Choosing a turbo for sustained operation

[4x4]

I am looking for a turbo to run at continuous high power levels. Meaning the intention is to operate after temperatures [coolant, intake charge, intercooler, oil, header, and everything else] has stabilized. This will be used on rivers covered in deep snow and run at maximum power in excess of 50 miles, not two minutes to the top of a mountain.
Is a water-air intercooler necessary for this application?
Will headers maintain their integrity?
How much additional cooling capacity could be required?
Are there recommended time limits to run at 290hp, 240, 200?
Is anyone running intake temperature gauges, and reducing power as intercoolers become heat soaked?
Can drive belts withstand this sort of use?

 

[thamax]

u can run 50 miles straight at full throttle? u must be ironman to cause non stop boost is pretty hard on anyone cause it takes alot to hang on climbing or running up drainages either way. every kit has its plus and minus sounds like u are building something yourself a stand up intercooler helps or a water to air intercooler which i run on my apex an works really well i can touch any part of the charge system bare hand after sustained operation. intake temp gauge is pretty point less in a sled casue it will jump all over the place i tried on and it would be ok going down the trail but u get in the powder not very accurate. i have 1,500 miles on a belt with my current clutching at 15 lbs of boost with my apex and 1,000 on the nytro which got a bunch of changes but the clutching is the same still proper setup is alot of having the right springs, weight and helix makes them last an run cool all day.

 

[4x4]

We do get conditions here that we can do long runs. The ability maintain over 100 indefinitely while staying out of tracks in snow over a foot deep is what I am looking for. 50 miles is less than a half hour. Some of the turbo tuners here are suggesting that 1/4 mile is too much for some setups. Do the common flat mounted intercoolers get enough airflow to run continuous 200hp?

 

[rxrider]

I would add a Water/Meth injection kit and install a 1 gallon tank to it. The water/meth mix will help cooling the intake air more, reduce heat in the combustion chamber, keep the header pipes cooler, keep the dreaded knock of detonation away.
To run WOT all the time I would reduce compression to make the engine less prone to knock, and also add race fuel to the mix to reduce the chance of knock even more. Make sure your clutching is up to the task. Running in deep powder you need to look after your secondary setup, a shallow angled helix will help prevent belt slippage and paired with a well setup primary you stock Yamaha 8DN belt will survive just fine.
Needless to say your whole sled has to be at 100%.
Good luck on your record attempt, I assume

Jan-O
rxrider

 

[t_thall]

Use a thick wall header (weldels are cheap, easy to work with and very heavy duty) and ceramic coat it. Use lots of heat tape and venting. Size your turbo to run in a very efficient part of the map and use a large a/r turbine housing. Use a large intercooler with really good ducting and airflow or if using a air/water use a large enough heat exchanger to maintain a stable temp. I'd use a good synthetic oil and water-cool the turbo. Good fuel or water/meth is a good idea too. Oh I happen to know where a spare extra large air to air setup can be had...

 

[4x4]

This will be for an Apex if there was any question about that. The mechanical part will likely be homebuilt, or pieced together from parts. Do the stock Apex header, Y pipes survive in the McExpress kits?
Should a Impulse, Powderlite type header be made of inconel to avoid cracks?
The McExpress sleds seem to be more detonation resistant with regular fuel. Does the tunnel charge tube cool intake air in a way that contributes to this?
The midmount turbo is preferred to make room for fuel where the muffler was.

 

[t_thall]

i see, well continuous running @ 200hp shouldn't be too hard. Most guys that use those weldels i was talking about in car applications for many miles without issue and never add any extra turbo hangers, mine included and they hold up very well, their only downside is weight. You shouldn't need any exotic metals. As far as the intercooler goes you have lots of room for a nice large one on the apex, that one i had on my nytro had a 13"x11.5"x3" core with lots of ducting and no headlight and it was usually cool to the touch...

 

[hlmrx1]

This will be used on rivers covered in deep snow and run at maximum power in excess of 50 miles, not two minutes to the top of a mountain.

I'd like to see someone pull this off!!!

 

[FAMILYMAN]

I ran 24.2 miles to be exact last Saturday on stock sled with just a clutch kit and a 136x1-1/4 track.

There was 8-12" of powder. I held my sled around 10,000 rpm's for alteast 4-5 minute intervals, with a few corners of feathering the throttle. The dream meter ran mostly around 72-80 mph.

I decided to take the river by myself to catch a group of friends that left hours before me. I started out on someone else's tracks, after the first corner of slush the tracks turned around. I kept going. I was the first to blaze the trail since it snowed and seamed to have much more open water then weeks before. Needless to say, I had a few words with the big guy to get me off the river safe. I knew it was 18 miles to the next possible exit from the river. And if I made that it was only a few more corners to the next. By the time I got off the river I was pretty stressed out and my buddies were sitting there waiting for me and could not believe I made it. The last corner I turned was complete open water for over 1/8 mile.

So, if you have done 50 miles on a stock sled in powder you know first hand like I do every engine noise, every clutch noise, the engine rev is a constant worry running that many rpms for that long. Now put more stress on the motor with a turbo. You better keep it cool or you will end up swimming IMO.

Sad part, I would probably do it again. Just not by myself

 

[budman 1000]

can a turbo run at full power for prolonged periods? most deffinately,I run a 2006 vecter with an MCX turbo set up from new with over 14000 kms on it ,I've ran it many times in northern manitoba in rivers like you are mentioning, all I've ever ran is regular gas and run 11 lbs boost, so yes it is doable,but it gets lonely at the front when my buddy's apex's can't keep up running the hard trails and I'm in two feet of powder. good luck with your project

 

[sledheadgeorge]

This will be used on rivers covered in deep snow and run at maximum power in excess of 50 miles, not two minutes to the top of a mountain.

I'd like to see someone pull this off!!!

X2

 

[Dano]

I've done allot of these types of runs with no boost and there is no way I can see a belt lasting with boost running this way. Clutches run so hot when chugging through the snow at WOT that something gives no matter what if prolonged. I've even made my own duct work to guide air to jackshaft to help cool things down, but still melt belts and cam slider shoes in clutch. All the heat built up in clutches, transfer to the bearings off the clutches and promote heat buildup for engine as well. I've gotten clutches so hot that even bearings burped out on me. You can only do some much in clutching to prevent heat through belt slip. Add more hp and guaranteed something will let go.
Anytime you strengthen one component, you'll always weaken another. Kind of a rule of thumb I go by whenever I try something.

Dan