turbo?

[zuzuAmigA]

Is there a turbocharger available for the vx or is only the supercharger available?
~Heather

[TDAWG]

The best person to ask is Tone Monday. I haven't herad of anyone making a turbocharger for the VX.

[hitnrun74]

I think the concensus was that there wasn't enough room for a really good turbo setup. There was a pic floating around of a Turboed VX. Didn't look all that nice to me, and I don't remember if there was any performance info posted with it. It might have been on the club v-mag site. I also think there was severe front-end work done to stuff all the equipment in there.

[Tone]

Turbos will work/fit but usually at a cost of reduced ground clearance. SC currently offered has no lag as the turbo would/does. Cost to get one from Japan or fab one would easily be twice the cost of the current SC kit.

[Joe_Black]

A turbo would really only be appropriate if you're building for speed. The SC will give you the power from the git-go which is where you want it on a truck. Ever here of "turbo lag"? Believe me, my other hobby is Merkurs, turbos are suited for sports cars. Turbo diesels would be the only exception, but they're turbo'd for top end power since they already have the torque dept. covered. Yep, the SC is definitely the way to do, especially when you look at the simplicity of installation and immediate availability of power. Plus there's no complex plumbing as required with the turbo nor the considerations of intercooling and/or water-injection needed for maximum power.

[VehiX]

Here are some pics of the ONLY turboed VX on the planet, note on this install, the ground clearance referred to in previous posts. I'm sure some one could fabricate a better set up but probably not worth the $$$. Plus, I would imagine the stock internals would need to be upgraded as well.

[BumbleV-X]

VehiX,
Second picture, car next to the one with a turbo. Out in the front of the vehicross there is something sticking out. What is it? I thought there was only one that had the only hidden winch, but that kinda looks like a rolling fairlead.

Just curious,

Deby

[TDAWG]

Just to let everyone wondering what exactly that is sticking out the front of Vehix 2nd Picture that is a sleeve of someone standing in front of that VX. The only VX that I know of having a turbo mod is the 1 from MOONCRAFT. Which it looks like those happen to be of it. Everyone that has seen those pics will still have to admit that it is 1 Beautiful VX. Becuase of adding the turbo and intercooler I don't think a winch could be placed on the front.

[Dallas4u]

I believe that "thing" sticking out in front of the VX in the foreground is the OEM Japanese light bar. That's where it mounts.

[coachreed]

So are things THAT tight under the hood of the VX? That turbo is REALLY low and I know that it would require a scavange pump to get the oil back out. Is there NO way to get up under the hood where the oil could gravity feed back to the pan? I guess I need to just get off my arse and go find myself a VX of my own to check out. Can someone take a couple pictures of the engine compartment to show JUST how tight it is? I appreciate it. I have always had a thing about turbos, but didn't think about the drawback of having to spool the turbo up. My problem with the SC is the lack of intercooler. Is there anyway to get some kind of water-air intercooler between the SC and the intake manifold? I hate stuffing HOT air into the engine. Anyway, This looks to be a good thread. Thanks for posting it Heather...

Coach... aka Randy!

[SGT.BATGUANO]

You might be able to shoehorn a small, front-mount intercooler in. Intake charge air temp is not as much of a factor in a supercharged application as compared to a turbo, due to the mechanical/ thermal heat transfer between the intake and exhaust halves of the turbo.

As far as launches and turbo-lag go, Buick and GMC overcame that at drags pretty easily with a low boost spool-up launch @ about 5 P.S.I.

[coachreed]

Originally posted by SGT.BATGUANO
As far as launches and turbo-lag go, Buick and GMC overcame that at drags pretty easily with a low boost spool-up launch @ about 5 P.S.I.

Oh, I know what thats all about... I had a '93 GMC Typhoon... I could launch at 10psi... anymore than that, and it would creep to a red-light! Unfortunately, that took quite a bit of work to get... whereas, building boost while actually off-roading would be kinda tough.

Coach

[SGT.BATGUANO]

Throw in one of Tone's looser (2500 r.p.m.?, I think) convertors and that will help get the rpm up into a more turbo-friendly range.

[VehiX]

Originally posted by coachreed
So are things THAT tight under the hood of the VX? Can someone take a couple pictures of the engine compartment to show JUST how tight it is? I appreciate it.
Coach... aka Randy!

Engine bay pic by per request

[Joe_Black]

The SC will outperform the turbo install on several fronts. As mentioned earlier, intercooling isn't so much as an issue because the SC doesn't transfer heat thermally nor bake the engine bay like a turbo will. The plumbing required for a turbo radiates A LOT of heat! Look under the hood of any well-engineered turbo vehicle and note all the heat shielding and seperation of intake and exhaust components. The SC just doesn't have this problem as it is engine driven with no concern for exhaust gases. You can insulate and provide cooler air intake with little problem or modifications. You can intercool before the SC but the gains will be minimal as you're not fighting the heat normally generated by a turbo install.

Now let's talk boost. The SC install is a relatively low boost design. While I'm sure you can up the boost, you're just looking to kill the VX's engine. You see, it wasn't designed to accomodate an increased intake charge. While the 4 - 8 psi the SC produces (corrections please) falls within design limits of the engine, the 14 - 28 psi a turbo can generate does not. On my Merkur I push up to 25 psi, but the engine is DESIGNED to handle this!

So why go turbo when the SC is a simpler, more efficient solution with more potential power output? Plus, the power is available when you turn the key.