Turbo vs NA

khevolution

khevolution

khevolution

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after a talk with a couple of mates in the pub ( where else would you talk motor based rubbish ) and I was asked why I like my car? now my car isn't anything special compared to some of the metal on here, only a poverty spec Ford focus 1.8tdci but it does everything I want perfectly and its got a great chassis underneath it all


now my mate said that he loved the boost you get when you get into the turbo and I must admit in a childish way it is good fun, but the power does feel rather artificial, whereas my previous NA cars had decent power all the way but for some reason I never found them exciting

so what's your favourite
 
VTEC style is my favouite, NA with a lovely kick high up but with all the razor sharp throttle of an NA.

I do however drive a turbo petrol with lots of lag!
 
Vtec > Turbo > N/A

Never been in a supercharged car so can't comment on them, But the best car thats gave me a huge grin and buzz is a DC2.
 
my own expirience of a NA car wasn't the best and I hadn't thought of v-tec, I know they have a lot of hype, but are they really that good of let's say a turbo of the same engine capacity
 
Do people mean real, technically correct "lag", or are they using the word in the Top Gear sense (trying to boot it in the wrong gear)? Because few turbo cars these days have actual, genuine, lag.


M
 
From the few cars I've driven I prefer a turbo. I'm comparing petrol N/A to diesel turbo here :p

My Brother in law's 2.0 petrol Mondeo felt really weird compared to my 1.8 TDCI Focus. I think I'm just used to having the power in a specific spot, it felt like I could never find the power in the petrol.
 
khevolution said:
are they not the same thing
Click to expand...

No they're not.

From Garrett:

What is Turbo Lag?
Turbo lag is the time delay of boost response after the throttle is opened when operating above the boost threshold engine speed. Turbo lag is determined by many factors, including turbo size relative to engine size, the state of tuning of the engine, the inertia of the turbo's rotating group, turbine efficiency, intake plumbing losses, exhaust backpressure, etc.

What is Boost Threshold?
Boost threshold is the engine speed at which there is sufficient exhaust gas flow to generate positive manifold pressure, or boost.

http://www.turbobygarrett.com/turbobygarrett/tech_center/faqs.html#t3

An example of this would be a slowish gearchange - the exhaust flow would drop off as you let off the accelerator, the turbo would begin to slow down and then when you reapplied the power after you gearchange, you would notice a small hesitation while the turbo spins back up to full speed. In some cars this will be pretty much imperceptible but in other cars may be quite noticeable.
 
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I like an n/a with a fair cc and plenty of torque through the rev range. Am in love with the flat 6 in my car, no matter the rpm or gear there seems to be loads of torque to play with.
 
boost ***, never had an issue with lag on a petrol turbo, even running up to 350hp on a 2.0l 4pot is responsive enough. Turbo diesels on the other hand, oh dear. Lag city with absolutely no guts at all off boost, makes for an irritating drive. Why doesn't anyone make a supercharged diesel?
 
I've not driven anything particularly noteworthy apart from my CTR, but can't imagine driving being quite such fun without a high-revving NA screaming its nuts off at 6K RPM with still more to go.
 
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