What kind of turbo timers are you guys using and what are your opinions of it?
i'm looking to get the greddy black turbo timer unless someone advises otherwise..

i'm also wondering whats involved in installation...
i'm assuming a bunch of cutting and splicing is involved with the ecu and other harness...

the greddy one can also have a speedo reading on it so where abouts would you tap into that?

thanks a bunches

 

I have the Apex-i turbo timer, i like it, its simple and it does the job. I like that it doesnt automatically try to tell me how much to time my car for. i know the greddy that swift has tries to tell her to turbo time for like 8 minutes after driving calmly for 15 minutes lmao.gif My apex-i i just turn the time up or down if i want or just leave it where i had it last time usually 30-40 seconds on a short/easy drive and 1-1.5 minutes for longer/harder driving.

Installation was a b**** for me, but that was because the wiring diagram that tim had posted was wrong. so it didnt work right, plus it was FREEZING, i had no light, and i was rushed. And after it was all done i blew my ignition fuse without knowing it because im stupid and didnt disconnect the battery or pull the fuse before i started. What youll need to do to install the turbo timer is

1 pull the ignition fuse

2 take off the bottom dashboard and steering wheel cover.

3 unscrew 1 screw on back of ignition cylinder, unscrew the top key sensor, follow the ignition cylinder wires back into the dash until you find a harness, disconnect this - it will be a biotch to get off, well at least it was when cold

4 the ignition wires should come right out now, get some wire taps and ull be ready to wire that sucka in, (i soldered mine in, but that was just because i didnt have any wire taps on hand and was too lazy to get some)

you could wire tap while still on the harness and/or connected to the ignition cylinder but itll be unpleasant and your hands will end up looking like u played with some barbed wire

ok this is the wiring diagram youll need, this is guaranteed by me to be the right one, ignore any other ones you see because i know they dont work for the apex-i or the greddy.

(GRAY) Parking Brake wire from the turbo timer to the parking brake signal.
(RED) Constant 12V wire from the turbo timer should tap into the 12V (YELLOW WITH BLACK STRIPE) wire on the back of the ignition cylinder.
(GREEN) 12V Ignition wire from the turbo timer should tap into the “ON� (BLACK) wire on the back of the ignition cylinder.
(BLUE) 12V Accessory wire from the turbo timer should tap into the “ACC� (WHITE WITH BLUE STRIPE) wire on the back of the ignition cylinder.
(BLACK) Ground wire from the turbo timer can be grounded to the bolt that is facing upwards just behind the rubber shield above the steering column.

5 Reinstall everything, remember you didnt do the job right unless you put it all back together and still have 2-3 extra screws and you have no idea where they came from

6 mount the turbo timer where you like, i like the steering column cuz u dont have to make the wires longer and it looks good.

heres your final product





Why u need a speedo sensor on the greddy? in case u leave it in gear itll shut off? cuz the parking brake should be all the protection you need. The greddy is a lil overdone IMO, they are trying to make it do all this extra stuff that you dont need it to do. just my .02 cents

 

great.. thanks for the help.. wiring all that seems pretty straight forward from what you explained but i know when i go to install it i'll probably message you for clearification and details... lol..

but yeea.. with the speedo thing i'm talking about is that with the greddy, you can wire it up so that while your driving it digitally shows what speed you're going is what i'm talking about.. it has nothing to do with shutting it off as i know that the ebrake is the safety shut off..

 

Eh dont worry about that extra fluff then, last thing youd want to do is wire that in there and mess up something that didnt need to be done in the first place,

Yah Its not hard, with the right diagram its not too bad. yah go ahead and PM me for clarification if need be

 

I've got the HKS Type 1. It has 30sec, 1min., 2min, and Automatic timing. It'll sense what kind of driving you've done and time it on that. That's what I leave it on cause it works really well.
It also does lap times and 0-60 calculations. It doesn't tap into your speedometer, it uses your rpm signal which is easy to find. There's a DIY writeup on HP.
Just verify what your tapping because some wire colors are different fom car to car.

 

for me...

im using myself and a watch... digital or analog, it doesn't matter which one, if i forgot to wear my watch i use the one in the car laugh.gif

turbo timer is one of those "luxury" things you can add to your turbo setup.

just depends on your budget and how simple or grand your setup is.

If you want a "multitasking" turbo timer... there are some car alarms/starter kill combo that has the turbo timer function and you can monitor it using a pager as well. It will also, activate you alarm once the timer cycle is completed

 

I thought turbo timers is for older turbo engines pre- 1989.
If you're using synthetic or semi-synthetic oils turbo timers are not required.

I haven't used on my car because the mechanic advised not required.

 

no, all turbo cars should have turbo timers, or be timed religiously. Synthetic oil has higher resistance to coking but will still coke if you dont time it at all. if you have been not timing it id make sure your bearings arent showing coking signs.

Ive taken good lengths to make sure my oil doesnt coke, I only use Mobil 1, i have a water cooled turbo, and i turbo time my car for at least 30 seconds every time i shut it off, usually more.

 

If its 30-60 seconds before shutting down the engine.
I almost always do that, because I listen to the radio, before I turn the ignition off.

the advice about the turbo timers was given by the mechanic that was reconditioning/installing my cylinder head.

 

I have the Greddy turbo timer. Im sure its great but mine isnt working because it got wired wrong. It has too many features though that you will never really use and the instructions it comes with are in japanese. tongue.gif