Generally, how long / durable are turbo chargers in term of miles or whatever?

I'm thinking about installing it to my 98 Civic but I really do not want to have to deal with broken parts if I can help it.

 

Are you talking of the turbocharger itself???Or a system???As long as you are not exceeding 6-8 psi of boost, a buddies 94 civic has had the same turbo setup for 7 years, without a problem at 8psi boost... It all really depends on application, goals, and how you take care of it... Theres no reason why a proply maintained turbo wouldnt last 15+ years... Your motor on the other hand, all depends on you... What is your current milage???

 

I meant the turbo charger itself. I have a Civic 98 sedan Lx auto 124k. The engine should be good, runs great, no problems with regular 80mph on freeways. I used to brought it to Honda dealership for scheduled maintenances and oil changes when I used to drive it. But the alternator, catalytic converter manifold, transmission... have issues. So I'm gathering info and planning on what to do to it later on since it's like a shell and a project car. I just want it to be a little faster from full stop and climbing hills. My daily is an Accord. Thanks for answering to my question corvetteking.

 

A turbocharger if properly maintained and taken car of can last for 100k miles easily... Ill start with this... You are taking a motor with 124k miles, that has been n/a and throwing at minimum an extra 50 horsepower at it, you will need to watch your p's and q's and the life left of your motor will depend on you... I would suggest if you are going to be running 8psi+ of boost, at least rebuilding your motor. Just because your motor is running fine now, there is no guarentee it will last with a little forced induction added...What are you talking about with a cat converter manifold??? If doing a turbo set up, you will more than likely completly redoing your exhaust... And turbocharging with an automatic in honda's is not generally looked upon as a good idea... They are not meant to withstand that much power, and you will more than likely have more tranny problems, unless the automatic is built to withstand the extra power, once again, this all depends on your driving characteristics...I would suggest a manual conversion... If you are wanting it to be faster from a dead stop you are looking in the wrong direction..Your turbo will not produce power off of the line, you would need a supercharger, which always produces boost for this...And again with climbing hills, you would need to be in the correct "boost" rpm range to experience a difference....

 

Thanks for replying

I didn't mean that I wanted it to be quick from a dead stop, I meant that I wanted it to get to a-little-quicker-to 60mph such as entering the freeway from on ramp which takes 4 to 5 seconds probably, not speedy off a red light. I have heard of turbo lags. As for climbing hills, I meant those steep slopes on the highway or freeway (such as the I-5 in Cali). My catalytic manifold is cracked, and I also thought that there is no need replacing the cracked manifold since the turbo set up would, like you said, need to modify a lot... I'll search for more info.

Thanks for your help covertteking

 

Yes, lag is a turbo cars biggest fault... But lag can be reduced...It's the time you experience less power until the turbo spools up and provides boost...
Here are some tips to reduce lag:
1. Make the exhaust system from the turbo to the rear of the car very free-flowing with little back pressure. Remove excess catalytic converters from the exhaust system.
2. Port and polish the turbine. Add a ceramic heatcoating. For example, the Monster Port service by Deadbolt Enterprises is very effective for quickening spool up by 300-500 rpm.
3. Smooth turbo inlet and intercooler piping. Topmount intercooler preferred over
front mount.
4. Heat wrap the exhaust components with copper insulated wrap.
5. Increase compression.
6. Methanol injection. For example, a kit by SMC.
7. Lightened crank pulley will allow the engine to rev into the powerband faster, effectively allowing the turbo to spool faster.
8. Custom dynotuning and engine management.

 

turbo should not be a problem as long as maintained properly and with proper knowledge. initially thought about doing something similar in my 95 civic but at the last moment went against it and went with minor upgrades.

 

Thanks for the infos
Nice ride by the way
I think I only get around 33mph with my 98 Civic sedan