turbo and superchargers - BMW Forum

ehlpitel · 10-13-2003, 11:00 PM

i got a question about superchargers and turbos, what do they work off of, is it just some device hooked up to the air-intake, cause if thats the way it is, i don't think one of those should cost so much, all it is is a crazy vacum on reverse, a particularly small one at that, and how much does turbo or s/c cost 1k+? craziness... maybe im just totally retarded, but to me, thats what seems to give good performance gains, a lot associated with air intake, various openings- if im wrong correct me, just trying to establish a good base for knowledge, if you were real handy, could you just hook ur motor up to something that sucks air to ur intake, through the special filter, and into ur engine, would that do anything, is that the definition of forced induction? i know this sounds scrrabled but i need to know what everyone's view is on this

L337E46 · 10-13-2003, 11:27 PM

http://www.bmw-forums.com/forum/index.php?...p?showtopic=587

ehlpitel · 10-14-2003, 12:00 AM

that doesnt really expain what they are

lwebb12 · 10-14-2003, 06:03 AM

turbochargers and superchargers are air pumps in all simplicity. superchargers use belts to spin the compressor while turbochargers use exhaust air. they force more air into the intake manifold. for instance the Top FUel dragsters use a supercharger and get 6000+hp from 500 c.i. of displacement. they are not just crazy vacuums put into reverse but high flow compressors designed to shove insane amounts of air into the intake manifold. more air+more fuel= more explosive chemical reaction

ehlpitel · 10-14-2003, 07:05 AM

lwebb12 -
so what do they put the air into, is it a totally aftermarket part or is it just the air intake with some device capable of forcibly inducing and compressing unnatural amounts of air? explain this to me, i need to know, so that i can be familiar w/the principles/logistics of s/c & turbos, btw, what coast are u from webb?

daniel318is · 10-14-2003, 07:48 AM

yer when i frst read about them i couldnt figure them out, but yer in a way force feeding the engine with air

lwebb12 · 10-14-2003, 08:08 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by ehlpitel@Oct 14 2003, 08:45 AM
lwebb12 -
so what do they put the air into, is it a totally aftermarket part or is it just the air intake with some device capable of forcibly inducing and compressing unnatural amounts of air? explain this to me, i need to know, so that i can be familiar w/the principles/logistics of s/c & turbos, btw, what coast are u from webb?

ok the air intake is first. this is where the air is drawn into. then the turbo or supercharger. this compresses the air. it then goes into the intake manifold. from there the air is routed through the individual passageways into the cylinders via intake valves. the turbo is after the air intake. all these parts can be stock or aftermarket. the intake filter area is not what makes the large gains. the turbo and supercharger make the large gains and that is why they are pricey. i am on east coast now. moving to west coast in february

lwebb12 · 10-14-2003, 08:15 AM

pic of turbocharger

lwebb12 · 10-14-2003, 08:17 AM

plumbing work for turbo setup. i omitted the intercooler in explanation because it isnt necessary though it does add HP

lwebb12 · 10-14-2003, 08:17 AM

this is exploded view of turbo

ehlpitel · 10-14-2003, 01:53 PM

so the turbo takes the filter and compresses it, it seems like the compression of the air is what gives performance gains, am i wrong? after that it goes into parts of the car that are stock should they also be replaced?, then after the compression it puts it through the intercooler which makes the air presumably colder, ie better, which is where i guess the hp comes from as well, then after the intercooler it heads into the cylinder and whatnot, but from looking at the 2nd pic, the turbo takes in the cylinder's used air? thats fuckin crazyass shit

MrM3 · 10-14-2003, 02:23 PM

i highly suggest getting the book Maximum Boost by Corky Bell to learn everything you wanna know about turbochargers

lwebb12 · 10-14-2003, 05:13 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by ehlpitel@Oct 14 2003, 03:33 PM
so the turbo takes the filter and compresses it, it seems like the compression of the air is what gives performance gains, am i wrong? after that it goes into parts of the car that are stock should they also be replaced?, then after the compression it puts it through the intercooler which makes the air presumably colder, ie better, which is where i guess the hp comes from as well, then after the intercooler it heads into the cylinder and whatnot, but from looking at the 2nd pic, the turbo takes in the cylinder's used air? thats fuckin crazyass shit

the cylinders used air as you say is what drives the turbo. but the rest is correct it compresses the filtered air. then send to intercooler if you have one. you are correct about intercooler. what you would need that isnt stock will be exhaust manifold so you can add turbo. plumbing for the turbo and needed accessories.

alanh · 10-14-2003, 06:24 PM

no the bigger explosion gives you more power, more air allows more fuel to burn which gives you more power... which is the same reason the intercooler helps it cool the air which makes the molecules stick closer together, which lets you take in more air...more air=more oxygen=more fuel able to be burnt=more power. the "cylinders used air" is called exhuast it has no oxygen sense this is being shot out of the cylinder at a high velocity it can thus be used to spin a fan which is connected to the oppistite part of a turbo that crams more air into the cylinder, but the exhuast is not reused...

ehlpitel · 10-14-2003, 08:53 PM

that seems to make sense- so the air flows through the waste gate, which in turn helps power the turbine, so if u were to have a high waste gate setting(if its adjustable) then youd be able to access more power to the turbo, easier?