While we were talking to
Wayne from MTQ, we
discussed turbocharger
upgrades with him as well. He
passed on some cracking info
that dispels a couple of
massive myths about these
vital bits of performance gear.HOW DOES A TURBO
WORK?
“A turbo utilises exhaust gas to
drive a turbine wheel,” Wayne
says. “This in turn drives the
compressor wheel. These
wheels are connected via a
common shaft. The compressor
wheel draws air in, compresses
the air which is then forced into
the engine. Forcing air into an
engine allows for more fuel to
be added, consequently
improving performance,
through increased horsepower
and torque.”FACTORY TURBO
RESTRICTIONS
“The exhaust /turbine housing
in a number of applications can
be the biggest restriction,” says
Wayne. “Along with theexhaust system in some
instances; this is referred as
exhaust backpressure.
Emission requirements
have a lot to do with how the
turbo and engine are matched
to a vehicle, and generally you
will never have an issue with
day to day driving.”IS BIGGER ALWAYS
BETTER?
“Yes and no, this is a very
debatable question,” Wayne
says. “In a nutshell it
depends on what the 4WD is
going to be used for and
where the power or torque is
wanted. In most situations a
modified factory turbo will
see a marked improvement
in torque and power with
minimal turbo lag. Whereas if
you are chasing big horsepower
and torque gains a larger turbo
will generally be required,
along with a modified fuel
injection pump, injectors,
exhaust and intercooler etc.
More turbo lag could be
experienced in this situation.”HIGH-FLOWING
FACTORY TURBOS“In pre VNT turbos, most high
flowing consists of a larger
compressor wheel,” Wayne
explains. “However, on some
vehicles a turbine wheel change
is all that’s needed to increase
performance and
reduce EGTs. With the
later model vehicles
fitted with VNT
turbos a larger
compressor wheel is
fitted, the cartridge
assembly is VSR
balanced and the
compressor housing
machined to suit.
Performance
gains vary
depending on the
tuning, 15% to 18%
increase in torque
can be achieved.
High flowing
turbos is all about
increasedperformance with
minimal lag, where some
people think bigger is better
and consequently induce a lot of
turbo lag making the vehicle
very unresponsive hence losing
the low down torque.”MOST-COMMON
TURBO SWAPS
“With the 1HZ and TD42 NA
engines there are a number of
turbo options for turbos,”
Wayne says. “The Mitsubishi
TD05H, Garrett and Borg
Warner brands are all turbos
which all perform exceptionally
well. With the introduction of
the Garrett GT/ GTX Ball
Bearing and the Borg Warner
EFR range of turbos, a lot of
people are now using these to
replace either the aftermarket
or factory turbos when chasing
that bit more performance.
Obviously when going down this
path, generally fuel injection
pump modifications are
required also.”Still chasing more oomph? It’s time to talk forced induction
Even^ modern^ vehicles^
will benefit^ from^ a^ turbo^
upgrade,^ if^ big^ power^ is^
what^ you’re^ chasing
While most of us drive turbo’d
vehicles, there are still
upgrade gains to be foundW
W
W. 4
W
D
A
CT
IO
N
.C
O
M
.A
U
(^03)
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