Complete and total noob to turbos - question about 'lag' and general turbo use

[Dorkdog]

Hi all,

I am deliberating. We are moving to the sticks and have decided to get rid of my Mustang and get an ST. It'll save me about $120/month in gas alone, which will be the monthly payment.

I have a couple of concerns - I have driven NA cars all my life - most recently a Mini 'Justa' Clubman stick, a BMW Z3 stick, a 128i with a stick, a Dart 2.4 automatic and the Mustang 4.0 (tuned) with the auto. I am imagining turbo lag as being similar to upshifting in an auto - it takes a few seconds for the tranny to kick up - is that what I can expect with turbo lag? I def. want to go back to a stick.

Will I have to learn to drive differently in a turbo?

What I am looking forward to the most is the idea of driving a slow car fast - the Mustang gets to 60 in about the same amount of time, but it's just press and play - there is no real sensation of kinetic energy. It puts me back in my seat a little, but it is so controlled...

The Mustang is a great car - I really don't want to get rid of it - it is a convertible and lots of fun to take out on our mountain roads here. If I were to keep it I would put 4.10s in there and drop my mileage to 10MPG and then maybe it'd be quick. I could put the $7500 ST down payment into it and have a really nice car - with 62K on the clock and 10-15MPG. Doesn't make sense, does it?

So many things to think about - anyone offer me some clarity? I need to have a car that I can't wait to drive - like the Mustang and the two BMWs. If a car is boring I'll trade it in like I did the Dart.

Thanks!

 

[BronxBomber]

Hi all,

I am deliberating. We are moving to the sticks and have decided to get rid of my Mustang and get an ST. It'll save me about $120/month in gas alone, which will be the monthly payment.

I have a couple of concerns - I have driven NA cars all my life - most recently a Mini 'Justa' Clubman stick, a BMW Z3 stick, a 128i with a stick, a Dart 2.4 automatic and the Mustang 4.0 (tuned) with the auto. I am imagining turbo lag as being similar to upshifting in an auto - it takes a few seconds for the tranny to kick up - is that what I can expect with turbo lag? I def. want to go back to a stick.

Will I have to learn to drive differently in a turbo?

What I am looking forward to the most is the idea of driving a slow car fast - the Mustang gets to 60 in about the same amount of time, but it's just press and play - there is no real sensation of kinetic energy. It puts me back in my seat a little, but it is so controlled...

The Mustang is a great car - I really don't want to get rid of it - it is a convertible and lots of fun to take out on our mountain roads here. If I were to keep it I would put 4.10s in there and drop my mileage to 10MPG and then maybe it'd be quick. I could put the $7500 ST down payment into it and have a really nice car - with 62K on the clock and 10-15MPG. Doesn't make sense, does it?

So many things to think about - anyone offer me some clarity? I need to have a car that I can't wait to drive - like the Mustang and the two BMWs. If a car is boring I'll trade it in like I did the Dart.

Thanks!

All I'm going to say is that if you enjoyed driving a 4.0 mustang even a tuned one, you will absolutely go apeshit driving a Fiesta ST. There is no comparison. Not even close. I've driven all kinds of mustangs, most recently a 2015 GT with Coyote motor, and my modified Fiesta ST is way more fun to drive. The "lag" in the stock turbo is minimal. All it takes is a protune to wake it up a bit and nearly get rid of the little lag that exists. Also if you like modding cars, the aftermarket is pretty robust for our cars. Trust me, you're gonna love this car. I'm not a big FWD guy, but this car is the most fun vehicle I've owned. I had a fully built Subaru with big turbo and Meth, I've had a tuned 1st Gen Mitsubishi, a couple of modded Sentra Se-R, Infiniti G35, Modded Integras. This car is head and shoulders above all of those in terms of fun factor. Have you driven one?? I bought mine without ever driving one. Not one regret.

 

[Dorkdog]

Hey BronxBomber,

Yes I have indeed driven one, but you know how test drives are. I decided to test-drive a used one; I wanted to rev it up a bit and don't want to be 'the guy' who test-drives a brand new car without regard for break-in. That being said, the test drive really does the car no justice. It takes a period of ownership to truly appreciate a car's abilities and a quick drive around town does little to satisfy my curiosity, and I have learned that the test drive has little bearing on how I will feel about the car when the blush is off the rose. I've test driven 2 - one with Recaros, one without. I'd rather have my grandmother in the car than the salesman who won't shut up about this feature or that deal.

You've had a lot more modern cars than I have - the Mustang is the first car I have ever tuned, and the primary reason was actually to turn the fan that cools the transmission on more often - my trans temps have gone from 200 to 167 degrees. I also have it tuned for 92 and it is a lot more fun. Admittedly it is a rental slug stock.

I see there is a lot of aftermarket stuff and after I have the stock FiST seats reupholstered and heated (<$1000) I'll start that process. I tend to do mods that prolong the life of the car first and then edge in the performance enhancements, so I anticipate an intercooler, an oil can/cooler, and a rear motor mount, then a short shift kit and a tune in roughly that order. I don't think the car needs much else, and I do have to keep in mind it will be a commuter car.

I run Torque Pro so I won't need a boost gauge.

 

[BronxBomber]

Get an access port and that's all you ever need to tune the car.

 

[Zormecteon]

Turbo lag is all but a thing of the past. In the old days turbos wouldn't "wake up" until over 4000 rpm and then they would come on all at once.. BANG.. Since the invention (by SAAB) of knock sensors used to retard the timing turbos have been able to be tuned to come on at much lower rpm, giving us low end power. You're more likey (coming from a V8) to notice a lack of low end torque, but our STs have been tuned to deliver it in spades. .....

All that said, the real attraction of our cars is NOT in the amount of power they can put to the ground (tho it IS considerable, most especially in comparison to other small cars), but rather its toss-ability. These things handle like they were on rails... for the most part. On real world roads they can be driven just about as fast as ANYTHING out there.

 

[Brownd]

I actually just traded my 14 Mustang GT for a FiST and I do not have any regrets. It saves a ton of money(insurance post car accident(s) ) and I can actually do things in the FiST I couldn't in the stang. For instance the Mustang was a brute so you tap the gas and your flying you can never really wind the gears out without building a ton of speed, with the ST you can work the gears, build speed, and out handle my Mustang which had somewhere between $1500 and $2000 in drivers mods. I have also previously owned a 1990 Talon TSi and let me tell you turbos have come a long way.

 

[Autonomous]

[MENTION=6164]Dorkdog[/MENTION] sounds like you have a smart upgrade path that will have you enjoying each step. After a couple of months you might be ready to kill the engine kazoo (sound symposer) and just enjoy real engine noise as when you get on it. If you want a touch more rumble but don't like the tuned 4 cylinder sound you can just delete the resonator for cheap. No drone, a touch of burble.

Mods are different for everyone's taste. Hope to see you around.

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