A turbocharger works to improve the efficiency of an engine by forcing extra air into the combustion chamber and using a turbine for forcing the process of induction. The biggest benefit that a turbocharger provides is significantly increasing the horsepower of the engine without adding to the weight of it. Turbochargers are commonly discussed when one talks about racing or sports cars and vehicles but they are capable of much more than that. The most common turbocharger can increase the airflow into the cylinders by about 50% and noticeable improvement is about 30%-40%.













The power of a turbocharger comes from waste exhaust gases and it is attached with the exhaust. The compressor and the turbine are the two main parts of a turbocharger. The turbine wheels spin as the exhaust from the engine cylinders pass through them. The compressor wheel spins along with this, pulling in air and gives pressure to it during the intake before sending it towards the engine cylinders. The higher the amount of compressed air is, the greater the boost and thus, the more power to the engine.





Benefits of a Turbocharger

The first and most noticeable benefit of a turbocharger is the increased horsepower it is provides to the engine as well as higher torque. This reduces fuel costs and improves emissions. Vehicles with turbochargers perform better at higher altitudes. Here are some more advantages provided by turbochargers and how turbocharged engines are better than normal engines:

A turbocharger creates considerably more power than a normal engine and there isn’t much change in the weight of the vehicle.

Turbochargers allow the use of smaller engines without the user realizing its drawbacks since the power produced is as good as a big one.

It is not difficult to cut on fuel costs if you have a turbocharged engine.

By delivering extra oxygen to the engine, a turbocharger ensures better fuel combustion and reduces the possibility of CO2 and NOx emissions. Also, since turbocharged engines can function just fine in spite of being small, the same amount of power is generated with a lot less emissions and fuel consumption. Thus, turbochargers are good for the environment too.

Drawbacks of Turbochargers

However, just like any other purchase, you must also be aware of the drawbacks of the turbocharged engine or turbochargers before making a purchase. This way you will be in a better position to understand how much you will be able to handle.





Below are some of the drawbacks of a turbocharger:

Turbo lag is one of the major drawbacks that come along with a turbocharged engine. A certain time is to be given to the engine between you pushing the accelerator down and feeling the power boost. The delay is caused by the turbine taking time to pick up speed. Smaller turbochargers have lesser turbo lag as compared to bigger ones and certain materials such as ceramic made turbines and compressors can also help in this case.

On the flip side is the issue of engine boost. While smaller turbochargers have less turbo lag but they may not be able to provide the same quality of boost to the vehicle engine. Whereas a larger turbocharger will provide better boost but have more turbo lag owing to a heavier turbine which will obviously take more time to start up.

So, to avoid this confusion, people sometimes install two turbochargers of differing sizes so that both the drawbacks can be avoided at the same time. The smaller turbo speeds up quickly in such a set up while the larger one helps in giving a better boost.