on my CX-9) where there's no lag. The turbo is also less affected by changes in altitude, and allows for better MPGs when the turbos at low, or no boost. I would have to say long term reliability is going to be better with the NA engines, simply by having fewer parts that can break...
Click to expand...

Did you mean twin scroll? There's only one turbo.

Anyways, BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOST!.
 
OVERKILL said:
Yep, but it's just a matter of principle. He's a loyal disciple that has been "spreading the word" on here for as long as I've been a member. The sanctimony and piety has well-jaded me over my tenure and I've just come to a point where I'll avoid both of the Toyota brands just out of spite for that incessant plugging. Petty? Absolutely, but I'm OK with that.

lovcom was/is another "keeper of the faith" but his participation has all but ceased at this juncture.
Click to expand...
Your honesty here is refreshing. Completely understood.
 
These little turbo engines have been beefed up to handle the extra power, I read somewhere that Fords 1.0 Ecoboost has a block that's made out of Compacted Graphite Iron.
How small of an engine can you stick in a vehicle before you reach a point of diminishing returns when it comes to fuel economy, is it around 2200 lbs per liter?

...As for Chrysler vs Toyota,

"They're all junk... Even everyone's beloved Toyota's"

Above quote from Eric O at South Main Auto in a recent video of his on a Pacifica with a locked up engine. He doesn't think highly of Chrysler...or much else for that matter it seems.
 
Last edited:
BLND1 said:
We didn’t like the Tiguan during test drives either.

The 2.0T is the atlas is quiet and smooth. Less noise the better as far as I am concerned. I sold a Mustang GT to get into the atlas. The 2L is hilariously tiny in the atlas though. View attachment 101500
Click to expand...
It is crazy to see how small that looks in an Atlas engine bay. Even crazier that it pushes that behemoth around as well as it does. VW knows how to tune their turbo 4's!
 
gregk24 said:
It is crazy to see how small that looks in an Atlas engine bay. Even crazier that it pushes that behemoth around as well as it does. VW knows how to tune their turbo 4's!
Click to expand...

On the plus side - maintenance and access should be a breeze.
 
chrlsful said:
Mutsu TD-02 is small but I dont know if they do it well.
Click to expand...

You mean Mitsu? Their turbos are top notch, developed and made by MHI, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. The turbos you see in most normal commuting cars are small to maximize low end torque and minimize boost lag.
 
Yeah, the 'Beshis. all ways feel like I'm workin on a motorcycle when under a hood (all the lines, how they are fitted to the motor).
what's the usual small displacements? Over or undersquare engines? Around one ton vehicles (less than 3)? Models?

"...are small to maximize...."
yes. Similar to how the hat heads see it 'the bigger the carb the better' is also untrue here as it creats lag as it tries to get up to speed. But we're talkin small displacement and turbo (by now they should have gotten 'em sized right oe).
 
chrlsful said:
Yeah, the 'Beshis. all ways feel like I'm workin on a motorcycle when under a hood (all the lines, how they are fitted to the motor).
what's the usual small displacements? Over or undersquare engines? Around one ton vehicles (less than 3)? Models?
Click to expand...

Mitsus that were mitsus (before Nissan came in) were 2.0L engines. Not sure on the range of weight. My Evo was 3400 pounds partially gutted; 3550 fully loaded.

chrlsful said:
"...are small to maximize...."
yes. Similar to how the hat heads see it 'the bigger the carb the better' is also untrue here as it creats lag as it tries to get up to speed. But we're talkin small displacement and turbo (by now they should have gotten 'em sized right oe).
Click to expand...

I'm not talking about big turbos though, I'm talking about OEM turbos that are small to maximize the turbo response and low/mid range torque, not peak power.
 
OVERKILL said:
Yep, but it's just a matter of principle. He's a loyal disciple that has been "spreading the word" on here for as long as I've been a member. The sanctimony and piety has well-jaded me over my tenure and I've just come to a point where I'll avoid both of the Toyota brands just out of spite for that incessant plugging. Petty? Absolutely, but I'm OK with that.

lovcom was/is another "keeper of the faith" but his participation has all but ceased at this juncture.
Click to expand...
A loyal disciple? I'm loyal to no brand. I buy whatever I think suits my needs the best at the time I need to buy a vehicle. I've owned Fords, GMs, Dodges, Toyotas, and Mazdas. I may be somewhat partial to Toyotas, but you would be too if you had one that's lasted over 400K miles that you were still driving. Do you call everyone a loyal disciple whose happy with the vehicles they've had?
 
grampi said:
A loyal disciple? I'm loyal to no brand. I buy whatever I think suits my needs the best at the time I need to buy a vehicle. I've owned Fords, GMs, Dodges, Toyotas, and Mazdas. I may be somewhat partial to Toyotas, but you would be too if you had one that's lasted over 400K miles that you were still driving. Do you call everyone a loyal disciple whose happy with the vehicles they've had?
Click to expand...
Only the ones that feel the need to incessantly bash other brands (like you've bashed the Korean brands, amongst others, repeatedly, time and time again) and praise the one they are driving.
 
OVERKILL said:
Yep, but it's just a matter of principle. He's a loyal disciple that has been "spreading the word" on here for as long as I've been a member. The sanctimony and piety has well-jaded me over my tenure and I've just come to a point where I'll avoid both of the Toyota brands just out of spite for that incessant plugging. Petty? Absolutely, but I'm OK with that.

lovcom was/is another "keeper of the faith" but his participation has all but ceased at this juncture.
Click to expand...
Congrats. You've achieved what every college and university professor dreams about. ;)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

W
  • Locked
Modern Turbo Engine Reliability and Durability
3 4 5
Replies
88
Views
20K
wtd
C
Towing 10k - turbo, supercharger, or big block? MPG & other issues...
2 3
Replies
46
Views
12K
Thermo1223
MCompact
2021 Sahara 4xe- One Month Review
Replies
14
Views
1K
MCompact
C
Catalytic Converter Safe Oil?
2 3
Replies
44
Views
6K
addyguy
C
can u get a reliable used car for under $3k anymore?
5 6 7
Replies
132
Views
23K
Rmay635703
Back
Top Bottom