Car Articles

You must have often heard about the cars that comes with turbocharged engines or supercharged engine. But have you ever wondered what that means? Or, have you ever given thought on their functionality and the technicality involved in both these engines?

These two types of engines are very different from each other. But they serve a common purpose, to deliver more horsepower. Both the engines ensure that more air goes into the combustion chamber, resulting in a more powerful explosion which eventually creates power. But the difference lies in the way they do it to give you an exciting driving experience.

Let’s discuss the way the turbocharger functions. A turbocharger uses the exhaust pressure to increase air to the combustion chamber. When the engine gets revved up, the exhaust pressure hits the turbocharger impeller creating a turbine-like effect. This system helps the direct flow of fresh air to the combustion chamber which also makes it possible to add more fuel, increasing the power and torque output of the engine.

Having a turbocharged engine fitted to your car can benefit your car in many ways. Power is being produced without any extra effort from the engine. The air density can also be increased with the addition of intercoolers, which can cool the air even before the turbo gets into the combustion chamber that allows an even greater increase in power. Moreover, a turbocharged engine enables to change the amount of boost available. In some models, this can be achieved even while driving, allowing you to fine-tune the power you need.

The size of the turbocharger is very important. The smaller the turbocharger is, the faster the boost is. Again, it will also come at lower speed as a small turbine will need a smaller volume of air to get the proper tempo compared to a large turbine.

The turbocharged engine has its disadvantages too. The biggest of them is the turbocharger is the uneven power-band. At low RPM's (lower than 4500RPM) the engine is not producing enough exhaust pressure for the turbocharger to add power. This is called the turbo lag. But, once it gets going, it delivers enormous energy. This energy is so massive that a badly setup turbocharger can be dangerous because the abrupt and dramatic increase in power can cause the handling characteristics of the car to change. The older Porsche 911 Turbos are good illustration of this. These cars used to swing the back-end out if the driver was unaware of the turbo boost hit.

Another drawback of the turbocharged engine is its maintenance. There are more moving parts in a turbocharged engine compared to a supercharger, and some turbochargers require cool down time after rigorous use before the engine can be shut off.