Towing with a 2.3t

[therieldeal]

true. i guess i kinda need to see what kind of RPM it cruises at and what ratio it has stock, before i try to pick a new rear end ratio.

 

[ejholmgren]

An IHI would make power sooner than a T3 due to the smaller size. If you go with at T3, make sure to get the .48 AR and not the .63.

 

[therieldeal]

i'm most likely going with the IHI, the engine i have lined up is from an 88 turbocoupe. if the turbo is bad i will probably switch to a t3, though... and i'll definitely grab one with the smaller a/r exhaust housing.

 

[rboyer]

I have a little Garrett 13b laying around that's in great shape and would probably go great with your setup. When you get the project up and running just keep me in mind when you're "turbo shopping" because if you think a 13b is sized right to give you that extra low end then i'll probably get rid of it for a decent price.

 

[Sevensecondsuv]

Talk to anyone with a 2.3LT, and they dont make any power till like 4500rpm.

Well you didn't talk to me.

I've got the .48 A/R T3 on mine with a 3" exhaust and tube header. It spools at 2500, makes 10 PSI by 2700. By 3500 it's ready to pull the frame away from the body and take off without it. I had a 2.9 ranger and there's no way in heck a 2.9 could come anywhere near keeping up with that thing with or without a trailer. That's laughable that anyone would even say that. It'd probably out tow a 4.0L pretty easily.

And unlike a big-block, it's no time or trouble to run it at 4000 rpm. You could do this all day long without issue. It takes no time to get to 4000 either. What's so bad about RPM? You only have to get going at low rpm once, in first gear. After that, just run it up and shift and you're already at boost RPMs in the next gear.

Rusty is good guy but he still thinks that carbs are better than FI in every situation.

I don't know about towing a car cross country though. Without boost, it's just a 4 banger. And you can't keep it under boost constantly, then it will blow up. So it'd probably be alright on flat land where you don't constantly need boost, but I wouldn't try it in the mountains. But then again I don't think I'd try pulling a car through the mountains with a 2.9, 3.0 or 4.0 either.

 

[Turbo-T]

My 2.3T Ranger Gets into boost at 1600 rpm. It reaches 12 psi at 2400 rpm.
The tranny is a T.K. 4 speed. The diff. has 3.73 gears and the tires are 30X9.5X15.
In first gear it rev.'s so quick I've never had a chance to see what kind of boost i'm getting before I have to shift.
Would I tow with it? You betcha. Just remember. Even with a turbo on it, it's still a small displacement engine.

 

[Hahnsb2]

I'd love to see your ranger someday. I've toyed with the idea of building a 2.3 turbo ranger.

 

[shadetree]

Just for general information, the t-bird owners mauals say not to tow with the turbo engine. Doesn't say why not.shady

 

[rusty ol ranger]

I dont like RPM's for the fact thats its hard on an engine.

Why do you think tractor engines run forever, they only turn 2000RPM.

I guess if you wanna try it with a 2.3LT go for it, but i just cant see it pulling better then a 2.9 or a 4.0L.

Ill be the first to admit, i dont know much of anything about turbos, but i will say 90% of all the turbo'ed vehicles ive seen dont make any power untill 4000+RPM.

Low end torque is what you need when your rolling a load, once its moving it takes 1/3 the force to keep it moving that it took to get it moving.

Think of it this way, if you chained a lawn mower to a semi truck and tried to get it rolling....do you think the lawn mower would do it? Probely not (although ive seen some that probley wouild, but thats besides the point), if you used another peterbiilt behind the first semi to get it rolling, even 3 or 4mph, the lawn mower would keep it rolling.

later,
Dustin

 

[red85]

The reason the t bird manuals say to not tow with the 2.3T is because to tow under boost builds excessive heat in the engine. In short they are telling you that you can't turn a poodle into a sled dog and expect them to warranty it.

 

[therieldeal]

its understandable that they dont reccomend it in the factory manual, however i dont see why itd be a problem with a couple upgrades to the cooling system (an oil cooler, mainly... and a radiator if needed). if i wanted to get really crazy with it i could throw a pyrometer on there just to make sure i dont melt a piston going up a long hill.

the towing i'd be doing would be about 100-120 miles from home at the most. unfortunately, thats how far i have to drive to get to either of the two closest drag strips

as far as turbos making torque at low rpm... sure, it may not FEEL like they make any torque until 4k, because the punch in the back comes in so strong at that point. that doesnt mean they are weak down low, though.

for example... the stock 1.8 in my escort makes ~100 ft lbs to the ground in stock form at 4500rpm or so. now with the turbo, its making that much torque by 3100, and over three times that by the torque peak - which remains at approximately the same RPM. if we started the dyno pull at a lower RPM then i'd probably see some even higher numbers down low with a little more load/time to spool the turbo

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e101/therieldeal/95 EGTR/320whp325wtq.gif

you guys have talked me into it, i think the 2.3t is going to work just fine for towing. i'll just stick to a small-ish turbo and make sure i have adequate cooling.

 

[Sevensecondsuv]

I dont like RPM's for the fact thats its hard on an engine.

Why do you think tractor engines run forever, they only turn 2000RPM.

Rusty, have you ever looked at the bottom end of a 2.3? There's a reason the ministock guys love this engine and that's because very few engines put up with 9000 rpms like a 2.3.

Having built and currently run a 2.3, I'm telling you that 3000 - 4000 RPM is nothing at all, even for extended periods of time. That's well within boost range. At 3200 rpm on mine, anything more than about 30% throttle sends it into boost, and with boost it pulls a heck of lot harder than my 4.0 ever could.

I guess if you wanna try it with a 2.3LT go for it, but i just cant see it pulling better then a 2.9 or a 4.0L.

A 4.0 might have chance against a 2.3T towing a trailer. I say that as a 4.0 owner.

I've also owned a 2.9L. There is absolutely no way it could pull as well as a 2.3 turbo. My stock 2.9L pulled trailers only marginally better than my 2.3 did when it was stock non-turboed.

 

[turbo cat]

When your towing a huge load liek a car there will be a lot more load on the motor which equals to more resistance=more cylinder pressure/heat/energy that will cause the turbo to spool sooner. As long as its built right and the cooling system is up to the task it should be ok i would think. Like i said the torque would come on strong sooner when pulling with a 2.3T

 

[therieldeal]

very true, itd be the same as boosting in low vs high gears... i see full boost way sooner if i roll into the throttle in 4th vs 2nd gear, due to the increased load.

 

[Davis]

just be sure you have good fuel in the tank when you do it. if not, the 2.3t wont be pulling anything.