What is a turbo?

pjw7454

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My 17 civic says it has 1.5L turbo. Based on my little to no experience with cars I would like to know both what the 1.5L stand for and what a turbo actually does to your car?
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caspar21

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My 17 civic says it has 1.5L turbo. Based on my little to no experience with cars I would like to know both what the 1.5L stand for and what a turbo actually does to your car?
1.5L is the size of the displacement of the motor. 1.5Litre.
turbo is a method the motor uses to harvest exhaust gasses to spin a air pump to pressurize the intake air for more power.
Howzat?
 

hunter44102

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It produces lots of torque and power and more horsepower by adding more parts than a normal engine has. More complex but added benefit
 
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pjw7454

pjw7454

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It produces lots of torque and power and more horsepower by adding more parts than a normal engine has. More complex but added benefit
So it just increases horsepower without increasing the engine size?
 

gtman

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Micah

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Read Maximum Boost by Corky Bell for more detailed information. A turbo is an exhaust gas driven air compressor. Engines will make additional power by combustion or larger amounts of fuel and air. A turbo allows cylinders to burn additional fuel and make additional power. Unlike a larger non turbo engine, the fuel and air requirements of a smaller engine without a turbo compressing air are much lower. This means a turbocharged engine can balance efficiency and power, which is why you find them on most cars now.
 

JN259

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Wow good on you CivicX community, I really expected everyone to just rip the OP since he asked a question most people on here know the answer to but instead everyone posted helpful and well stated replies and even provided further reading material. I am honestly shocked. I started my automotive enthusiast journey on the third gen f body forums and they would straight up mock anyone who asked a “simple question” made it really tough to get in to the scene.
 

andromeda

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Turbo gets more combustible mixture to the engine for increased power, compared to naturally aspirated traditional carburation. It uses an exhaust driven turbine to drive a compressor to compress and get more air per volume to which an appropriate increase in fuel is added. In some applications this is critical, like high altitude aircraft. In cars operating at normal altitudes, it's really not needed, and introduces some potential issues. e.g. turbo, compressor, computer controller and delayed response because it's a feedback system. This all is a big part of why I went with 2L NA .
 


Micah

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Turbo gets more combustible mixture to the engine for increased power, compared to naturally aspirated traditional carburation. It uses an exhaust driven turbine to drive a compressor to compress and get more air per volume to which an appropriate increase in fuel is added. In some applications this is critical, like high altitude aircraft. In cars operating at normal altitudes, it's really not needed, and introduces some potential issues. e.g. turbo, compressor, computer controller and delayed response because it's a feedback system. This all is a big part of why I went with 2L NA .
I thought you just wanted something slower and more reliable
 

Sgtstaadanko

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Turbo gets more combustible mixture to the engine for increased power, compared to naturally aspirated traditional carburation. It uses an exhaust driven turbine to drive a compressor to compress and get more air per volume to which an appropriate increase in fuel is added. In some applications this is critical, like high altitude aircraft. In cars operating at normal altitudes, it's really not needed, and introduces some potential issues. e.g. turbo, compressor, computer controller and delayed response because it's a feedback system. This all is a big part of why I went with 2L NA .
Literally cannot make one post with bragging about how his 2.0 has no turbo lag. Smh. You need to come for a ride in mine, the "turbo lag" is programmed in. Surprised you didn't mention the volume KNOB.
 

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Literally cannot make one post with bragging about how his 2.0 has no turbo lag. Smh. You need to come for a ride in mine, the "turbo lag" is programmed in. Surprised you didn't mention the volume KNOB.
All I did was point out some "potential" issues for my choice.

Sheesh !
 

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I will say this. Engines generally outlast turbos. Maintenance is important though. My mother went through 3 turbos in one of her Volvo's back in the late 90s. Personally I have blown 2 engines and one transmission in past cars but have never needed to rebuild a turbo. Keep a tight eye on the oil level and pay for periodic analysis or use short oil change intervals.

I really enjoy turbocharged engines, they offer a sweet spot between power and efficiency for about 2-3 seasons of the year. Come summertime they are a dog with heatsoak. Back when I had a WRX and Z06 I rarely drove the WRX in the Summer because of it. Ah Glory days of the single life..... now I am a family man.
 


 


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