Is it too hot in Texas for a TURBO?

Would a few degrees (from, say, 70 to 95+) of extra ambient temp really make that much of a difference?

Granted I dont know much about turbos I would think they would be fine considering there are many cars you can by that are turboed from the factory, just what I would think

DFWTorchRed05GT said:

Granted I dont know much about turbos I would think they would be fine considering there are many cars you can by that are turboed from the factory, just what I would think

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I agree, I live in the Dallas area and several of my friends have factory turbo cars and no problems. It's really important to run a good oil, especially a synthetic, and keep your coolant fresh.

A quick answer is no it will not be to hot.

Thanks Mike

I live in northern cal. and in the summer it gets pretty hot(100-105). My mustang is a daily driver. I was going to get a supercharger for mine (see my other posts). The saleen was what I was going to get. Napa Ford is pretty much the only dealer in Northern Ca to specialize in Saleens. I spoke with Bob in the service dept there and he told me about the pros and cons of the superchagers/turbos on my gt. He said that the 281 in the 05 gt is set to work at a certain pace and adding a load like a supercharger/turbo makes it work 4/5 x harder now I know the car gets pretty hot as it is so I agreed with him on that. He told me I should get other parts that go with a monster like the supercharger (rods,cams stuff like that). He also told me the warranty goes out the door if something happens to the transmission. I spent a little more on the extended so I was not about to offset that deal. I use my car for a daily driver and the risk of the supercharger is not worth it for me. The heat will be a factor as he told me. He also said that these independent shops or internet stores will try to sell you the moon and if you don't use the parts correctly your daily driver will not last so long.It was a pretty simple decision after I talked to him.I have invested the money for the supercharger in new bbs rims, nitto tires, c&l cold air kit with tuner,and some JBA ceramic headers.

Texas? Isn't that where 90% of the turbo kits come from?


"He said that the 281 in the 05 gt is set to work at a certain pace and adding a load like a supercharger/turbo makes it work 4/5 x harder now"

What? It's a car not a washing machine! Ford has built in a little more durability than he has led you to believe. Does a supercharger or turbo work an engine harder? Sure that is how the extra power is made, but hopefully you don't drive around with the gas floored all the time now do you? With an extra 150 hp you would probably lean into it less unless you have clear sailing ahead. I know several Turbo Buicks that have close to 200K miles on them, make 50% or more power than stock and run like a clock and that is using 20 year old technology and a lil old 6 cylinder in a barge of a boat.

As long as you address items that just make sense (trans cooler, larger radiator), I doubt you'll have any problems at all. BTW when you see the glowing exhaust housing on a turbo motor it usually needs tuning.

Kerrdogg said:

Texas? Isn't that where 90% of the turbo kits come from?


"He said that the 281 in the 05 gt is set to work at a certain pace and adding a load like a supercharger/turbo makes it work 4/5 x harder now"

What? It's a car not a washing machine! Ford has built in a little more durability than he has led you to believe. Does a supercharger or turbo work an engine harder? Sure that is how the extra power is made, but hopefully you don't drive around with the gas floored all the time now do you? With an extra 150 hp you would probably lean into it less unless you have clear sailing ahead. I know several Turbo Buicks that have close to 200K miles on them, make 50% or more power than stock and run like a clock and that is using 20 year old technology and a lil old 6 cylinder in a barge of a boat.

As long as you address items that just make sense (trans cooler, larger radiator), I doubt you'll have any problems at all. BTW when you see the glowing exhaust housing on a turbo motor it usually needs tuning.

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Yeah they call me old leadfoot here in northern cal. I floor the car all day long and plow through traffic just kiddin, I am just pointing out that it is a risk with a turbo or charger. The heat will be a factor and if you think it won't thats fine. I am not anti turbo heck I'd love to have a charger and post 11 or 12 second times but I also use my car as a daily driver. I have had a few Fords and they are very durable and I pointed out that you can get parts to go with a supercharger or turbo but if he's gonna just slap it on the stock stang it will be a risk if he invested in a warranty.

Gosh, I hope turbos are ok in Texas. I'm in Austin and my neighbor has two cars with turbos - and they have no problems at all.

Yes, any power adder can damage the engine internals, not really from environmental heat, but more from the internal heat due to detonation mostly. With a "safe" tune the car and engine will run indefinely with no issues. However, a safe tune for an SC may limite the user to 400RWHP or less. But if you want to play... you got to pay it seems. Otherwise, beefing up the internals and drive train is the way to go with any power adder.

there is no such thing as too hot of a climate for a turbo.

Coming from a guy who has daily driven a moded RX-7, turbos will be fine in Texas heat. However, the problem with just "slapping" a turbo on a car is the stock internals. A good tune will make the car run safer, but most certainly will not run indefinetly. There are too many unforseen variables, ie. bad gas, fuel shortages and the like. This is where detonation can happen in spite of a good tune, and where forged internals are needed. Another reason a turbo is a bad idea with the stock internals is the relatively high compression of the stock pistons, making it less the desirable for a forced induction candidate, and far more prone to detonation.

Not been an issue on any of our turbocharged projects, even in Austin Summers (Some in Cali and Florida as well). For me, I was towing a 4000 LB boat at 110 degrees in the shade as well... Tuning is critical as always though.

And there was more than one time I was out spanking HEMIs with the boat on the back... LOL!