The Era of Turbo Petrol Vehicles

Ever since stricter emission norms have come in place, almost all domestic and international manufacturers have been forced to downsize their engines. This is where the “Turbo” kicks in. In order to enhance power output, automobile manufacturers have started fitting their petrol and diesel engines with turbocharged engines. In fact, fitting turbocharger on engines is so trending that naturally aspirated engines feel threatened. And if you’re wondering what’s so good about these turbo-charged units, then read on to know more.

What is a turbo engine?

• As compared to naturally aspirated engines, a turbocharged engine is one in which air is forced into the cylinders at a faster rate so that it is burned faster, resulting in more power.
• For the laymen, a turbocharged engine is effectively two small air fans that sit on the same metal shaft so that both of them can spin around together. One of these fans is called the turbine that sits in the exhaust stream of the cylinders.
• As the cylinders blow hot gas past the fan blades, they rotate and the shaft they’re connected to rotates as well. The second fan also dubbed as the compressor sits on sitting the same shaft as the turbine, and spins along with it.
• Since both fans are mounted inside the car’s air intake so as they spin, they draw a larger amount of air into the car and forces it into the cylinders. This ‘boost’ of air causes a bigger bang in the chamber thereby providing more power.

What are the Pros of Turbo engines?

Having a “Turbocharged” engine isn’t just a fancy thing to hear. In fact, a turbocharged engine provides a lot of advantages over the conventional naturally aspirated engine. Perhaps this is the reason why a turbocharged engine has now become the first choice of manufacturers around the globe. Some of the most attractive advantages of a Turbo include:

1. An oomph of power

• Pretty evident from its entire functioning, a turbocharged engine is far more powerful than a naturally aspirated engine. Since more air is drawn, compressed and pumped into the engine, the power output on a turbocharged engine is quite high as compared to conventional NA engines.
• This means that for those who love speed and power, a turbocharged engine is a dream comes true.

2. Better efficiency

• Even though turbocharged engines produce more power than their Naturally Aspirated counterparts, they still turn out to be more efficient. The reason behind this fact is that by using turbocharged engines, manufacturers can offer a high figure horsepower by using a smaller engine thereby improving fuel efficiency without compromising power.
• Thus, if you’ve to make a choice between a 2 litre NA engine and a 1.5-litre turbocharged engine that produces the same horsepower, the turbocharged engine will always have a better fuel efficiency owing to its reduced capacity.

3. Lower emissions

• Another thing that makes turbocharged engines, a manufacturer’s choice is the fact that it is cleaner and greener. Turbocharged engines are environmentally friendly due to their lower emissions.
• Turbo engines make combustion easier and emissions lower as they supply more air mass into the engine. Since the very concept of a turbo engine is to recycle wasted energy from the exhaust gas and transform more of the fuel energy consumed into power. In times of stricter emission norms, turbocharged engines truly support the cause.

4. A quieter experience

• Another aspect directly related to size, a turbocharged engine is quieter than its NA counterpart. This is because the sound radiating the outer surface of a turbocharged engine is smaller much like all other components, and therefore it also less noisy.
• The turbocharger acts as an additional silencer.  It connects directly to the exhaust stream, which puts a restriction on the flow of gases and hence it reduced the noise that the engine generates.

5. Better Torque

• Even on the smallest of engines, turbochargers tend to produce more torque, particularly in the lower spectrum of the rev range. This directly translates to a peppier performance as compared to larger, naturally-aspirated engines, because of the torque they produce.

The Bottom Line

With several advantages over naturally aspirated engines, turbocharged engines have quickly become the talk of the town. The pros of a turbocharged engine along with stricter emission norms have driven leading manufacturers to choose turbocharged engines for their entire inventory.

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