Turbocharged cars provide a better performance and gas mileage than other vehicles, giving smaller engines the ability to create as much power as a larger engine. If you’re looking for modifications to improve your vehicle’s performance or want to improve your existing turbo, your turbo will need a few things to perform to its fullest potential.
These tips for getting the most out of your turbocharger involve driving, routine maintenance, and further modification of your car.
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Tuning Is Crucial
Tuning a car is modifying or calibrating its existing components to increase your engine’s output, resulting in more speed and better handling. Tuning is great for any vehicle but can really enhance performance for turbo engines. Why? Since turbos rely on air to boost power, tuning allows you to increase the amount of air it’s injecting, adding tons of horsepower.
Stick to Maintenance
With any car, it’s smart to stick to regular car maintenance, like oil changes or tire rotation, but there’s also some maintenance specific to turbos. Turbos need to warm up before you use them in colder weather and need some time to cool down afterward. Turbo engines use certain motor oils, such as heat-resistant synthetic oils, that naturally aspirated engines don’t use. Most importantly, without the right oil, you can clog your lines and create oil starvation, a common turbocharger problem for some cars.
Don’t Do Too Much
The main reason anyone wants to improve their turbocharger is to make their car faster. Upgrading the intercooler or remapping the ECU can improve the output, but be careful. Adding too many modifications can push turbos past their limits. Of all the tips for getting the most out of your turbocharger, one of the most important is to avoid blowing it out with too many mods.
Drive Carefully
This advice might seem counterintuitive since a turbo is meant to make your car more powerful. But in the same way that overloading your turbo with modifications can exhaust it, so can driving erratically. Constantly flooring the gas pedal or taking tight turns too fast will prematurely age your engine and turbo.
If you want to improve the performance of your turbo, take simple steps to do so. Drive carefully, stick to maintenance, and make a few modifications to get the most out of your turbocharger.