What do turbochargers do

On one side, hot exhaust gasses spin the turbine that is connected to another turbine which sucks air in and compresses it into the engine. This compression is what gives the engine the extra power and efficiency because as more air can go in the combustion chamber, more fuel can be added for more power. Turbocharged engines are also not affected in the same way as naturally aspirated engines are when they go at higher altitudes. The higher in altitude a naturally aspirated engine climbs, the harder it becomes for it to get oxygen due to the thinning atmosphere.

Turbochargers also improve the fuel efficiency of a vehicle however there is a misconception when it comes to turbocharged vehicles and fuel efficiency. Taking a naturally aspirated engine and slapping on a turbocharger on it will not improve fuel efficiency. The way that manufacturers improve fuel efficiency though turbocharging is by down-sizing an engine and then turbocharging it. For example, take a 2. The smaller, turbocharged engine would still have the same performance figures or slightly better but because of the smaller displacement, it would also use less fuel.

Turbochargers have 2 main disadvantages when compared to a naturally aspirated or supercharged engine. Firstly is heat. Because a turbo is powered by hot exhaust gasses, it gets very hot. The other big disadvantage of a turbocharger is something called turbo lag. Sell your car. How do turbos work, and how do they differ from superchargers? Lancia Delta World Rally Car How turbos work Why are turbos in so many cars Potential downsides to turbochargers What is a supercharger and how is it different to a turbo?

How do turbos work? Mercedes A — with a 2. Turbodiesels are the mainstay of the Range Rover Evoque engine line-up. Ford Puma has a 1. Volvo XC60 T8 has a turbo and a supercharger. Configure your next turbocharged car. Compare cars using carwow Compare cars using carwow. View offers from local and national dealers. Buy with confidence on carwow.

Select a car. Like this article? Share it with others! Related articles. What is a mild hybrid MHEV car? What is GAP insurance and why do you need it? Lada Niva review: utilitarian Russian off-roader driven. What is a V5C? In order to meet our requirements for power, this requires air; putting in more air presents far more problems than putting in more fuel. Air is around us all the time and is under pressure, at sea level this pressure is about 15 p. It is this pressure that forces air into the cylinders.

To increase the air flow, an air pump turbocharger is fitted and compressed air is blown into the engine. This air mixes with the injected fuel allowing the fuel to burn more efficiently so increasing the power output of the engine. One other side of turbocharging, which may be of interest, is an engine which works regularly at high altitudes, where the air is less dense and where turbocharging will restore most of the lost power caused by the drop in air pressure.

The waste exhaust gases of the engine are utilised to drive a turbine wheel, which is connected to a compressor wheel by a shaft. The compressor or air wheel sucks in air through the air filters and passes this into the engine. As the waste gases are expelled from the engine, they are directed to the turbine or hot wheel of the turbo and so completes the cycle.

Instead of escaping through the exhaust pipe, hot gases produced during combustion flow to the turbocharger. The cylinders inside an internal combustion engine fire in sequence not all at once , so exhaust exits the combustion chamber in irregular pulses.

Conventional single-scroll turbochargers route those irregular pulses of exhaust into the turbine in a way that causes them to collide and interfere with one another, reducing the strength of the flow.