partha@gatech.UUCP (Partha Dasgupta) (02/08/85)
I recently test drove a Mitshubishi Tredia Turbo. To say I was impressed is an understatement. If I had the money I would have bought it on the spot. Not only does the car have phenomenal power for something that looks like a econobox, but the handling and general feel is very good. Looks well made too. Since then I have had several questions regarding Turbo equipped cars: 1) Is using premium octane fuel mandatory? (The price of that stuff is scary). Would the use of regular gas cause the engine to bite the dust? What about moth balls? Do they work? Are they safe? (This is in reference to an article which claimed moth balls in gas improves octane rating) 2) The dealer (and a sticker on the door) were emphatic about the great importance of changing oil every 3000 miles. That is okay, but can I use the synthetic stuff? Does the recommended oil change interval remain the same for synthetic oil? (I am worried about its effect on this elusive turbo gizmo.) 3) Does the turbo have any effect on the life of the engine. I noticed that the ordinary Tredia has a 2.0 liter engine, rated at about 85 h.p., but the Turbo model comes with a 1.8 rated at about 110 h.p. (I am quoting the h.p. rating from memory, and may be a bit off.) Which implies that the turbo really packs a lot of power into a small engine. Doesn't that in any way affect its longevity? (Increased wear, torture etc.) 4) How reliable are turbo's in general? What are its failure modes? It seems to me (logically) that the failure of the turbo unit should should not make the car undrivable (except for a loss of power). Am I right? Can the turbo be disconnected? 5) Last (but not least) does anyone on the net have any experience with the '85 Tredia/Cordia line from Mitshubishi? Also any information regarding prices and dealer markups will be appreciated. Please send me mail. I will post a summary if I get requests to post the information. Thanks in advance. Partha Dasgupta UUCP: {allgra, akgua, .. }!gatech!partha CSNET: partha@gatech -- Partha Dasgupta School of Information & Computer Science, Georgia Tech, Atlanta GA 30332 CSNet: partha @ GATech ARPA: Partha%GATech.CSNet @ CSNet-Relay.ARPA uucp: ...!{akgua,allegra,amd,hplabs,ihnp4,masscomp,ut-ngp}!gatech!partha
ems@amdahl.UUCP (E. Michael Smith) (02/11/85)
> > I recently test drove a Mitshubishi Tredia Turbo. To say I was > impressed is an understatement. >... > Since then I have had several questions regarding Turbo equipped > cars: > > 1) Is using premium octane fuel mandatory? (The price of that stuff > is scary). Would the use of regular gas cause the engine to bite > the dust? What about moth balls? Do they work? Are they safe? > (This is in reference to an article which claimed moth balls in > gas improves octane rating) I am an avid experimentor. After reading the article on mothballs I ran out, got some (the naphthalene kind) and dumped them in my tank. They did not cause any problems and seemed to give smoother power. The octane effect, however, I cannot attest to as my car is a 1980 Honda Civic and eats anything. (Why put the mothballs in then? Well, I *TOLD* you I was an avid experimenter... Give it to Mikey, he'll try anything...) Consultation with my CRC (Chemical Rubber Co.) Handbook yielded info that coupled with my Organic chem book leads me to believe it should work and be safe. DISCLAMER: HOWEVER, YOU ARE ON YOUR OWN. I DON'T SUGGEST DOING ANYTHING YOU MIGHT WANT TO SUE ME FOR...