broddey

iTrader: (5)

I love lamp.

Andy_8

We are just getting the FP Red here in the UK and many people are waiting to see how it performs. Currently we know of only one here running on a stock block 2.0 on 93oct with a little meth in the fuel tank and is pulling 500 flywheel bhp or just over 400bhp at those circular metal things wrapped in black rubber.

One more we know of should be fine tunned on a built 2.0 later this week. with a couple more in the pipeline.

Reliability wise we are watching how you guy's in the US are getting on with it, with vested interest.

Andy

cossie1

Ok having spoken to Robert via email again today, I felt I should should say that my original post on this thread (quoted above), may have been a little hasty.

It is true that my Green failed after only covering 2299 miles, and at the same time as the turbo failed I lost my fully forged 2.0 engine, my uprated intercooler and my oil cooler.

As seen in the pictures I posted, it is possible for fragments of turbo blades (which spin at a silly amount of RPM) to get blown straight through an intercooler, and end up inside an engine, which lead to be believe that the damage to the bottom end bearings were done at the same time.

I would also like to point out, that I do not hold FP responsable for the complete failiure of my engine and I never asked FP to contribute towards the cost of replacing/repair of the engine, intercooler or oil cooler.

David Buschur

iTrader: (53)

A couple of things. I have sold turbos from many different companies over the years. Some of the companies service on warranty work flat out sucked, it was non-existent and you paid to fix it regardless of the miles or time you had it. I've dealt with a few companies that the failure rate was so high we had to just drop dealing with them.

I've found two turbo companies I can rely on now, Forced Performance and PTE.

Yes, turbos fail, sure do, no doubt and everyone who builds them has some fail. A turbo spins 150,000 rpm (RPM varies of course but that is a good number to start with), a lot of guys run crap air filters or no air filter, run the cars lean, burn off spark plugs, have BOV's that don't function, don't perform the proper oil changes, don't put new oil feed lines on and their old ones are nearly blocked off etc.

I've blown up some turbos, taken the compressor wheels and turbine wheels right out of them. The guy blaming the turbo for blowing up his bearings and engine is a fool. Have any of you ever looked in an intercooler? Explain to me how a chunk of compressor wheel is going to make it through those fins, through the intake, into the combustion chamber and end up in the oil pan to take out the bearings, please anyone? In 20 years I've never seen it happen and I don't know anyone who has.

celica2evo did have his HTA35r fail (as was brought up on the first page). Did anyone ask how many miles were on it? Dyno runs? Boost he ran? Track passes? Nope, someone just used him as an example. He put about 7,000 miles on his car, he drives it hard and the boost is set at 30-32 psi EVERYDAY, that is his pump gas tune. He's made probably 50 dyno runs and I can't tell you how many drag strip passes, his car ran 9's on the turbo at 40 psi of boost which the car also spent a considerable amount of time at when it was on race gas.

Have a good day.

CO_VR4

iTrader: (83)

And as a side note, the FP HTA35R has a center bearing section that is GARRETT stock factory made -- just like all other GARRETT Ball Bearing turbos, so blaming it on a company that makes a better compressor wheel as an improvement to the turbo doesn't compute.

wreckleford

iTrader: (2)

I don't know the intercooler Cossie1 was using but I have seen some EBay intercoolers that would definitely allow some reasonably large particles into the combustion chamber. Some have no internal fins at all and just have some cooling fins inside to promote heat transfer.

crcain

Thank you Dave for the post.

I've run 30+ psi daily on pump for about a year and half, 41 psi at the track on occasion, and mine let go too. Had to replace my CHRA. To be honest, I'm not really fussed about it because if all I have to do is spend $1k on a CHRA every 1.5 years, frankly that is no big deal. And indeed I think it is more plausible than not that the failure I had was caused by some random issue rather than a defect of the unit.

I think it's clear these FP turbos are a quality product. With people like you, CBRE, and other long time FP users testifying to the quality of the FP turbos, and also the lack of a lot of people posting bad experiences, it certainly seems there is not any evidence an FP turbo is less reliable than any other turbo one might buy.

SHIFTT IX MR

Since anyone even considering an FP product, I would think the owner must take some responsibility for the reliability of a specific part. Let's be honest, there are ways to quickly destroy a turbo, and there are ways to make it last a lifetime.

Does anyone remember that guy with the Saab that drove 1,000,000 (might have been volvo)miles, with the stock turbo (the original turbo)? This is a testament that despite RD, and prevenative maitenance, ect., your personal driving habits, and style will probably determine the longevity of a turbo. If anyone here is like me, I usually run the **** out of everything I own. I try not to dwell on its likely early demise, but rather I concentrate entirely on what the part is engineered to do. In this case the FPRed gives great - almost GOD like- power, with good spool up time, while still retaining much of the factory components. To be able to find a turbo that does what a 30R does in a fully factory shell is amazing.

Ever since gas companies start putting ethanol into many of the gases sold for marine use, my Yellowfin's gas tanks are literally dissolving before my eyes because of the ethanol (which is solvent, and is eating away the viynl ester lining). I have changed my mind set on replacing parts: if it breaks, rebuild it, or replace it. It is breaks again, modify your driving techniques, style. If it continues to break, sell it.

At least our EVOs gas tanks aren't melting away. That's something I can't remedy easily. I am replacing my three fiberglass tanks with three aluminum tanks, and am losing 1/3 of my range. That means the non-stop trip to Key West will now require a stop both to and from. BTW, I've owned the boat nearly three years, and it has just under 100 hours on it. It literally breaks everytime I take it out, and each time, its something different. I stop looking at why it breaks, and now expect it. Because in the end, the joy of owning, and using it, really does outweigh the repairs. And honestly, its a boat, there is not much to it - hull, motors, electrics- and the repairs I have made, are not reoccurring (thank god).


I think for the money, the FPRed is in a realm of its own. Something, not many turbos -let alone re-gutted stock turbine can accomplish. Just understand it will break one day, don't dwell on its end, because isn't the purpose of the turbo suppose to be about how it makes you feel while in boost? Now, if you can't afford to replace, or rebuild the turbo, perhaps you should not have purchased the turbo initially, or that you need to be less demanding.

Its like expensive watches, if you can;t afford to replace it - because EVERYONE loses their watches, or they get stolen, or they break- you really shouldn't spend your money to purchase it. Hence why my watch of choice is a Quiksilver tide watch that tip the scales at 90.00 bucks. I've lost this same watch like 500 times.