Upgrading Your Ride with a Turbo
The internal combustion engine (ICE) is a simple device. At its heart, it is nothing more than a furnace, where air and fuel mix and ignite. This ignition (explosion, really) pushes pistons down, which turns a crank, which, in turn, turns the transmission. The transmission is what makes your car move. However, if you could find a way to increase the amount of fuel and air mixed together, the resulting ignition would be more powerful, turning the engine faster, thus giving your car more speed. This is exactly what a turbo is designed to do.
Adding a turbo to your ride is an incredible way to maximize power output, especially when you have already done all the easy upgrades. To understand why you want a turbo, you'll need to know a little bit about how they operate. Here's a quick rundown of what a turbocharger is and what it does.
A turbo operates by cramming as much air and fuel into a cylinder as possible. Theoretically, it's possible to increase the fuel/air mixture by as much as 50%. That equates to enormous power gains. However, you'll only see an increase in power of 30– 40%. Regardless, that is a substantial gain, which is not matched by any other single accessory installation.
The beauty of the turbocharger is that it is powered by your exhaust. That means there is no mechanical drag to slow it down. The exhaust spins the turbines within the turbocharger, which forces more air into the vehicle. However, this system does have one large drawback, especially when compared to superchargers.
Since turbos are powered by exhaust gases, these gasses must be present in enough quantity (pressure) to spin the turbines. That means that you have to have relatively high RPM to see the benefits of a turbo (a supercharger is controlled mechanically, so it offers benefits across a wide range of the power band). However, a turbo charger can operate at very high RPM, unlike a supercharger, which makes it an ideal solution for racing.
Adding a turbo to your ride is a great way to achieve much greater power. However, unless you are an experienced mechanic, you may not want to install one on your own. Take your car (and the turbo) to a performance shop for the best results and professional installation. Your car will thank you and you'll have the power that you crave (get the accessories you need at AndysAutoSport.com).
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