Turbo lag

[ratman]

I think that my car has too much turbo lag.
What have I to check?
Timing?

The car is completely stock, with a good air filter.
thanks!

[Enright]

You can't check for turbo lag.

Turbo lag is set by the the inertia of the components in the turbo, and the distance that the turbo is from the engine's exhaust valves.

Bigger turbo, or turbo situated further from engine means more lag.

Since Elans have a comparatively small turbo, and a very slim exhaust manifold (meaning the turbo is as close to the exhaust side of the engine block as possible), they suffer from very little turbo lag.


So your problem is not that.

Perhaps you're right that you have a timing problem - it's always worth checking anyway.
Perhaps you have an air leak and so your turbo is not producing the required pressure - listen for hisses.
It could even be that the wastegate is stuck open - wiggle your rod!!!
Do you have any fault codes stored?
Do you have Elanscan?
The boost gauge is famously inaccurate, but what does it reach, and how long does it take to get there?

[F1 LOTUS]

Blocked or leaking intercooler?

[GeoffSmith]

Federico,

You should be able to measure it with ElanScan as the engine/road speed, throttle position and boost pressure are all saved.

Geoff

[ratman]

I noticed that the lag seems to be shorter when the engine is cold.
I think that the turbo max pressure is ok, as the car is going properly.
I can't feel any hisses when the engine is running, the wastegate is closed and it opens properly, no errors stored.

I think that I have to test another elan...