Question about turbocharging?

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duragezic

Lifer
Oct 11, 1999
11,234
4
81
How come nearly all cars that are turbocharged are 4 cylinder? I know they aren't supercharged cause it takes more hp as it is to run that, so it's usually done on v8's or sometimes large 6's (well the only one I can think off of the top of my head is the GTP).

Although sometimes cars like Porsches are twin turbo 6 cylinders... but well it's a Porsche (although I dislike their styling for the most part). :)

Why aren't some cars with 6 cylinders not turbo'ed? Something like the Sentra Spec V, Tiburon, or something similar...

This question kind of arose because my friend said his dad got a new Mercedes and it was turbocharged. I know he doesn't know much about cars, neither do I, but I didn't think MB had any turbos, cause they're almost always 4cyl, and I didn't think MB had any 4cyl cars.
 
olds

olds

Elite Member
Mar 3, 2000
50,102
772
126
How come nearly all cars that are turbocharged are 4 cylinder?
"cause they need the help?
BTW, your FOS on Porsche.
 
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DaiShan

Diamond Member
Jul 5, 2001
9,617
1
0
The Supra was a v6 with a turbo, there is a supercharger for the s2000 (makes 320 hp) You can't tell based on the engine if it will use a super or a turbo charger, for the most part they are aftermarket products (except volvo and saab, oh yeah porsche too but they don't count, they are fast)
 
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Soybomb

Diamond Member
Jun 30, 2000
9,506
2
81
Why run a huge engine all the time. Run a 4 cylinder and enjoy lighter weight, less parts to break, and better gas mileage. Slap a turbo on there for some free power and very spirited acceleration. It makes a great, pretty economical daily driver.
 
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SuperSix

Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
9,872
2
0
Originally posted by: oldsmoboat
How come nearly all cars that are turbocharged are 4 cylinder?
"cause they need the help?
BTW, your FOS on Porsche.
Click to expand...

Wrong, Most Porsche turbo cars are twins...

Why not 8 cylinders? Mostly lack of space under the hood, and they don't normally need the HP boost to sell cars. Car makers haven't completely embraced turbo chargers, as they add a level of complexity and strain to the engine's components, that if aren't designed for, can lead to lower reliability. As the public's thirst for more HP gets bigger evey years, you will continue to see more and more turbocharged and supercharged cars available.
 
D

duragezic

Lifer
Oct 11, 1999
11,234
4
81
Wow, I'm FOS because of my opinion about the way a car looks. LOL! And notice I put for the most part, because that is one that I do like the way it looks.
 
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StattlichPassat

Banned
Jan 9, 2002
5,232
0
0
Not true- the current Audi S4 (well, 2002) is a bi-turbo V6. The Audi RS6 is a bi-turbo V8. The Bugatti Veyron is a quad-turbo V16 :)Q), and there are several others (not bad for three Volkswagens, eh? ;) ), including the Supra twin-turbo (bi-turbo/twin-turbo, same thing), and Porsche 911 Turbo, both which have straight-six engines.

The four-cylinder turbo engines are just very economical and fast, so they're pretty popular these days from 'across the pond'.
 
olds

olds

Elite Member
Mar 3, 2000
50,102
772
126
Originally posted by: eagle
Wow, I'm FOS because of my opinion about the way a car looks. LOL! And notice I put for the most part, because that is one that I do like the way it looks.
Click to expand...
Alright, since you said "for the most part", I retract my statement. My apologies. :)

 
Bignate603

Bignate603

Lifer
Sep 5, 2000
13,897
1
0
Originally posted by: NightFlyerGTI
Not true- the current Audi S4 (well, 2002) is a bi-turbo V6. The Audi RS6 is a bi-turbo V8. The Bugatti Veyron is a quad-turbo V16 :)Q), and there are several others (not bad for three Volkswagens, eh? ;) ), including the Supra twin-turbo (bi-turbo/twin-turbo, same thing), and Porsche 911 Turbo, both which have straight-six engines.

The four-cylinder turbo engines are just very economical and fast, so they're pretty popular these days from 'across the pond'.
Click to expand...


Actually, that Bugatti is a W16 and is targeted to put out over 1001hp stock. It's going to have AWD and it's going to need it to control that beastly engine. Anyways, turbos are more common on foriegn cars which tend to have smaller engines. The reason can be traced to a couple things, American's love of big and powerful and our relitively cheap gas prices as compared to the rest of the world. If the cars you were selling were all 4's and 6's and you wanted a sporty model you throw in a turbo. If you didn't care about gas mileage (like us americans do as a population) you throw in a big V8. The turbo solution has more finesse while the american "no replacement for displacement" solution has brute force.
 
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toph99

Diamond Member
Aug 25, 2000
5,505
0
0
there have been turbocharged 6 cylinders, the(arguably) fastest domestic car of the 80's were Buick Grand Nationals with a single turbo 3.8L V6. 4 bangers are usually turbocharged because they have the room in the engine compartment to do so. V6's are pretty much shoehorned into engine compartments,leaving no room for the turbocharger and the plumbing needed to run it.
 
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Soybomb

Diamond Member
Jun 30, 2000
9,506
2
81
there have been turbocharged 6 cylinders, the(arguably) fastest domestic car of the 80's were Buick Grand Nationals.
Click to expand...

Its almost like that arguably was added in place with something in particular in mind :D ;)

 
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Skawttey

Senior member
Mar 1, 2002
244
0
0
About the Mercedes being turbocharged, it is actually a supercharger unless it is a diesel. Any time you see the word Kompressor on a mercedes it means it is supercharged. The 4 cyl in the C class is supercharged as are the V6's in the newer AMG cars.
 
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yakko

Lifer
Apr 18, 2000
25,455
2
0
Originally posted by: NightFlyerGTI
and Porsche 911 Turbo, both which have straight-six engines.
Click to expand...

You mean they stopped using the boxer motor that they have been using for over 60 years? :Q


No one seems to have mentioned the infamous Audi 5000/4000/100/200/90/80 with the turbo charged 5 cylinder motors. Also the Audi RS4 is a twin turbo V6. The Mazda Rx7 had a turbo charged rotary motor in it. I will not even mention how many turbo diesels are out there that are not 4 cylinder motors.
 
NutBucket

NutBucket

Lifer
Aug 30, 2000
27,119
613
126
Originally posted by: Soybomb
there have been turbocharged 6 cylinders, the(arguably) fastest domestic car of the 80's were Buick Grand Nationals.
Click to expand...

Its almost like that arguably was added in place with something in particular in mind :D ;)
Click to expand...

And its even more potent brethern, the GNX.:D
 
Red Dawn

Red Dawn

Elite Member
Jun 4, 2001
57,529
3
0
Although sometimes cars like Porsches are twin turbo 6 cylinders... but well it's a Porsche (although I dislike their styling for the most part).

Why aren't some cars with 6 cylinders not turbo'ed? Something like the Sentra Spec V, Tiburon, or something similar...
Click to expand...
You prefer the style of a Sentra over a Porche??
rolleye.gif
 
J

JamesM3M5

Senior member
Jul 2, 2002
218
0
0
Originally posted by: NightFlyerGTI
.... including the Supra twin-turbo (bi-turbo/twin-turbo, same thing), and Porsche 911 Turbo, both which have straight-six engines....
Click to expand...
Right about the Supra, but the Porsche is (and has always been) a horizontally-opposed 6 cylinder. That's a "V" with a 180 degree spread.

Turbos are very efficient. They do not use crankshaft torque to turn them, they use wasted heat in the exhaust. They do add complexity, extra strain, extra cost, and tons of heat under the hood. You have two ways to make torque: Displacement or forced induction. Take your pick. Or do both like the monster twin-turbo Z06. :Q Power is simply a function of torque and RPMs.
 
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CocaCola5

Golden Member
Jan 5, 2001
1,599
0
0
Its economics, the market for turbo cars(usually younger buyers) are at the lower end(relatively) of the price range, this leaves little room to go for a 6 or 8-cyl turbocharged setup and still maintain the low price. Also, a turbo 6 or 8 would make alot more power and would cost much more to retrofit the car itself accordingly to handle the power. The power output needed for this segment also are under 250 hp or so, a turbo four would just begin to hit its "sweet spot", with a 6 or 8 turboed its a waste and get worst MPGs at the same time.
 
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Cerebus451

Golden Member
Nov 30, 2000
1,425
0
76
Just to throw another non-4 banger turbo, Volvo has 2 turbo variants on their 5 cylinder engines (both a low pressure and a high pressure variant). I've test driven the HT 5 from Volvo as well as the 2.7T from Audi. Both very nice powerplants.

Another reason why you do not see as many turbos on bigger engines is turbo lag. You see more bi-turbos to try and reduce the lag, but it is still present. Most people want to be shoved to the back of their seat the instant they step on the gas pedal. They don't want a miniscule pause for the turbo to kick in.
 
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