How Do I Avoid Turbo Lag?
A turbocharger is an engine part that compresses air going in to an engine, which decreases the amount of energy required to move the engine's pistons up and down in their cylinders. This air is generally drawn from the vehicle's exhaust system, where the air is already under some pressure.
Installing a turbocharger in your car will greatly increase its maximum horsepower, but this extra power is only generated when the turbo's fan is spinning extremely quickly. The fan only spins up during heavy acceleration. The gap you feel between pressing the gas and increased acceleration is called turbo lag. You can do a few things to minimize turbo lag in your car.
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Things You'll Need
- Ceramic turbo fan and turbine shaft (optional)
- Turbocharger ball bearings (optional)
- Second turbocharger (optional)
- Intercooler (optional)
Instructions
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Install lighter turbo parts. A lighter fan will spin up faster, making the extra horsepower available more quickly. You can replace any of the turbo's rotating parts with lighter ones to decrease turbo lag. Ceramic parts are usually a good choice.
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Smaller turbos have quicker response times. Install a smaller turbo. Smaller turbos have lighter parts to begin with, so they don't take as long to spin up. A smaller turbo won't provide as much of a horsepower boost as a large one, but the power will be available quicker.
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Install sequential turbochargers. This basically means using one small and one large turbo on the same engine. The small turbo will provide a quick, moderate power boost while the large turbo spins up to increase horsepower even further.
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Specially engineered ball bearings help the turbine spin up faster. Replace the turbo's turbine shaft bearings. Most turbos have fluid bearings, which support the turbine shaft with a layer of lubricant sealed between it and its housing. Replacing them with ball bearings specially engineered for turbos can reduce the friction acting on the turbine shaft, reducing turbo lag.
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Install an intercooler. An intercooler cools the hot exhaust air used by the turbo before it goes into the engine. Cooler air is denser than hot air and easier for the turbo to compress to the right pressure before use.
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Tips & Warnings
If you are replacing your turbo's bearings, make absolutely certain you are using bearings specifically engineered for use in turbochargers. Using other ball bearings will drastically shorten the lifespan of your turbo.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit engine image by goce risteski from Fotolia.com turbo image by Elijahu from Fotolia.com bearings image by petar Ishmeriev from Fotolia.com
Comments
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Well maybe I should see the 300zx so that I could race him? You know what I just thought of, hook up an intake to your turbo where you could hook up that electric supercharger you have to run all the time. That way you would already have air flow going into it having the turbine already spooled.
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hey jon why dont know go lose another race against scotts 300zx! hahaha
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you're just mad because im smart
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that doesn't sound like a good idea at all...
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I wonder if, before accelerating off the start you can rev to get the turbo's turbine (fan) momentum up so then when you take off its already spinning and you have alot quicker power supply? I know in a standard you can "pop the clutch" but in an automatic could you rev in nutral and then wait till the rpm's go back down, put it in drive and take off..
