If you’ve been in the market for a new car recently there’s a good chance you’ll have noticed that a significant portion of the vehicles currently on the market makes use of a turbocharged drivetrain.
While turbochargers have been around for over 100 years, they only began to feature in production cars around the 1960s, and today almost all cars are found with a choice of a turbocharged engine under the hood.
What is a turbocharger
A turbocharger, or “turbo” for short, is a type of forced induction device that is used to increase the power output of an internal combustion engine (ICE) using gases from the exhaust.
The term “forced induction” refers to the act of compressing the gases that go into the engine, causing greater air density that results in more efficient combustion when the fuel is ignited, which in turn results in a greater power yield.
This is in contrast to “naturally-aspirated” engines which simply rely on atmospheric pressure, or the air outside the car, to run the drivetrain.
The first turbochargers were actually patented for early aircraft in 1905, as it was understood that the planes’ engines would struggle to burn fuel at higher altitudes where the air is thinner.
It took much longer for the idea to catch on in cars, with the first production autos to feature turbocharged powerplants only debuting in 1962.
Pros
The reason why turbos have become so popular on modern cars is that they are now seen as a more cost-effective and economical way of squeezing as much power out of an engine as possible.
While the golden age of motoring saw the rise of large powerplants like the iconic V6 and V8, all the way up to V12s and even W16s, attitudes towards cars have changed and smaller engines are now prioritized by most automakers.
Today, most entry-level vehicles are sold with a 1.0 or 1.2-litre powertrain, which naturally doesn’t have the power to keep up with much larger blocks, but turbochargers are able to close this gap by increasing the output of smaller units to be on par with those using sizeable naturally-aspirated engines.
This also means turbos are a more-efficient means of achieving a high power output without increasing the size of the engine or the amount of fuel consumed.
Therefore, in places such as the European Union which have strict rules on the emissions that different car types are allowed to produce, turbos are seen as an effective means of increasing power without crossing the emissions threshold.
Turbos will also run better at higher altitudes, because they are able to condense the limited supply of air for better combustion, and in general, a turbocharged vehicle will produce less noise than a power-equivalent naturally-aspirated one.
Cons
One of the most common complaints surrounding is the concept of turbo lag, which refers to the delay before the effects of the turbo kick in.
Turbos do not begin working the second you turn the ignition and need time to build up as the car increases in speed, which means you can floor the accelerator and only feel a difference several milliseconds later.
These effects tend to be more pronounced on cheaper cars, as performance-oriented models typically employ various methods to reduce or eliminate turbo lag altogether.
Related to the idea of lag is the boost threshold, which is when the effects of the turbocharger suddenly kick in. For less experienced drivers, in particular, this sudden burst of power can be unexpected and can lead to a loss of control.
Turbos also generate excessive heat, which can drain the engine’s oil supply faster over time as it will require additional lubrication, and related to this is the idea that turbocharged drivetrains require more maintenance than naturally-aspirated ones.
One reason for this is simply the fact that these forced-induction configurations have more working components, meaning there are more things to go wrong. In general, turbos also require more regular maintenance due to the extra strain they can put on the other parts of the car.
Keyword: Pros and cons of turbochargers