Ah yes, the science bit. A turbocharger is a turbine driven forced induction compressor powered by pressure from the engine's exhaust gas. But of course you knew that, didn't you?
Our scarily knowledgeable turbo repair boffin tells us: 'The objective of a turbocharger is to improve upon the size-to-output efficiency of an engine by solving one of its cardinal limitations: a naturally aspirated automobile engine uses only the downward stroke of a piston to create an area of low pressure in order to draw air into the cylinder through the intake valves'.
Since we imagine you didn't swallow a Haynes manual for breakfast, we'll let our turbo repair service boffin get back to the day job whilst we explain things in a way that's slightly less likely to leave you wanting to throw yourself under a passing Isuzu (after it's had its turbo repair work done, obviously).
Turbochargers compress the air flowing into the engine. And if you compress the air then you can fit more of it into the cylinder. The more air you force into the cylinder the more fuel you can add and when you put more of those two things together you get a bigger explosion in the cylinder. A bigger explosion in your cylinder gives you more power overall than you'd get from an engine that hasn't been turbocharged.
Why do I need one?
One very simple reason: a turbo can significantly boost an engine's horsepower without significantly increasing its weight. Assuming it's working properly, of course, which is where we come in. Once your turbo repair is complete or you've managed to fix your own with our turbo repair kits here are all the wonderful things you can expect from your turbocharger:
?More power from the same engine volume over a regular engine.
?Easier fitting than alternative methods of forced induction (the term given to compressing air within the cylinder).
?Smaller and lighter than alternatives.
?Better efficiency not only over 'regular' engines but also supercharged engines since much of the exhaust heat and pressure that would normally go to waste is used to compress the air.
?Fuel Economy. Be Green! Well, sort of. Get the oomph of a more powerful car for the same amount of fuel you're currently using. Just to be clear - although adding a turbocharger itself does not save fuel, it will allow a vehicle to use a smaller engine while achieving power levels of a much larger engine, while attaining near normal fuel economy while off boost/cruising. This is because without boost, only the normal amount of fuel and air are combusted.
