What’s the Difference Between a Turbo and a Normal Engine?

When you’re shopping for a new car, there are a lot of factors you need to consider. This is especially true when it comes to the engine. As well as determining which size engine to opt for, you also have the choice between a standard or turbo engine.

If you’re not sure how the two differ, here you’ll discover some of the main differences between a turbo engine and a normal engine.

What is a turbo engine?

A turbo engine is basically a more powerful engine option. In a normal engine, there’s just one fan, but in a turbo engine there’s two.

The fans are connected together by a rod and secured within housing. One of them is situated within the intake of the engine, while the other is situated within the airflow. This results in excess gases being produced within the exhaust, spinning the fan, which in turn spins the other one. This forces more air into the cylinders, which is what generates additional power.

Turbo engines typically need much thicker wires used to connect them. These are supplied at an affordable cost from suppliers such as RS.  

Advantages of turbo engines

The additional power is the obvious benefit of a turbo engine. Giving you additional horsepower, these engines tend to be faster and more powerful than both normal engines and supercharged engines.

Another benefit is that by turbocharging your car, you also don’t necessarily need to upgrade the engine. This is because they use exhaust gases which would usually be wasted, enabling you to get a lot more power out of a smaller turbo engine than a standard engine.

So, when you consider the additional power without the need to upgrade, you can see why these types of engines are popular. However, before you rush out and buy a turbo engine vehicle, or attempt to add one yourself, it’s important to be aware of the downsides too.

Potential disadvantages to watch out for

There are a couple of potential disadvantages which come from a turbo engine vehicle. The main one is the cost.

It can be pretty expensive upgrading to a turbo engine, and it’s not overly easy to do it yourself. There’s also the fact that it could potentially affect your insurance, and the repairs to fix turbo engines could be more costly than those carried out on a normal engine.

Another factor to consider is the impact on the environment. Although it’s claimed they are fuel efficient, a turbo engine does produce more exhaust gases than a normal engine. So, they’re not as good for the environment.

These are some of the main differences between a normal and a turbo engine. It’s important to consider both the advantages and the disadvantages before deciding whether a turbo engine vehicle is right for you.