Why is My TourX slow?

[Wag0n]

Have you tried manual mode so you can keep your RPMs up and pick your shift points? This high end speed lag certainly could be your turbo not kicking in like it should. Then again it could also be that the car is a 4 banger, and can’t compare to another fast car with a v6 or V8

I tried every possible outcome and driving technique, including going to the dealer, before posting this thread.

 

[Wlepse]

One other thing to check...even with my tune I find the electronics in the tranny and stability control have an affect even when you don't think they should. I have found my car to be inconsistent as well but if I turn all that nonsense off (pressing hold the traction control) I get more consistent pulls. Yours sounds slightly different in that you lose power above 40 when you aren't likely to be losing traction but might be worth a shot to see if there is any change.

 

[Wag0n]

One other thing to check...even with my tune I find the electronics in the tranny and stability control have an affect even when you don't think they should. I have found my car to be inconsistent as well but if I turn all that nonsense off (pressing hold the traction control) I get more consistent pulls. Yours sounds slightly different in that you lose power above 40 when you aren't likely to be losing traction but might be worth a shot to see if there is any change.

The runs I posted are with everything off

 

[adam728]

You really need to put a scanner/logger on it before firing the parts cannon at the thing. A simple $10 dongle and the Torque Pro app will go a long way. You can see pedal position and know if it's reaching WOT. You can see knock count and know if it's pulling timing. You can see manifold throttle position and know if it's pulling the throttle closed despite a wide open pedal position. Look at boost and see if it's falling off, etc.

40 mph is about 4,500 rpm in 2nd gear. A strange spot to arbitrarily lay down. Find the cause. Don't guess and spend money.

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[FavaBean]

@Wag0n My crappy 1.8T Golf once had an issue where it pulled like a SOB for a short amount of time then power dropped off. (If I recall correctly, boost should have been 9 psi and it was boosting to 14 psi, but the added pressure was a detriment because the turbo couldn't breathe properly). Turned out being a wastegate issue on the turbo.

Normal boost should basically feel consistent throughout a gear (above 2800 rpm) in our car. Do you ever feel boost above 40 mph (as in, cruising at highway speeds and punching throttle)? I'm trying to determine if your car never has boost above 40 mph or if your car can't maintain a boost more than 4.2 seconds (which is when your meter says you reach 40 mph).

Bring it to an open highway, put it in MANUAL (use a higher gear which puts RPM at about 2k). Mash the throttle and hold it. You should feel gains from boost at around 2.5-2.8K RPM and that level of pull should maintain up to around 5.5K.

Purpose is to see if it can maintain a solid pull of about a 10 second(ish) duration without losing power. If not, then that is something you can bring to a dealer.

 

[ChibiBlackSheep]

So you are good with gas, how's your other maintenance items? Air Filter? Have you pulled a spark plug or 2 to make sure those are clean and firing well?

Have you done diff/transfer case/transmission fluid swaps yet?

 

[autocomman]

If the pedal is bad it will set faults, and it would go into a million mode killing the throttle. If it's misfiring it will set misfire codes. If it has a boost leak it should be able to detect that as well, but it may not. Boosted cars will always be inconsistent from the factory. Intake air temp differences due to the Intercooler or outside temp greatly effect boost and timing. Get a little heat in the intercooler from the ac it won't be as fast, even if it's 40 deg outside. Go drive an eco boost 150, talk about inconsistent. Sometimes they will pull like a frekin train, sometimes it's kind of a dog.

Not saying someone isn't wrong with your car. Make sure the air filter is in good shape and take it to the dealer. If there is a noticable drop in power at 40mph take someone with you to feel it so they know what they are looking for. But don't throw parts at it, especially non factory sensors and thing. You could be creating more issues with substandard parts

 

[L J]

Have you tried manual mode so you can keep your RPMs up and pick your shift points? This high end speed lag certainly could be your turbo not kicking in like it should. Then again it could also be that the car is a 4 banger, and can’t compare to another fast car with a v6 or V8

Generally 4 cyl vehicles may be slower all things being equal, but my coupe will run with any of my V6 or V8 vehicles. Coupe will probably get into the 12's with GMPP tune if driven correctly. It will be showing its sexy taillights to my other vehicles while shifting itself.
PS I forgot about the 6 cyl Valk's, they are a second or two quicker then Sol... but they dont shift themselves.

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[LLninja]

Generally 4 cyl vehicles may be slower all things being equal, but my coupe will run with any of my V6 or V8 vehicles. Coupe will probably get into the 12's with GMPP tune if driven correctly. It will be showing its sexy taillights to my other vehicles while shifting itself.
PS I forgot about the 6 cyl Valk's, they are a second or two quicker then Sol... but they dont shift themselves.

True, that solstice is much lighter than the tourX. That car is on my long list of dream cars.

 

[L J]

I assume you have no leaks in induction system ducting or clamping points.

 

[cleeland]

I agree with the suggestions to do some data logging. I'm not familiar with the Torque Pro app, but recording live data will tell you what the ECM *thinks* it's seeing, so you can then try to correlate the behavior based on that.

It's also worth checking out the plugs--maybe even just swapping in 4 brand new ones. That's kind of a parts-cannon approach, but it's something you'll need eventually, so it's not like you're throwing money away--just maybe spending it before you need to.

 

[Wag0n]

I agree with the suggestions to do some data logging. I'm not familiar with the Torque Pro app, but recording live data will tell you what the ECM *thinks* it's seeing, so you can then try to correlate the behavior based on that.

It's also worth checking out the plugs--maybe even just swapping in 4 brand new ones. That's kind of a parts-cannon approach, but it's something you'll need eventually, so it's not like you're throwing money away--just maybe spending it before you need to.

I have a stand alone scanner that does data logging and bi directional functions. Torque Pro does not read boost correctly on the TourX - it will give you a max reading around 2-3 psi.

Boost levels are usually right in the 18 psi range. When I depress the pedal, it is registered as 100% in the computer. No codes have ever been thrown.

There's snow on the ground now, but when the roads are clear again I'll do more testing.

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[ready2fly]

This could be unrelated, but my Regal is extremely oil-sensitive. It feels very slow when I put aftermarket oil in it. ACDelco 5W-30 full synthetic at the dealership always feels great. The only other one that I tried that felt as good was 5W-30 full synthetic Jiffy Lube in-house brand. Sure it could be just me overthinking it, but it did also show a significant 4-5 MPG drop.

 

[LLninja]

I have a stand alone scanner that does data logging and bi directional functions. Torque Pro does not read boost correctly on the TourX - it will give you a max reading around 2-3 psi.

Boost levels are usually right in the 18 psi range. When I depress the pedal, it is registered as 100% in the computer. No codes have ever been thrown.

There's snow on the ground now, but when the roads are clear again I'll do more testing.

I wonder if temps affect engine performance. I;ve got to believe once the engine is warmed up it’s several hundred degrees so ambient temps probably don’t matter, but maybe 70 degree air vs 30 degree air going in has an effect on combustion. You’re not st high altitudes are you?

 

[L J]

This could be unrelated, but my Regal is extremely oil-sensitive. It feels very slow when I put aftermarket oil in it. ACDelco 5W-30 full synthetic at the dealership always feels great. The only other one that I tried that felt as good was 5W-30 full synthetic Jiffy Lube in-house brand. Sure it could be just me overthinking it, but it did also show a significant 4-5 MPG drop.

I thought AC Delco full synthetic 5W-30 was rebranded Mobil 1.

 

[cleeland]

I wonder if temps affect engine performance. I;ve got to believe once the engine is warmed up it’s several hundred degrees so ambient temps probably don’t matter, but maybe 70 degree air vs 30 degree air going in has an effect on combustion. You’re not st high altitudes are you?

Ambient temps affect charge air temps affect boost. Heat soak on the intercooler can do the same.

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[LLninja]

Ambient temps affect charge air temps affect boost. Heat soak on the intercooler can do the same.

So wait until summer to test this out? Maybe I should do some 0-60 time trials today in mid 30’s weather to see if my TourX has that same lag after 45 mph. In my 6 months of TourX ownership, I really haven’t floored it yet.

 

[cleeland]

So wait until summer to test this out? Maybe I should do some 0-60 time trials today in mid 30’s weather to see if my TourX has that same lag after 45 mph. In my 6 months of TourX ownership, I really haven’t floored it yet.

I don't know if you need to do *that*. If anything, performance should be improved in the winter since the air is denser. My other turbo engines much prefer ambient temps below 80F.

For the OP situation, I'd tend to lean towards something in the ECM either holding it back, or maybe even some sort of flow restriction that happens at WOT (collapsing hose, small cut in hose that only matters at WOT, vacuum leak, or even an exhaust restriction/failing cat). With live data s/he should be able to see whether timing gets retarded when performance drops off.

 

[L J]

I wonder if temps affect engine performance. I;ve got to believe once the engine is warmed up it’s several hundred degrees so ambient temps probably don’t matter, but maybe 70 degree air vs 30 degree air going in has an effect on combustion. You’re not st high altitudes are you?

No doubt temp, altitude, and humidity have substantial ramifications on performance.

 

[Wag0n]

No doubt temp, altitude, and humidity have substantial ramifications on performance.

Elevation is approximately 850 feet above sea level where I did the tests.