The Pros and Cons of Having a Turbo on Your Car
Having a turbo on your engine can be great, but there are pros and cons to having one. We’ll cover some of the top issues to consider.
Cost
Purchasing a turbocharger for your car is a costly investment. However, it can improve your fuel economy and boost your engine’s power.
The cost of installing a turbocharger depends on the type of vehicle you own and the amount of work involved. Typically, you can expect to spend between $500 and $3000.
You can also find used turbochargers for as little as $100. However, you may not get the same technical specifications as you would with a new turbo. To ensure that your turbocharger has the correct specs, you should visit a shop that specializes in modification.
The price of a turbocharger depends on the car model, quality of parts and the tuning required. If you want to install a twin turbocharger, you’ll need to pay extra. The cost of a twin turbocharger can range between $1,100 and $10,500.
Reliability
Depending on your specific vehicle, a turbo engine is either the silver bullet or the black sheep. The good news is that your turbo aficionado can get by without you stifling their enthusiasms. With the right care and feeding, you can expect the best performance from your turbo equpiment. To keep the good times going, the turbo aficionado will find that a nanny is always just a click away. This is particularly true if your turbo equpiment is a modern day marvel. To keep the ol’ pom poms happy, a turbo aficionado should stock up on fresh oil. The oil of choice should be a high quality synthetic, which is not to be trifled with. To ensure a smooth ride, your turbo equpiment should also be treated to a weekly maintenance schedule.
Increase in atmospheric pressure in your engine
Depending on your vantage point, you’ll find your nose in the air most of the time, which is the tyee you’ll be tasked to your aforementioned task. The good news is that you’ll be rewarded for your efforts, not to mention a few poop decks. Lastly, you get to drive around the manse with the best of the best. The only downside is that you’ll have to put up with a handful of other hived thugs in the process. The aforementioned thugs are the ones you’ll want to avoid in the first place. Hopefully you’ll be in the clear by the time you get to the tailgate in earnest.
Rear-mount turbos on small displacement engines can cause lag
Adding a rear mount turbo to your car’s engine can increase power and boost, but it also introduces some problems. Specifically, it can cause lag at low RPM. This lag can be reduced with proper tuning.
A rear-mount turbo is a type of turbocharger that sits at the rear of the vehicle, near the muffler tips. The design enables easier exhaust routing and less maintenance. A rear-mounted system is also a good choice if the under-hood space is limited.
However, a rear-mount system requires special attention to a number of factors. Because the turbine is farther away from the engine, it takes longer for it to turn, which leads to more lag. It also requires an intercooler. This cooler exhaust can also reduce intake air temperatures. The cooler air is then returned through a filter mounted at the rear of the engine.
Increase in chances of pre-ignition
Increasing intake temperature and pressure leads to an increase in the chances of pre-ignition. The pre-ignition process is the ignition of the fuel/air mixture before the spark plug is fired. It is not an audible event, but it can cause severe damage to the engine.
The first step in reducing the probability of a pre-ignition event is to ensure that the spark plug gap is correct. The gap is the amount of space between the tip of the spark plug and the inner side of the cylinder wall. It is important to have proper gaps when adding boost or swapping out a plug.
The other way to reduce the possibility of a pre-ignition is to inject water into the intake and compression strokes. The resulting reduced displacement of the engine will reduce friction losses and pumping losses, which will make the engine more efficient.