Catastrophic Turbo Failure: Is Your Hardware Built and Backed Like It Matters?
Bullseye is a fully insured product liability manufacturer… are the products on your car backed the same way? This is a topic that rarely is considered until something wild happens.
Most racers and builders obsess over power, spool, weight, and price when they choose an aftermarket turbo. Almost nobody asks the question that really matters when things go bad: Is the manufacturer serious enough to carry product liability insurance?
We all love saving weight—lightweight turbos and thin housings look great on the scales because every pound matters. But saving 20–30 pounds at the expense of burst containment is a trade that can turn ugly fast. When a wheel exits a marginal housing at speed, you’re talking about shrapnel, oil, and fire aimed at the driver, the car in the other lane, and the people in the stands and working downtrack.
Any serious turbocharger manufacturer should be carrying appropriate liability coverage; this investment acknowledges that things happen and it also covers the manufacturer in the event of an issue. It means they acknowledge the real risks of the parts they build and operate like they plan to be here tomorrow to support their customers, even if something goes very wrong.
This is also where sanctioning bodies and rule makers should raise the bar. If we’re serious about safety and accountability, requiring proof of proper liability insurance from every approved turbocharger manufacturer should be written into the rulebook—right alongside safety equipment and chassis requirements—so everyone at the track knows the brands on the car are backed like professionals, not hobbies.
We take pride in the fact that Bullseye turbos are 100% American made, engineered for performance and containment, and backed by that kind of mature approach to risk. Our turbos are not the cheapest by any means—but when you look past the price tag and ask who’s actually standing behind the hardware, is that BOGO turbo really the best option?