Turbo Lag

scribbly · 10-04-2008, 02:59 PM

Has anyone noticed a turbo lag from a standing start on the TDCi?
I expect the responsiveness will get better over time but it can be really disconcerting to put the foot down to move out into traffic and have the car move slowly off the mark. So much so that you're thinking "maybe I should have left a little more room between me and the person hurtling towards the driver door".

jared79 · 10-04-2008, 03:10 PM

Pretty sure thats how all turbo's work. I used to drive turbo desiel jackaroo and it did the same thing. The Engine has to get wound up before the turbo kicks in. On the other hand, I could just be talking out my bum.

scribbly · 10-04-2008, 04:11 PM

I was talking to my brother yesterday and he told me that his car (some sort of turbo diesel 4WD) had this for a while and then an update came through to the dealer. They loaded it and no more lag. He said it was like driving a new car.
I'm thinking I should ask if this is possible to be done by my dealer on the first service.

photn · 10-04-2008, 06:15 PM

new turbos shold not experience turbo lag. these days they are designed not to lag.

Superoo · 10-04-2008, 08:04 PM

The take off in the TDCi is hardly spectacular but the driveability once moving is far better than N/A petrol 4 cylinders. I'd like a little more on takeoff but not sure how much better it will get although I've only done 4,000 kms.

When driving in manual mode, I get the feeling that gears 1 and 2 don't provide full torque output and then it improves once you're in 3rd and beyond. Anyone feel the same?

I have two turbo cars and the lag is there in both - it's just markedly improved over turbos from years ago where there was a huge jump in power delivery from off boost to on boost. Much more linear power delivery now.

Jared, how do you find the petrol on takeoff? My experience driving the mazda6 and accord euro was that they were quite good off the mark but then were a little dozy after about 40 km/h. Never got a chance to drive the petrol Mondeo.

jared79 · 11-04-2008, 12:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Superoo

Jared, how do you find the petrol on takeoff? My experience driving the mazda6 and accord euro was that they were quite good off the mark but then were a little dozy after about 40 km/h. Never got a chance to drive the petrol Mondeo.

It's ok, not the same as my old Falcon, but alright. Once I hit 3rd though, it really kicks in and she takes off. The lack of Torque is really only noticeable when going uphill and overtaking. But she gets to 100 pretty quickly. I know that sounds like it doesn't make sense, but it's true. So I am putting it down to 3rd being the best for power. However, when you have a car that handles as good as a Mondeo, a little less power is not that bad.

Brent L · 11-04-2008, 05:11 AM

Before I ordered the Mondeo TDCi (still waiting for it) I tested a Peugeot 307 HDi wagon.
The big difference between the two was the fact that there was no lag with the Peugeot, if there was any I couldn't detect it.
I was under the impression that the Mondeo was powered by a Peugeot engine, so why are they completely different to drive.

Kinda wished I went petrol now that diesel is a total ripoff at the bowser.

TheColonel · 10-04-2008, 08:45 PM

I know with the focus xr5 the car is torque limited in 1st and 2nd, maybe ford carried that over to the mondeo range for the tdci and xr5, i'll hunt for more info... woulda been nice to get a manual tdci here to see what it is like also

jared79 · 11-04-2008, 09:53 AM

I am pretty sure that the mondeo's use the Volvo engine. But that maybe just the XR5. Not sure about the diesel and petrol models. One of them is anyway.

TheColonel · 11-04-2008, 09:56 AM

The XR5 has the Volvo plant, the TDCI's have the unit co-developed with the french, even if the engine is the same, the engine management and all other manner of things may have been changed by Ford...

ajay1940 · 12-04-2008, 12:40 PM

I read somewhere that the torque is limited in the lower gears to preserve gearbox life.

Turbodiesel · 14-04-2008, 04:32 PM

I've never driven a diesel in auto, but in my Focus the turbo kicks in pretty noticably at 1500RPM.

The only slow thing about takeoff is that 1st gear is quite short but once you get used to driving it you soon adjust your style to match the engine.

Is there a noticable RPM range in the Mondeo where the turbo is absent?

scribbly · 14-04-2008, 04:50 PM

I really wouldn't say that there is any lag in the upper RPM's. It basically feels powerful all the time. It's just that initial takeoff. I'm wondering if it's the anti slip that is kicking in instead. Or, maybe I've got to get used to a 4 Cyl car again.

monkeyboy666 · 15-04-2008, 10:30 PM

I've found a lag on initial takeoff - though I think its mainly because I'm still using the accelerator like my last car, which was a 3.5Ltr V6. Now that I'm learning to plant it a bit heavier when I want to take off quickly (eg to turn right in front of on-coming traffic) I am having considerably less heart-in-mouth moments.

The turbo diesel definitely comes into its own at normal driving speeds when you want to overtake or climb hills - both these are effortless and theres much more response than the V6 ever had.