Turbo lag, the delay between pressing the throttle and feeling the power in a turbocharged engine, stems from the time needed for the engine to generate adequate exhaust pressure to spin the turbo and push compressed air into the engine. This delay is most pronounced when the engine operates at low RPMs and low loads.
An immediate solution for creating full boost from idle to redline with a turbo isn’t feasible. Turbochargers must be tailored to specific RPM ranges for proper functionality. A turbo capable of substantial low RPM boost would overspeed and potentially fail under high throttle, while a turbo optimized for peak power generates minimal boost until later in the engine’s powerband. Hence, most turbo setups aim for a compromise between these extremes.
The Way to Reduce Turbo Lag:
Nitrous Oxide: Introducing nitrous oxide drastically reduces spooling time by increasing cylinder pressures and expelling energy through the exhaust. However, without adjusting the air/fuel ratio, it can cause backfire or engine damage.
Compression Ratio: Modern turbo engines operate with higher compression ratios (around 9:1 to 10:1), aiding turbo spooling significantly compared to older lower compression designs.
Wastegate: Tuning a turbo with a smaller exhaust housing for quicker spooling and adding a wastegate to manage excess exhaust pressure at high RPM can be an effective solution.
Narrowing Powerband: Limiting an engine’s powerband helps reduce turbo lag, making larger-displacement engines and multi-speed transmissions beneficial as they keep the turbocharger closer to its peak power range.
Sequential Turbocharging: Using two turbos—one for lower RPMs and another for higher RPMs—expands the engine’s effective powerband. Although effective, this system is complex, costly, and more common in diesel engines than in gasoline-powered vehicles.
These strategies vary, but an effective solution involves optimizing the combination of components like the converter, cam, compression ratio, displacement, gearing, and braking system for the specific turbo in use.
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Post time: Dec-27-2023