Jalopnik: turbocharger

How Does Turbocharging Work?

Wes Siler — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 15:00:00 EST

Touted as a way for small, efficient engines to produce big power, turbochargers are thankfully making a comeback. But how exactly do they work? Popular Mechanics explains with a horribly-colored graphic. [Popular Mechanics]

Vintage VW Bug Gets Turbocharged V8, Probably One Of The Four Horsemen

Andrew Didorosi — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 14:00:00 EST

We're not sure what makes this vintage Volkswagen more terrifying, the turbocharged V8 engine or the unconventional (for a Bug) engine placement. Either way, this car fulfills a few dreams and, likely, a few nightmares.

"Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds," was the phrase uttered by J. Robert Oppenheimer shortly after developing the atomic bomb. We can only hope he builder of this certain-death machine felt a similar emotion the first time he planted the progress pedal and rocketed himself into hot rodding lore.

Details are scarce, but we do know this street weapon is powered by a turbocharged 5.3 liter LSx-based engine. Taking the extra indie step forward, the fuel is managed by the beautifully homebrewed Megasquirt system. Die hard vintage VW fanatics will throw a rod when they notice very little original Bug remains, as it sits on a fully boxed one-off chassis with matching integral cage. Enough with the chatter — we'll let the pictures and video below do the talking.

Hat tip to TenBeers!

[LS1Tech]

FIA Confirms S2000 Spec-Based Future For WRC

Andrew Didorosi — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 14:30:00 EST

Interested in maintaining teams and competition in a bad economy, the FIA will move the World Rally Championship to a Super 2000 Spec car with optional control turbochargers in 2010.

Although the exact details are still beyond murky, we've got word straight from The Man describing a bit of what's in store for the future of rallying on the international stage. The official statement:

As already announced, the 2010 World Rally Car will be S2000 based. However, the removable kit, already adopted by the WMSC, will be redefined with no electronic benefits, or similar upgrades, to ensure cost reductions. The new S2000-based World Rally Car will only be permitted for use on World Rally Championship events.

The FIA Production Car World Rally Championship will be retained for Group N cars, including the existing S2000 car.

Let's back up a bit. Super 2000 cars are currently sporting naturally-aspirated 2.0 Liter or smaller engines with no electronic driver aids. There are a few other rules, but what sets these rockets apart from the rest of the field is one chief difference: affordability. Rally is sometimes leagues above other comparable motorsports in terms of cost. It's in the FIA's interest to keep costs low as possible to attract more manufacturers in an effort at capturing a larger market of viewers.

The year 2010 marks the arrival of the World Rally Championship spec vehicle. The only information available at the moment is word this car will be Super 2000-based, but will feature a removable performance kit featuring a spec'd turbocharger, aero package and a few other small modifications looking to add somewhere around 50 horsepower. The kit is expected to cost somewhere south of 30,000 euro. It's likely the kit will be used to differentiate between green and experienced drivers — slower rally cars are safer and more easily controlled.

This news brings the promise of more rally cars in more races in more countries, providing a rare happy moment during the Carpocalypse. [WRC]

Hat tip to Scroggs!

1980 Toyota Corolla Somewhat Repowered With BMW I6

Ben Wojdyla — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 13:30:00 EST

It's a little known fact that one of us Jalops spent the better part of our youth traipsing around the country in the back of a 1980 Toyota Corolla without so much as a radio installed. That first parental Corolla turned out to be a gateway Toyota and was followed by an unbroken chain of Corollas extending to this very day. This is why there is an A4 in the driveway and a Continental in the garage. Things would have been different had the Corolla of our youth been powered by a turbocharged BMW inline six sporting 400 bhp and 370+ lb.ft. of torque. Ah yes, smoky power drifts though the state of Nebraska would have made cross country trips far more palatable.

SEMA 2007: APS Twin-Turbos The C6 ZO6 LS7 Engine

Ray Wert — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 11:00:00 EST

The folks over at Air Power Systems decided the 505 horses of stock output from the Z06's LS7 engine just wasn't enough for them. So the turbo-lovin' young punks took the stock engine and developed themselves a twin turbocharger kit, which they claim brings the engine's output up to an amazing 1100 rear-wheel HP. Nice — who needs to wait for the Detroit Auto Show and the reveal of the new supercharged 2009 Corvette ZR1 when you can build yourself an APS-engineered turbocharged Corvette Z06? Well, you won't get the neat-o see-through plastic hood.

[APS Engineering]

Dad's Turbo Dodge Caravan

Mike Bumbeck — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 15:00:00 EDT

From the 800-dollar turbocharged minivan department comes this 1989 Dodge Caravan SE with genuine simulated woodgrain trim. Along with doing toasty burnouts, the minivan has run the quarter mile in 12.65 seconds at Route 66 Dragway thanks to a set of slicks and 24 pounds of boost pushing through the stock 140K plus miles mill. The initial 800-dollar purchase price has been long-forgotten after all the modifications required to get the Iacocca Special into the 12-second zone. This guy figures if a 14-second minivan can beat most cars on the road, then a 12-second minivan can beat them all! [Dad's Turbo Minivan Bonanza]

Doug Levin Motorsports TT Murcielago Roadster

Mike Spinelli — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 12:30:30 EDT

The TT means twin turbo. Right — dual turbines atop the Lamborghini Murciélago's already potent quad-cam V12. It's the handiwork of Doug Levin Motorsports, best known as a fitter of superchargers for the Dodge Viper. One poster on Lamborghini Talk says the tuner Lambo has the mannerisms and driveability of a regular Murciélago, and then boost kicks in:

Lag is basically non existent. The Murci is a quick revving car as it is. The car makes 800hp at the motor. It feels like more than that if you can imagine it. I have been in a Murcie Roadster under hard acceleration, and this feels 2 times as fast under boost. The car will spin all 4 wheels all through 1st, and I would imagine part of second gear. The blowoff valve noise under hard accelleration is louder than any Supra I have heard. Especially in a open topped Roadster. I have to imagine that when he was on it, it must have been an almost scary situation to be next to the car.

Check, please. [via Lamborghini Talk]

Banks Sets the Record Straight

Mike Bumbeck — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 17:00:00 EDT

As the last chunks of salt are chipped off the race cars there is a post speed week battle forming. The SPAL Ford Powerstroke Rocket Ranger team is claiming the title of World's Fastest Diesel Pickup Truck. Gale Banks says this simply isn't true, stating that the Banks Engineering Cummins-powered Dodge Dakota Sidewinder still holds the official FIA World Record - set in 2002.

They have the national record, finally, at 215.091 but, the SCTA-BNI International and FIA (the acknowledged World record sanctioning body for motorsports, the Federation International d'Automobile) World's record are still held by our 'Banks Sidewinder Dakota' at 217.301. And know this, setting a World's record is more than one-way speed. To claim such a record, you must make runs in two directions over the surveyed mile within 60 minutes and do so under close FIA supervision and scrutiny.

Banks adds that the same record setting Dodge Dakota is not a trailer queen, having towed a loaded trailer and averaged over 23 miles per gallon on the 2005 Hot Rod Magazine Power Tour. Talk of broken records and bragging rights has Banks thinking it may be time to revisit the long black line for more record runs.

The Spal guys have made it interesting, sounds like I might need to dust off the Sidewinder and get salty. The bragging rights over 'fastest' might sometimes be a blur at 200+ miles per hour, but the truth is not. That's why FIA World Records are so important, and that's why they're so important to keep straight.

The velocity battle, has evidently begun. [Banks Sidewinder via Bankspower.com]

Free Disneyland Trip with Supercharger Install

Mike Bumbeck — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 19:00:00 EDT

Nissan owners will be happy to know the Stillen company of Costa Mesa, California is offering a free trip to Disneyland with the purchase and installation of a supercharger system. The trip includes two days at the park and two nights at the hotel while the Stillen crew wrenches a gas huffer onto your VQ. Free vehicle pickup and post-vacation delivery of your newly supercharged ride is included. C'mon kids, we're going to light up the tires at Space Mountain! [Supercharged Disneyland from Stillen]

Yeah Dude, It's A Twin Turbo Lamborghini Jalpa

Jonny Lieberman — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 13:45:00 EDT

You want to talk ultimate sleeper? Some brilliant hoon decided the limp 255 hp produced by the transverse-mounted, 3.5-liter V8 in his Lamborghini Jalpa just wasn't good enough. (And he ain't buying no stinking Gallardo, neither.) That left him with only two options, both of which happened to be turbochargers lifted from a Mitsubishi 3000GT. Final output? He doesn't say, but if you check out the owner's project site, he claims he stayed in front of a Murciélago on the track. [Laust's Jalpa Project]

Heavily Tweaked Lada

Davey G. Johnson — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 17:00:00 EDT

English Russia once again comes through with evidence of capitalism's impact on the former Soviet Union. East, meet west. West, meet East. Now add turbochargers and scissor doors. The yikes factor is strong with this one; it's even got a head-up display! We have to admit, we're not entirely sure about the styling but well, it does kinda grab you by the face and yank. Yes comrades, we'll give it that. [English Russia]

Luxurious Starion Burgundy

Mike Bumbeck — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 18:15:00 EDT

What the Mitsubishi Starion ever had to do with Gallo-Romans or Pinot Noir grapes we don't really know. What we do know is that the burgundy interior is low on the list of desired Starion features among those lusting after the turbo speciality sports coupe. This guy found good use for a velour burgundy interior nonetheless.

Best Use of a Burgundy Interior [kdmperformance.com]

Related:
Feel the Turbo Activated to Serve You Forever [Internal]

LeBaron Turbo: Luxury and Performance

Mike Bumbeck — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 14:00:00 EDT

From the faded luxury sleeper department comes this Chrysler Lebaron turbo. Grandma picked up the turbo K-car off the showroom floor and passed it on to this guy, who installed a manual boost controller along with an exhaust and brought it out to the track. Running 20 pounds of boost the turbo K clicked off the quarter mile clocks in the mid-thirteen second zone. After being stamped into dozens of somewhat different variants that stretched across numerous brands, it was the K-car that saved Chrysler last time around. At the nexus of this cross-engineered platform jamboree was the Chryslerati, which saved neither Chrysler nor Maserati from anything but opera windows. – Mike Bumbeck

Millions of Turbos Can't Be Wrong

Mike Bumbeck — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 16:45:00 EDT

SEMA reports via BorgWarner statistics that the number of direct-injected turbocharged gasoline engines is expected to keep growing, up to over two million engines by 2011. The good lot of this growth will occur in Europe, while China, Japan, and North America will also experience an increasing number of underhood hair dryers. New variable vane or variable turbine geometry (VTG) technology developed by BorgWarner and Porsche for the 911 Turbo will come down in cost and become available on more mundane machines. VTG does away with the need for a wastegate by changing the geometry of the hot side turbine vanes on-the-fly. A single turbo can boost efficiently at both low and high engine rpm. Two turbos in one! This amounts to smaller engines thinking they're much bigger, and increased fuel efficiency with no performance compromise. VTG turbochargers are nothing new to the lower exhaust gas temperature world of oil burners. Superior technology now has VTG turbochargers cooking with gas. – Mike Bumbeck

TURBOCHARGED GAS ENGINES TO REACH 2 MILLION [SEMA.org]

Seven Second Starlets

Mike Bumbeck — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 15:30:00 EDT

From the giant turbo bolted to a rotary engine and stuffed into a small rear-wheel drive car department comes this video of two heavily modified Toyota Starlets tossing it up out on the drag strip. The red Starlet in this video is also known as La Atrevida. Under its hood is a 1995 Mazda 13B rotary that packs just 1.3 liters of displacement, yet kicks out almost 750 horsepower thanks to near 40 pounds of boost. The proof? On the timeslip, and in this video. Behold the sight and sound of angry rotary Starlets and the people that love them. – Mike Bumbeck

Thar She Blows! Twin-Turbo Moby Dick Porsche 935

Mike Bumbeck — Fri, 02 Mar 2007 15:30:00 EST

With 750+ horsepower cracking from a flat-six thanks to creative use of turbocharging and Bosch mechanical injection, the Porsche 935 represents the apex of crazed eighties IMSA Group 5 twin-turbo gas huffing mayhem. The Porsche brain trust produced many variants of the 935 six-banger in answer to the ever changing race series rules regarding use of hair dryers. Some of these engines overtook the output of the twelve-cylinder 917 engine with more than 800 horsepower. This particular 935 is going up on the block at the Amelia Island RM Auction March 10, and is expected to fetch the princely sum 950 thousand clams or so. Our morning trip to Coinstar netted $7.53, an arcade token, and a stripped bolt, so we're unfortunately out of the running. – Mike Bumbeck

1981 Porsche 935 IMSA Group 5 Race Car [RMauctions.com]

Leaning Tower Of Power Gets Blown For $400

Murilee Martin — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 16:53:55 EST

The Mopar Slant Six is one of the undisputed marvels of the engineering world; when the Sun goes supernova and the entire planet has been reduced to ionized hydrogen, a '67 Valiant will still be chugging along in the debris field (I once saw a Slant Six that had been completely filled with water- due to the owner's confusion about which cap to remove in order to add coolant- and had driven that way for weeks; the unpleasant noises and brown foam spewing out the tailpipe were apparently not regarded as meaningful). So it goes without saying that you can turbocharge the living hell out of one with no ill effects. Here's a nice article by a guy who put together a blown Dart for $400 with all-junkyard parts and a fair helping of ingenuity; sure, he's only running low 16s now, but that's probably about four seconds better than stock. – Murilee Martin

$400 Slant Six Turbo Setup [Slantsix.org]

Related:
If Slant 6 Were 9: A Mopar-Powered Bug Rod [internal]

Hoon of the Day: Hungary for Turbochargers

Mike Spinelli — Fri, 18 Nov 2005 11:02:29 EST

Today's Hoon (actually, a quintuple helping of hoonage) comes all the way from Hungary, where the boys from TotalCar offered up a tuneful homage to the turbocharger, on the occasion of the device's 100th birthday this week. Despite that "turbocharger" in Hungarian looks a lot like "turbofellatio" (which made us wonder for a moment why we haven't already relocated to that country), it's a heartrending tribute we're sure the whole family will love. Hogyan m?k dik right back atcha, fellas.

Hogyan m?k dik a turb felt lt? [TotalCar]

Related:
More Hoons of the Day [internal]

Spy Photos: BMW Testing New Turbocharged Engine

Mike Spinelli — Thu, 13 Oct 2005 08:45:58 EDT

Spies have caught shots of BMW 5-Series mules reportedly set up to test new BMW engines, particularly a long-rumored turbocharged inline six. Earlier this year, reports surfaced that BMW was working up a twin-turbo six that would power a mid-range high-performance model of the 3-Series (to compete with the Lexus I350 and Mercedes C350) and 5-Series models. It would be BMW's first non-F1 gas turbo on the market since the rare 2002 Turbo of the early 1970s. The new engine will reportedly power the 2006 335i, positioned between the 330i and new V8-powered M3. Horsepower will likely be in the 300s. [Update: How could we forget the turbocharged BMW 745i of the early '80s. Thanks Ian.]

BMW Test New Turbo Engine [German Car Fans]

Related:
BMW V10 Named International Engine of the Year [internal]