I don't know much about turbos and how they work. I could probably fit my knowledge of them in one sentance.

Can someone please give me and overview of how/why a turbo works? Diagrams are pretty. Like what's spool up? Does a turbo have to run off the exaust, how does that create more power?

 

http://www.howstuffworks.com/turbo.htm

 

Sweet. Good read, thank you much.

Question about intercoolers... that article said that they can be used to further increase power... I've heard lots of people talk about how adding an intercooler reduces power? Info?

 

Intercoolers just drop the temp of the incoming air, thus making it more dense. The more dense the air is, the more air there is, right? So, you get more air into the cylinder, thus more power.

 

By 'reducing' they might be referring to the pressure drop that occurs... isn't to significant if you're using a good ic

 

While I appreciate any attempt to help someone out, would you please refer to the sticky at the top of the forum. Specifically the part about posting a link with no other explanation.

 

So there's a slight pressure drop... are there any other disadvantages to using an intercooler? Takes up extra space of course.

 

Slows air flow.

There's always the weight issue as well. They aren't very heavy, but typically they're hung far in front of the axle, which doesn't help our already nasty front to rear weight ratio.


However, every performance part is a compromise, and an intercooler is a good idea for almost every application. There are other options, but they can be very expensive.

 

I will try to remember that from now on.

 

Thanks, makes my job easier in the future