turbo engines

["John Barbera" <j_barbera@domain.elided>]

"Does that engine weigh less than the sub 100kg Formula 1 engines that
are now producing something like 850bhp? Possibly not fair to compare
with F1, but then I'm asking about weight, not price."

 

Wow, really unfair comparison.  I'm certainly not an engineer, but I know
that F1 engines are made with expensive, exotic alloys, and components
machined to almost ridiculous tolerances.  What's more, max engine life
is typically a couple of hours, or however long it takes to complete a
single race (even less for qualifying engines). 

It 's also useful to keep in mind that the only reason F1 cars don't use
turbochargers is because the FIA outlawed them.

In my admittedly limited experience, turbocharged engines are ideal for
the real world in that they (as mentioned before) provide a lot of bang
for the buck, and are capable of putting out the horsepower (if not the
torque) of much larger, heavier, less fuel-efficient engines.

As for longevity, common sense tells me that a turbocharged engine is
subjected to greater stresses than a comparable normally-aspirated
engine, and therefore probably won't register as many miles on the
odometer before a rebuild becomes necessary.  Some manufacturers (I'm
thinking of five cylinder Audi engines) reduce compression ratios and add
extra cooling components to compensate for the increased wear, with
significant success (my brother's got a 200 turbo quattro with over
200,000mi on it).

Personally, I think it would be great fun to experiement with the turbo
kits available for the Alfa 2L, and if I had a spare engine for my
Spider, I would certainly give it a shot.  Given that the engine was not
designed with a turbo in mind, however, I would be wary of overboosting ,
etc.

-John Barbera

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