why are turbo-chargers used in cars these days?
547763
A turbocharger is an exhaust gas-driven compressor used to increase the power output of an internal-combustion engine by increasing the mass of oxygen entering the engine. A key advantage of turbochargers is that they offer a considerable increase in engine power with only a slight increase in weight.
363512
because they were very high priced and profits and sales were very low on these in the US. thats why they are so rare today. try looking at the lexus IS300, they have the same engines just no turbos.
839297
Good Question.... are you aware that some cars already have them installed and it may be added to future cars also for safety reasons so parents can monitor and correct the kids driving errors. Great idea, but who is going to monitor the parents bad habits?
288265
possibly take one out of an old ford mustang SVO like years 83-85 or something? IIRC, that was a 2.3 liter turbo. \n\nPossibly also, the 80's ford thunderbird turbo coupe, also used the 2.3 4 cylnider i think.
90342
forced induction will give you the best results.  either through a turbo or through a supercharger.  but get ready to spend the most $ also.
595834
I got a Dodge Charger a few months ago, and haven't regretted it since. Get the Hemi, though - you want to be able to move if someone isn't paying attention and blows a stop sign, doesn't yield, etc. I love it. It took me a while to get used to, because it's a little bigger than what I was used to, but I highly recommend it. There are too many great features to list.
75881
Turbos can (and have) been put on carb'd cars.  However, due to the increased control using today's electronics, I can't see them as being as effective as FI turbocharged.  When you increase the airflow to the engine (turbocharging and supercharging are forced induction) you must increase the fuel as well, otherwise you will end up in an incredibly lean condidtion and damage the motor.  Motors work best with a specific air/fuel ratio.  With carbs you must re jet for the best compromised AFR.  With FI you can "map" the fuel to maintain the best AFR over the entire range of RPM. Other mods will include oiling system changes (you need to make sure the turbo will live). Hope this helps.
125233
Yeah, sure those "high performance brakes" will give you an excellent boost in horsepower. Wtf? Add a few stickers, and a really large exhaust pipe, and you'll be drag racing before you know it!\n\nAttempt to reduce the weight of the car, and add performance add-on's to the engine and the exhaust system, so the exhaust can flow faster and more efficiently. The "add-ons" will help you produce more power, but weight is an issue.
76545
No, one is not better than the other. It is all a matter of preference. I myself prefer Superchargers (1. Sound better  2. More 'American')\n\nThe difference is that superchargers are driven by the engine itself. Turbochargers are driven by exhaust. Turbochargers are a tad more efficient, but take longer to 'spool' (build up boost) than a supercharger. In other words: With a turbocharger, if you punch it, the boost will be higher only at higher RPMs (turbo-lag). Superchargers on the other hand give you full boost right away and through the whole RPM range. Turbochargers will give you a slightly faster feel, though it is not by any means.\nThe sound a Turbocharger makes is more of a whistle or hiss. Most superchargers have a moan or a scream. They are much more noticeable/loud (when floored) than turbochargers.\nSuperchargers are in general a little bit more expensive, but to most people, it is worth it. I personally would take a supercharger over a turbocharger any day.
674083
Unfortunately that used to be true. And was much of the reason for the foreign cars making such inroads to sales here in the states.\nManufacturing quality has improved a lot since then, but American made cars are still subject to the costs cutters knife. If one product they use is a tenth of a cent cheaper, they use it.\nThey aso sell rather than repair, defective vehicles.\nThey used to return them to the assembly line for refit, or repair..........
993540
Just for fun did you look at turbo lister on eBay!? That might be all you need.....Just a thought.
1036957
I'd have to agree the consumer killed it.  \n\nI personally don't think there's anything wrong with taking energy from a coal power plant to run an electric car.   But I think you're dreaming if you think solar, wind, geothermal, alone could provide enough power to power a significant number of cars.  just imagine if you set up a few solar panels in your house to charge your electric car- in 1 day, you'd have enough juice to drive down the block before you had to push your car back home.\n\nBesides, the electric car is now available.  you can buy a kit to modify your prius so that you can plug it in at night.  So now we have the best of both worlds- we have an electric plug in car taht can use gas in a pinch.\n\nBelieve me when I say there's no conspiracy theory going on now.  Simply put- NOBODY (or at least no more than a handful of people) is buying the current electric car (modified prius).   why? because people don't care enough to pay the premium.  The consumer is willing to pay extra money for the prestige of buying a Hummer or Escalade- but they are not willing to pay the extra money to buy a plug in hybrid.  So like 20 years ago, once again the consumer has spoken- and they are saying we are not willing to pay for electric cars.
926519
had a red button on my first car. It was a Golf and the red button wasn't wired to anything. It was a cool square big red button that I was told not to touch when I first got the car. No one knew what its purpose ever was, but when I drove I'd pretend I was hitting turbo whenever I hit the button!
466429
A lot of "rice" cars use them, but it can be a way to improve your headlights to make them brighter, but really not needed.\n\nA good set of headlight bulbs shoudl be bright enough, especially if you upgrade to the sylvania silverstar/atravision bulbs
1172278
It's commonly used in industrial cleaning as well as cleaning old car batteries ;) here's a link, and as always buyer beware. Talk to em on the phone before, and make sure you pay the extra 2 dollars on paypal for the fraud insurance.
828221
One "Bar" of boost is equal to one atmosphere of pressure at sea level (or 14.7 pounds). Boost was used of course because as piston engines gain altitude (less dense air) they loose horsepower. Originally with aircraft the idea was to just maintain the horsepower that the engine had at sea level. It was quickly learned however that an engines output could be greatly increased with both turbo charger and super charger technology.\nBoost technology can best be defined by the development over several years of just one car, the Porsche 917. First built in 1969 the normally aspirated 12 cylinder engine was about 650 HP, in 1972 the turbocharged 917-10k had 850 HP, and in 1973 the intercooled turbocharged 917-30 would produce 1,500 HP with qualifying trim boost, or nearly double what it was without boost.
244703
If want you really want is more power out of your car, a bigger top speed and some extra revolutions per minute. I would recommend to buy a sports chips. There is no mechanical way to by pass the rev limiter and if you could get out more revs out of the car, without modify the amount of gasoline getting in the engine you would not get any kind of benefit.