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New 2025 750S with turbo lag

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4.2K views 83 replies 19 participants last post by  invisiblewave  
#1 ·
Just purchased brand new McLaren 750 S. The car runs great no engine lights or problems. However, I do notice a significant amount of turbo lag with boost not really kicking in significantly until after 5000 RPM. Any idea if this gets better with break-in as the car only has 300 miles on it at this time. Once the turbos kick in there is absolutely full power so I do not think there is a problem with boost or anything loose or leaking. Just wondering from other form members if they notice this with their cars as well and if there is anything I could do to improve it or if it will improve with time.
Thank you
 
#5 ·
Yes …I’m still breaking mine in….my 765lt was like that..so assume its normal..I’m sure tuning could improve but I’m happy with current..since now in my state over 100mph will land 30 days if he doesn’t like you ( beautiful enjoy nothing like it it weight alone
 
#6 ·
That's not turbo lag, that's a characteristic of the torque curve. Turbo lag is when the turbo is up to speed (on the straight), then you lift (for the corner), then you get back on the gas and the turbo takes a second (or not, in my experience in the 750) to spin back up. What you're describing just means you're in the wrong gear, aka YouTube Turbo Lag.
 
#13 ·
I’m not sure what is going on here exactly, but it seems OP is describing a lag time that is longer than whichever car he owned previously. Maybe it’s a perception, but if the feeling is that, there could be some truth to it.

OP, what was your most recent car that makes you feel the 750 has a lag to it in contrast?
 
#15 ·
I’m not sure what is going on here exactly, but it seems OP is describing a lag time that is longer than whichever car he owned previously. Maybe it’s a perception, but if the feeling is that, there could be some truth to it.

OP, what was your most recent car that makes you feel the 750 has a lag to it in contrast?
I’ve owned two McLaren’s before but it’s been a while . 2018 720S was my last one. I’ve owned Ferraris with the last one being an F8, Lamborghinis with the last one being a Performante and many other cars. I understand the difference between near instant throttle response in a NA engine like my GT3 vs forced induction. Guess I was wondering from the forum members if this “lag” is normal , if it’ll get better with breaking in or of I potentially have an issue.
Thx
 
#18 ·
#19 ·
Wow !! Yes it’s from Scottsdale! What a great spec your 765LT is , amazing !!
Thanks for sharing the information. Yes, I definitely, have some initial pause of if I floor below 5000rpm especially from a standstill. No engine lights and the car haul’s ass once the turbos kick in. I’ve driven my friends 765 and I’d say the power is similar. I just wasn’t sure about the lag.
 
#30 ·
I’ve driven the car in comfort , sport and track with and without manual and dynamic mode. Only seems to have lag if I floor it at a low rpm. Otherwise, the power comes on strong. I’m going to try launching it once I have a few more hundred miles one it. Overall , it’s an amazing car !!!
 
#28 ·
@howcarguy If you decide to sell this car, please let me know via PM first if you remember.

@Michaelj Yes, I can see where your daughter gets it from. Or maybe she passed it up to you one day :)
The house also looks very nice! I'm not sure of your level of input on that, but I am sure you were not an idle passenger. It doesn't feel like that long ago you were sharing progress updates on FChat... Thanks again for sharing, and I look forward to whichever color you create next.
 
#29 ·
@howcarguy If you decide to sell this car, please let me know via PM first if you remember.

@Michaelj Yes, I can see where your daughter gets it from. Or maybe she passed it up to you one day :)
The house also looks very nice! I'm not sure of your level of input on that, but I am sure you were not an idle passenger. It doesn't feel like that long ago you were sharing progress updates on FChat... Thanks again for sharing, and I look forward to whichever color you create next.
The house was a massive project that took over 3 years of construction. Super happy our home and only reason we decided to build it was to have a better garage. lol. Appreciate the nice words.
 
#37 ·
It depends on what you're use to. Before getting a Ferrari 488 and 750S I was driving a 2014 Jaguar XKR with a stock supercharger, around 490lbs torque and 510hp. The torque kicked in instantly, and low in the rpms, 2,000. Compared to the turbo 488 and 750S the Jaguar would put you back in the seat instantly from just tapping the throttle. I miss this in the 488 and 750S. However, the performance of 488 and 750S cannot be matched otherwise.
 
#40 ·
Yup it's pretty much how the drivetrain is optimized. I'm not saying the turbos are "big" in the McLaren cars but they behave like a "big turbo" car. Not much down low, decent mid range, and holy crap top end. Most OEM go for that low end grunt because general public usually don't like to push the RPMs on their cars and they can go WOW look at that kick in the butt when I barely press the throttle. Most OEM turbo cars and even SC ones have low end oomph, an okay mid range, and just as a gentle plateau of power up top as the tiny turbos or efficiency of the blower is just not there to push any meaningful air.
 
#42 ·
You are very kind. I had a special spec in mind when I was planning my W1 spec. Sadly I had to cancel the allocation as I just wasnt able to pull off the commitment but that would have been an epic session and a ton of fun. I will tell you that there is also something to be said to just getting a car that is already done. you dont have the brain damage of trying to figure out every last detail.
 
#48 ·
I was pretty nervous when I speced my interior with blue accents, but I’m very happy with the way it turned out - I get a lot of positive feedback about it.


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#53 ·
My 750S is my first Mac, coming up on 9 months of ownership and so I'm still in the learning stages. I do notice this "lag" every once in a while on spirited drives in different modes, even in track mode. After a few hard pulls, the car seems to become more responsive to throttle inputs. As with all cars, the 750S will perform better after you put some miles on it. I think mine woke up after about 1,000 miles. I have throttle boosters (Pedal Box and Sprintbooster) on a couple of cars and I might look into one for the 750S.
 
#54 ·
No matter the engine set up unless a hybrid..a 8000+ rpm redline isn’t “made” to perform at 2500 rpm.

They are made to be functional so you can drive on the road but don’t expect to have anything to happen.

20 years ago 8500rpm redline had a 1000-1500 rpm idle, never mind power delivery.

Personally I like the nuances of different engines and power delivery, that’s what makes them fun.
 
#55 ·
No matter the engine set up unless a hybrid..a 8000+ rpm redline isn’t “made” to perform at 2500 rpm.

They are made to be functional so you can drive on the road but don’t expect to have anything to happen.

20 years ago 8500rpm redline had a 1000-1500 rpm idle, never mind power delivery.

Personally I like the nuances of different engines and power delivery, that’s what makes them fun.
NA high revving engines like the 458 Italia or Porsche GT3 make their power up high but have almost instant throttle response throughout the rev range.

the difference is with the 750S and most FI cars is that there is a delay between when your foot hits the floor and the boost kicks in. This is what I perceive as turbo lag. This can be mitigated by keeping the car in the right rev range and gear but at a stand still the only way to have this is with launch control. My initial question which I’m still not sure has been answered involves this perceived lag or delay from low rpm range or from a dig. I was wondering if everyone notices this or if it’s a problem unique to my car….
 
#58 ·
If you have ESC Dyn enabled and then enable VDC and you have VDC set to a low number the car will feel terrible up top. I thought my car had issues accelerating sometimes and realized that it was anytime I had VDC on it was causing power to be dialed back significantly.

From my understanding driving in ESC Dyn is the loosest form of intervention depending on what mode but still should reel things in if it gets too crazy within reason... then VDC enabled gives you control over how much intervention you want. Just driving in typical drive modes each one is tailored to the mode with more intervention than Dyn.

Car is not going to accelerate hard stomping on it at 3K or less without lag. But launching the car should feel great with warm tires and I feel like it does build boost to launch you off the line somewhat if you just floor it quickly from a stop which will feel laggy because it builds boost momentarily but without good traction the systems will intervene. (In ESC OFF this enters rolling burnout mode and you can light the tires up and keep it going by upshifting. Car will smoke the tires and keep your hands firmly on the wheel and react accordingly because car will want to walk the rear sometimes)

Im still new to the car myself so not sure if all that is correct just my findings so far.
 
#61 ·
Despite the price tag, the engine tech in the Mclaren engine is 1990s. The roots of the turbos go back to cars like the Mitsubushi Starion and the Evo 6.
Lag can be just the turbos inability to build boost at all at low rpm (often a side effect of having enough flow for power at high rpm) or if the ports are optimised to create flow at low rpm a delay when the throttle is opened while boost builds. The McLaren engine has the benefit of a newer ECU which can mask out some of these flaws, but its a long long way from modern GDI technology and impeller design.
 
#75 ·
after playing with settings etc, i find im in dynamic mode immediate when i turn it on.

the VDc still caused me fits with not giving me full power and since im not drifting on the way to work with congestion and average road conditions.
hitting a decent pavement issue with the tire moving sideways is a mess

if i keep it out of dynamic, most of my right turns out of parking lots kill the power too much especially if im just driving around and tires are 80 degrees or so

going to the lime rock track event next week (friday 12th) so ill be able to see how dyn intervenes at speed

but so far the VDC has been a non starter for me