Q. Are turbos reliable?
A. Absolutely.
Turbos are regarded to be the most reliable of the "power adders", as
seen in many applications.
"The turbo has always been
reliable, when offered proper care. The crux of the matter; information
regarding proper care of the turbo was not offered by anyone. OEM’s were either
ignorant of the care required or didn’t want to scare prospective turbo vehicle
buyers away by listing increased maintenance needs. This idiotic situation lead
to a zillion early turbo failures and the lingering B.S. of today that turbos
are generally unreliable. An interesting fact regarding 18 wheeler freighters;
the time between overhaul of their turbos is approaching 1,000,000 miles.
Another: the last three centuries of the Le Mans 24 Hour Sports Car Race have
been won by turbocharged vehicles. The equivalent road mileage wear estimate of
a race car is 1000 to 1 (Porsche, among others). The Le Mans winner usually
covers about 3,300 miles in the 24 hours. Does that actually suggest the
equivalent road wear of three million miles? You can bet that they cross the
finish line still operating under boost. So, what info was needed?
The information needed was simply frequency of oil changes and the quality of
the oil used. In my experience the situation boils down to two alternatives;
mineral based oils and synthetic based oils. These two perfectly able lubricants
have different high temperature capabilities, thus making one more suitable for
turbocharger operation. The net result is, while both can be used safely with
the turbo, the synthetic can be used substantially longer between change
intervals. If the OEM’s had stated the oil quality and change requirements
as: Mineral Oil: use the best available, and change it every two thousand miles.
Synthetic: Use the best available and change it every five thousand miles.....
then, the turbo would have been spared a dubious reputation." (quote
from Corky Bell, Bell Engineering).
With any performance
modification, there are design limitations that should be understood.
Installing any component that increases the power production of an engine beyond
stock specifications carries a risk of increased wear, decreased longevity or
possible failure. However, with proper maintenance and common sense, a
turbocharged car can be enjoyed for many happy miles.
Q. How much horsepower can I expect
from an HP kit with my stock engine?
A. Depends on what kind
of car you have and how much horsepower the engine will handle. For
example, the HP Performance Stage I Twin Turbo kit for a 1996-2004 Mustang GT
will support over 700 rwhp, but we don't recommend you exceed about 500
rwhp on a stock engine. However, on a stock 2003-2004 Cobra (due to the
fact that its engine comes with forged internals from the factory), you can run
up to the turbos' limit of about 900 rwhp .
Q. I would like to install your
Stage I kit on my car. If my engine has not been abused and is well
maintained, is it ok to install this kit on an engine with 80,000 miles?
A. That depends on the
condition of the engine. We have many customers who have successfully installed
our turbo systems on high-mileage cars and driven them without incident. If you
engine does not make any unusual noises, does not burn oil and still maintains
consistent compression within recommended specifications, you should be OK
Q. What if I want more horsepower
than is available with the Stage I Turbo kit?
A. We offer
different power stages for each of our systems. For example, the twin
turbo system we offer for the '96-'04 Mustang comes in four stages. Stage
I will support about 700 rwhp, Stage II will support about 900 rwhp, Stage III
will support about 1200 rwhp and Stage IV will support about 1600 rwhp. We can help you decide which options are best for your
application and advise you how to set up your car for maximum performance.
Also, HP
Turbo kits are upgradeable if you want to increase power in the future.
Q. Do you sell turbo components
separately?
A. Yes. We sell
most of the major components of the turbo kits separately. Just
call or email us for details.
Q. Can I build a "custom"
turbo kit from
HP components?
A. Yes. Although
HP turbo kits are engineered to achieve maximum performance for the lowest cost, many
of our customers do this in order to better tailor the turbo kit to their cars and the
performance they want from them. We will be happy to assist you with
advice regarding matching up the proper components of your turbo kit for best performance.
Q. How hard is the turbo kit to install?
A.
Installation of HP turbo kits can be done by anyone with basic tools and
skills following the detailed instruction manual included with the turbo
kits.
Certain kits may require very minor passenger inner fender well modifications
('79-'93 Mustangs), or the battery is moved in some kits (ex.: all HP Corvette
turbo kits). HP turbo systems are all designed
to allow retaining all the factory-installed accessories (except the smog pump
on '79-'93 Mustangs)
including the power steering pump, alternator and air conditioning compressor.
Q. What else do I have to buy to
install an HP turbo kit?
A. Nothing.
Everything you will need is included in the turbo kit, down to the last nut, bolt and
fastener. You will need your own tools, of course, but there are no
special tools required.
Q. Does HP offer turbo kit installation services?
A. Yes. We will
be happy to quote you a price for HP to install your turbo kit at their facility.
Just
call or email us with your
request.
Q. Does HP offer turbo kits for other cars?
A. Yes. In
addition to all years of V8 Mustangs after 1979, HP currently offers Corvette
turbo kits, Camaro turbo kits, Firebird turbo kits, Impala SS kits and Acura NSX
kits. Check back often on our turbo kits
page to see what else is new.
Q. What if I want a turbo kit for a car
that HP doesn't offer a turbo kit for?
A. HP started out by building custom
turbo kits on a one-by-one basis. Over time, they developed the best way to
build turbo kits for maximum performance. Those custom kits,
after numerous upgrades, are now offered as
HP turbo kits.
However, HP continues to improve their existing products and develop new products
and, on a first-come, first-served basis, they will build a custom turbo kit for your car.
If you are the
first customer to request a turbo kit for your make and model car (and is it one that HP
wants to make into a production kit), HP will build a custom turbo kit for your car and provide
free installation and free dyno testing. To take advantage of this offer,
you must bring or ship your car to HP's facility. Expect to leave your car
with HP for approximately 12 weeks. If you are interested,
call or email us with your request and we will provide
preliminary pricing and scheduling for your new custom turbo kit!
Q. Why does HP ceramic coat the
tubing in their turbo kits? The other turbo kit companies I have seen don't do this as standard
practice, if at all.
A. HP has the
headers and all the tubing on their turbo kits coated because the coating reduces under-hood temperatures, increases longevity of
the tubing and best of all, looks fantastic! The coating is done by
Jet Hot, the premier ceramic coating company in the US and comes with a 3-year
unconditional guarantee.
Q. Does HP warranty their turbo kits?
A. All HP turbo kits
carry a 1-year parts and workmanship warranty, a 3-year ceramic coating warranty
and a limited lifetime warranty on headers and all tubing components.
Q. Do I have to modify my engine
before I can install a turbo kit?
A. No. Our Stage
I turbo kits are designed to work with your completely stock engine. No
changes to your engine are necessary. In fact, certain changes to your
engine could be detrimental, such as installing pistons to raise the compression
of the engine.
Q. Do the modifications I have
already done to my engine have to be changed?
A. It all depends on
what you have done. Most engine modifications will work just fine with a
turbo kit. Some examples of modifications that may have to be changed are high
compression pistons, exhaust headers, many nitrous setups and superchargers
(obviously).
Q. What are some of the positive
modifications that I can do to my engine?
A. Strengthening your engine with forged pistons, forged rods, a forged crankshaft, a main
bearing cap girdle or a stronger engine block (like an "R" or DART block)
will allow you to run more boost, resulting in more horsepower and torque.
Aftermarket heads, aftermarket intakes or other aftermarket parts designed to
increase air flow, including porting and polishing will also enhance
performance. High-energy ignition systems also improve performance.
Actually, most of the things you would do to increase
performance from a naturally aspirated engine (except raising compression too
high) will also increase performance of your turbocharged engine. We will
be happy to recommend the modifications that will best suit your
performance goals.
Q. Do I need to be concerned about
my drive train when I put a turbo kit on my car?
A. Factory stock
engines were designed to produce much lower horsepower and torque than is
possible with a turbocharger system. As a result, turbocharged engines are
subject to more stress, and components can fail if proper precautions are not
taken. For example, a 230 rwhp stock Mustang wasn't designed to produce
650 rwhp, and as is always true, the weakest link will fail first. If you
are going to run a Stage I system at recommended boost levels, then most likely
things will be OK. However, if you want to get into the higher realms of
serious horsepower available with a built engine and a Stage II or higher
system, then you probably consider upgrading your transmission, rear end and/or
suspension components.
Q. What if don't find an answer to
my question on this page?
A. Simple. Either
fill out the box below and submit it to us, send us an
email
or call us at 575-623-1304. We try to answer all inquiries within 48
hours.
Ask us your question:
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questions and will post the most frequently asked ones on this page.
