Wednesday 30 September 2009

...on turbochargers and life

A while back I wrote a rambling entry about the turbocharger. So, what is so interesting about something which increases the density of air entering into a combustion engine? The answer is, of course, that driving can be incredibly fun. And a true connoisseur of life looks at moving from a to b as a potential pleasure.

So, a turbocharger has a turbine driven by the car's exhaust, which in turn powers a compressor that actually increases the air density, resulting a more efficient combustion. Vroom. However, traditionally turbochargers suffer from a lag - before the engine has enough revs, the turbine will not get enough pressure to be effective. I lately tested a dual-turbo engine in the road, which is designed provide instant throttle response on all revs. It is basically a smaller and a larger turbocharger in conjunction, partially overlapping and together covering the whole rev range.

A 1.9 liter (relatively small thus) TT diesel engine with 180 horsepower and a 400nm pulling power (TTID) gives a nice feeling on the road. Overtaking is a joy, and the pleasure of relaxed, calm but very fast driving style is yours. A nice example of Swedish engineering product that shows foreign competition what a Swedish utility-minded vehicle is made of. Good show.

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