How Does a Turbo Charger Increase Horsepower?

Increases Air Intake

A turbocharger is basically a supercharged fan responsible for injecting extra air into a vehicle's engine, which increases engine horsepower by creating extra combustion. The addition of extra air into an engine creates a bigger explosion when the engine spark plug ignites the air/fuel mixture inside each engine cylinder. This translates into extra horsepower being generated.

Increases Fuel Intake

Although a turbocharger is mainly responsible for increasing air intake into an engine, a net result of this extra air intake is an increase in the amount of fuel injected in to an engine as well. In order to keep the engine air/fuel mixture in balance, which is the delicate ratio of gas to air inside an engine, extra air intake requires an equal amount of extra fuel intake. This extra fuel creates a bigger explosion when burned inside each engine cylinder, which results in increased horsepower.

Increases Pre-Combustion Air/Fuel Ratio

Besides injecting more air and fuel into an engine, a turbocharger increases horsepower by pre-heating the air/fuel before it actually enters the engine combustion chambers, or cylinders. The velocity of the turbocharger fan speeds up the air and fuel vapors, which increases their temperature. This leads to the air/fuel mixture being hotter upon entrance into the engine cylinders, which helps to create more efficient engine combustion, which translates into extra horsepower.