Turbo-charging
is a mechanical technology which came into existence in the 19th century and
was originally used to power aircrafts. Now, however it is used by people
who wish to tune their cars for maximum performance and power. But
can turbo-charging be used for improving fuel efficiency and CO2 emissions?
Let's find out ...
Turbo-charging
and supercharging are types of force induction, and if the engine is not turbo
or supercharged it's called a naturally aspirated engine. Auto enthusiasts all
over the world prefer a naturally aspirated engine because the throttle
response is smooth, power is well distributed smoothly all across the rev band
and it doesn't have lag; which you get from a turbocharged engine.
Supercharger
Turbo-charger is a shortened version of
"Turbo-supercharging" - its official name. Turbo-chargers uses an
exhaust flow to spin a turbine, which in turn spins an air pump which
compresses the air so that more air can be sent into the cylinders which means
more fuel can be added which in turn increases the power. Supercharging however
uses a belt which connect to the crankshaft to operate the pump that forces the
air into the cylinder. The difference between the two is the source of energy.
Turbo-chargers are powered by the mass flow of exhaust gases driving the
turbine whereas superchargers are driven mechanically by belt or chain drive
from the engines crankshaft.
A
turbocharger
Turbo-charging
helps to get more power from a small displacement engine. Many tuners do that
to their Supra's , Celica's, GTR's boosting their power to more than 1000 Bhp.
However nowadays turbo-charging is used to reduce emissions, give more
power and improve the fuel economy. Turbo-charging yields more torque than
naturally aspirated engine. For example, the performance version of Polo in
India, Polo 1.6 is used to produce 103 Bhp and 153 Nm of torque at 3750 rpm. It
got replaced by an 1.2L engine. It may seem as if a smaller engine would result
into slow and sluggish performance but it was turbo-charged so it could produce the same bhp as
compared to Polo 1.6 and it could produce more torque. 175 of them to be
precise at only 1500 rpm which is very much low down the rev range eventually
leading to more everyday usable performance. Jaguar unveiled a C-X75 concept at
the Paris auto show; that car had a 1.6L engine which was turbo as well a
supercharged and it produced 503 Bhp which is an astounding amount of power for
such a small capacity engine. 3 working prototype's were built but sadly this
car never got into production. Even Ferrari's new California is turbocharged,
its has a 4.3 litre V8 which has 30 Bhp more than the old naturally aspirated
engine.
Audi S4 has
a 3 litre supercharged engine
Turbo-charging
however isn't without its drawbacks, there is a noticeable amount of lag before
the turbo spools up, the power delivery isn't very linear, there is no engine
braking and it doesn't sound as good as a naturally aspirated engine. Engineers
today are researching and finding out ways to get around these problems .Audi
and BMW have mounted their turbo in between the bank's of the cylinder to make
the turbo spool up faster so that lag is minimum. This technology is available
in the new BMW M5 and the Audi RS7. Manufacturers are fitting active exhaust to
make their car's sound more fruity. These technologies help but it's still not
perfect.
The new Audi RS7 has 4 litre twin turbo motor
However you
can't deny the fact that forced induction gives more power and torque than a
normal aspirated engine, it is more economical as well as more eco-friendly
i.e. emits less CO2. Many car manufacturers have started downsizing and
Turbo-charging their cars. The purists might not be in love with
Turbo-charging. However, Turbo-charging is here and it is here to stay.
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