Thinking about turbos

Forty years ago, turbochargers were relegated only to exciting and desirable high-performance cars. Since then, the turbo has become a vital tool in reducing fuel consumption and CO2 emissions but not performance. This explains why they have become so popular.

A turbocharger forces air into the engine, meaning that more fuel can be burnt with the increased oxygen levels. This allows carmakers to use smaller engines, instead of a less efficient bigger one. Turbochargers are a major reason why you can buy 1.0-litre engines that have surprisingly high performance, for instance.

A further 'win' for turbochargers is that they are powered by exhaust gas flow, the energy from which would have been wasted, otherwise. Unsurprisingly, on a long summer holiday motorway run, for instance, a turbocharger can glow red hot. As it is cooled and lubricated by the engine oil alone, the first sign of a lubrication problem is a failed turbocharger.

Apart from heeding the advice from our previous blog on engine oil, which details the importance of correct oil level and quality, driving technique also plays a significant role. Without going into too much technical detail, allowing the engine to idle for a while before cutting the ignition, is a good idea. This allows the turbocharger's spinning shaft to slow and cool, before you switch off the engine and cut its oil supply,

Therefore, should you stop at a motorway service station over the holiday period after a long high-speed run, your turbocharger and oil will be extremely hot. Therefore, turbocharger life will increase considerably, if you let the engine tick-over for as long as several minutes, before switching off and alighting

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