How to Decide What Size Turbo to Use
A turbo is a supplemental engine device that increases the horsepower of a motor vehicle. A turbocharger is a turbine driven engine piece that captures energy and refocuses it on the engine. For example, a 200-horsepower engine usually loses around 70 horsepower of energy through exhaust waste. A turbo captures this energy and reallocates it to the engine, effectively increasing your car's horsepower. Turbos can come in many sizes that increase the horsepower strength of your vehicle. However, there are a few things you need to consider before installing such a device in your car.
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Instructions
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Know your engine's horsepower capabilities. There is no sense buying a large, high-powered turbo if you have a motor vehicle with a high horsepower potential. Read up on your car's horsepower and RPM potentials in your owner's manual. This helps you narrow your search for the appropriate turbo for your vehicle.
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Determine the amount of horsepower you want for your engine: do you want extra horsepower for racing purposes or for a practical purpose? Whatever the case, knowing what you want from your engine will help with buying the right sized turbo.
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Calculate the mass flow of your engine. The mass flow of your engine is how much fuel and air the engine can take in within a set amount of time, usually by minutes. Mass flow amounts correlate with turbo sizes, so most turbos on the market will list whether they work with an engine on a specific mass flow.
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Research the number of cylinders you have in your engine. A turbo works by being directly connected with the cylinders of the car. Knowing how many cylinders you have can help you determine the turbo size you need.
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Find out how well air is distributed in your engine. A turbo maximizes air pressure in your engine to increase the horsepower. An engine with a large displacement of air can have a larger turbo.
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See what kind of air filter you have. It is very important that you have the right kind of air filter to handle the amount of energy being reallocated to your engine. A stronger air filter may have to be bought so that it can handle the energy being emitted from the turbo.
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References
- Photo Credit race car image by Andrey Kiselev from Fotolia.com
