Automotive professionals and ordinary car enthusiasts know that an engine with a large displacement produces b O higher power compared to subcompact engines. An engine with a small cubic capacity cannot give a car a large increase in power due to its weakness :).

We have been thinking for a long time about what to do so that a small-capacity engine would give more power. And so, at the dawn of the development of auto-tuning, the inventors came up with the installation of an additional unit in the engine - a compressor.

Now it is possible to blow more air into the combustion chamber of a small-capacity engine, which in turn leads to the enrichment of the fuel mixture with oxygen and, as a consequence, to an increase in engine power. Almost simultaneously with the compressor, they began to use a turbine, all with the same purpose - to blow more oxygen into the combustion chamber and enrich the fuel mixture.

That is, the purpose of using a turbine and a compressor is the same.

Looking ahead, we will immediately make a reservation that both the turbine and the compressor have subsequently proven themselves very well. The most widespread is still the turbine, since it has a higher efficiency (efficiency) and allows you to save fuel, but compressors are also used on modern cars.

The turbine on diesel engines is especially efficient, therefore almost all modern diesel engines have the "turbo" prefix.

What is the main difference between a turbine and a compressor?

The main difference between a turbine and a compressor is that these devices use different drive sources. The compressor operates from the engine shaft and is a separate, independent mechanical unit, while the turbine is driven by the energy of the exhaust gases and is rigidly tied to the engine.

The turbine is very effective for enriching the fuel mixture with oxygen, but it has a significant inconvenience - it is a stationary device that requires tight attachment to the engine (oil supply under pressure). A turbine is a complex and expensive device.

The compressor is much easier to operate, requires minimal maintenance effort - it is an independent unit and that says it all.

Turbocharging is very tempting, but do not forget that any turbines are expensive because of their technological characteristics: the device is made in such a way that it requires additional mechanisms, for example, an exhaust manifold. In tuning, it can only be done by a high-level specialist who is able to fine-tune the work to ensure the optimal composition of the fuel mixture.

The compressor is convenient in that its adjustment is within the power of any person who is more or less versed in carburetors. It is quite easy to adjust by means of fuel jets.

For comparison, one more point: a turbine, together with its installation in the engine, will cost you at least 500 conventional units, while a compressor costs only 150 conventional units. The increase in power from such tuning is in the region of 20-30% of the initial engine power.

There is another very significant difference in the operation of these devices, which can also influence the choice of what to install on a car, a turbine or a compressor ...

This difference is in which engine speed range the device operates. And here it is obvious that in this component the compressor will outperform the turbine, since the compressor can perform its function even at low engine speeds.

The turbine, on the other hand, requires a high pressure of exhaust gases, which are formed only after the engine reaches a certain speed. Turbines used to start at only 4000 rpm, but modern turbines are much more efficient and can run efficiently at lower rpm.

What does this difference in compressor and turbine performance mean? A car with a compressor will accelerate significantly more efficiently from the very start. A car with a turbine does not start to accelerate very quickly (the effect of a turbo lag is observed), but when certain revolutions are reached, a sharp pickup and acceleration follows.

What conclusions can be drawn from all this? If you are a big fan of speed - and probably the majority of such car owners - feel free to install a compressor in the engine of your car if you have a gasoline engine. If you have a diesel, it is probably better to use a turbine.

Among many tuners, the debate continues, which is better than a turbine or a compressor? After all, each of the options has its own advantages and disadvantages. There are still some people who are going to buy a new car, but cannot make a choice, a car with a compressor or a turbocharger. After all, the market for both new and used cars offers a large number of both options, with approximately the same power.

What is better turbine or compressor? To give a full answer to this question, you need to understand how each of the pressurization elements works and what is expected to get from the installation on a naturally-aspirated engine.

Where is the intake pressurization system used?

The use of turbines and compressors is very widespread in the automotive industry, they are used both in civilian cars and in special equipment. With the help of supercharging, you can significantly increase power, even on an engine with a small volume, which is what automotive designers use. For example, with a 1.2-liter passenger car engine with a turbine, you can get about 100-120 hp, without sacrificing the resource. While from the engine of the same volume, but atmospheric, it will be possible to remove about 60-80 hp.

In Europe, turbo and compressor engines are very widespread and growing rapidly. This is done because there is a volume tax, and the higher it is, the more the duty must be paid annually. So the Europeans are getting out of the situation in this way, making subcompact motors with impressive power.

So it turns out that the intake pressurization system is an excellent way to increase power without increasing the volume of the combustion chamber. Because of this, turbines and compressors have firmly entered the tuning environment.

Now on sale you can find many ready-made turbo kit and compressor kit kits, ready to be installed on a standard naturally aspirated engine. In general, any serious tuning, where the goal is to get the largest number of horses, is not complete without superchargers.

How the compressor works

A compressor is a type of mechanical supercharger, the task of which is to create excess pressure in the intake system of a car. The compressor is easily visible under the hood, it looks like an electric motor, only more, it is rigidly attached to the motor. The compressor is driven by a belt that rotates the crankshaft. The compressor is connected to the receiver through iron pipes and silicone adapters. The crankshaft rotates the compressor, in which the impeller, spinning up, creates excess pressure in the receiver, that is, boost.

The compressor has some great benefits, such as creating pressure at low revs, almost from idle, and the fact that its operation does not increase the engine compartment temperature.

But there are also several disadvantages, firstly, the compressor cannot create a strong boost, most often the pressure does not exceed 1 bar. And the second minus is that it is powered by the engine, accordingly taking away the power from the latter, this is noticeable when driving at low revs.

How the turbine works

The main task of the turbine is the same as that of the compressor - to create excess pressure at the inlet. But its design is fundamentally different. The turbine also has an impeller that spins up. But it spins up with the help of exhaust gases, which, as you know, come out of the engine under pressure.

To install the turbine, you need to change the design of the exhaust manifold. Exhaust gases, leaving the cylinder head, enter the manifold, then, passing through the impeller (hot part) of the turbine, they spin it up and then go out through the system into the atmosphere.

The so-called "hot part" of the turbine, which is in contact with the exhaust, is connected by a shaft to the "cold part", in which the impeller is also installed, which creates pressure. That is, the "hot part" acts as a kind of engine for the "cold part".

The turbine has several advantages over the compressor, which directly result from its disadvantages.

Firstly, the turbine is better suited for "serious" tuning, the goal of which is to get as much horsepower as possible, because it is capable of delivering pressures up to 2 bar or in some cases even more. And the more boost, the more air can be forced into the cylinders, and the more air, the more fuel, respectively, and as a result, more power.

Secondly, the turbine does not put any load on the engine. At idle and low revs, the presence of the turbine is not felt in any way.

But not without its drawbacks. There are only two main drawbacks, and with the right approach, they can be eliminated.

The first drawback is a later release to the "boost", that is, to the working pressure. The turbine, as a rule, begins to give out its maximum pressure readings at revolutions, over 3 thousand. And on some tuning projects, the operation of the turbine, at all, occurs after 5 thousand rpm.

The second drawback is an increase in the engine compartment temperature. The hot part of the turbine under loads can heat up to over 800 degrees Celsius, which negatively affects all engine compartment parts and the engine as a whole. It is not uncommon for wires to melt under the hood. To reduce the temperature of the hot part in the hood, air intakes are made.

The confrontation continues

From this material, it becomes clear that each of the pressurization elements are made for different purposes. Therefore, you can guess, there is no specific answer to the question of which is better than a turbine or a compressor. These details are fundamentally different in design and different in obtaining the final result. Someone is better off a quiet ride when the car is "going" from the bottom, and someone needs as much power as possible to get the cherished seconds in the race. And it's no secret that the owners of turbo cars from time to time think about the compressor (inflation starts earlier, the engine does not heat up), just like the owners of compressor machines think about installing a turbine (you can get a lot more horses). And until the designers come up with something new in the design of the turbine and compressor, the confrontation will continue.

Increasing the power of your car has now become quite a fashionable hobby, turning into a whole industry where you can meet novice motorists, auto-tuning enthusiasts and real pros. But all of them face the same question: "What is better to install a turbine or compressor?" For some of whom the answer is obvious based on experience, for others we will try to give a detailed answer, describing all the pros and cons of each.

As the classic said: "Let's go!"

Both units are designed to solve the same problem - to increase engine power. But at the same time, they have a different device, due to the principle of their drive, which affects what is better in a particular case. And in order to answer how the unit is more expedient to use for tuning your car, you need to know this very device.

Turbocharger

A turbocharger (popularly called a turbine) is a very complex mechanism, difficult to manufacture and repair, which is designed to compress air and pump it into the engine. Its main distinguishing feature from compressors, as mentioned above, is the drive method. The turbine converts the kinetic energy of the exhaust gases leaving the cylinders into mechanical energy due to the rotation of the rotor.

Attempts to create a working serial model of a turbocharger began a long time ago, but for success the engineers lacked the quality of materials and the level of processing (creating an impeller requires great precision). However, a lot has changed over the past hundred years. The creation of such a complex unit has not only become possible, but over the years, the development of turbochargers has gone far ahead. Initially, quite a lot of types of turbines appeared, but in the process of revision and modernization they acquired a very standardized appearance, becoming very similar in appearance.

Today, turbines are widely used and are used in various vehicles (automobiles, motorcycles, ships and aircraft) and generators.

To improve the quality of its work, an intercooler is used with it, which cools the air before it enters the turbine. This makes it denser and protects the turbine from overheating.

Compressor

Compressor - this mechanism is also designed to supply compressed air to the engine, but it is driven from the crankshaft.

There are quite a few types of compressor, but in the automotive industry they mainly use a class called a mechanical supercharger.

Now, using specific examples, let us compare a turbine and a compressor.

		Compressor	Turbocharger
Drive method		From the crankshaft	Exhaust gas energy
Increase in power	Low rpm
	Average revs
	High revs
Delay boost		No. Compressor power is proportional to engine power.	There is a minor delay called turbo lag.
Engine power consumption for own drive			No or negligible. Power consumption can appear in large turbines, due to the appearance of back pressure in the exhaust manifold.
Life time		Depends on the type of compressor, but in any case negatively affects the condition of the crankshaft.	Long. Exceeds the service life of the engine, subject to the rules of operation.
Service		Every 10 thousand km	Every 7 thousand km
Price		Average. Depends on the type of compressor.	Expensive. Depends on the engine.
Complexity of installation		Simple. They can handle it in almost any service station.	Varies depending on whether the engine is equipped with a turbocharger. Special knowledge is required if you are tuning a car.
Fuel consumption		Is increasing	Decreases (at the same speed as atmospheric counterparts)
Efficiency depending on the increase in engine power

If you are still in doubt about the choice of what is better to install a turbine or compressor, then contact a specialist who will describe in detail all the "FOR" and "AGAINST" specifically on the example of your car.

Today, there are many different ways to give your "steel horse" sufficiently high power and speed characteristics, providing its engine with some clever device. One example of such a device would be a turbocharger.
Many car enthusiasts ask themselves the question "a turbine and a turbocharger - what's the difference?" To answer this question, you need to go a little deeper into theory, and consider the car turbocharger itself, as they say, in detail. (If you are too lazy to read the entire text, read only the highlighted paragraph at the end: lol :).

The classical understanding of a turbine lies in the conversion of any internal or external energy into mechanical energy. So, for example, the simplest turbine can be an ordinary fan, the blades of which will rotate from the street wind, as a result of which the fan rotor will mechanically interact with the stator, thereby generating an electric current. A similar principle of a turbine is at the heart of any hydroelectric power plant, with the only exception that water is used instead of wind.

But how can such a device manifest itself in a car engine? What will be the source of energy? And what will it transform into? As you know, any internal combustion engine needs a constant flow of air, without which it is simply impossible to ignite the fuel. And the more intensively this air enters the engine, the more power it will be able to develop. Consequently, if, for example, an engine is equipped with an air compressor that blows air under pressure, then the issue of increasing power will be resolved. But what will this compressor drive? As practice shows, the exhaust gases, which will be supplied to the pre-installed turbine, ideally cope with this task. The turbine spins up, mechanically transferring its torque to the compressor, which, in turn, taking air from the atmosphere, feeds it into the engine under pressure.

Summing up, it becomes clear that the turbine is a component of the turbocharger, which is simply impossible to do without.

As a rule, any automobile turbocharger is a rather complex device that needs constant attention. High rotational speeds of structural elements, excessive friction, special heavy-duty materials and much more that are inherent in each turbocharger lead to the fact that turbine diagnostics should be carried out regularly. Moreover, turbine diagnostics cannot be performed, as they say, with improvised means, since to determine the physical state of its elements, both specialized devices and high qualifications of performers are needed. Similar conditions are required for any turbine repair, which is possible only under special service conditions. After all, as statistics show, the repair of turbines, performed by amateurs, very often ends in failure.

The turbine and compressor work in the same way. But the turbine is turned by the exhaust gases, and the compressor spins the engine directly. The compressor is preferable in terms of traction characteristics, since it operates at minimum speed. However, the big minus of the compressor, in contrast to the turbine, is the fuel consumption!

Here is a pictorial picture:

New cars are less and less equipped with naturally aspirated engines, since the turbines allow developing more power with a small volume. Russian drivers, however, are wary of turbo engines. And in vain.

Turbocharged vs. naturally aspirated engines - what's the difference?

The difference is how air enters the engine cylinders.

• Atmospheric motor

The air itself goes where the pressure is lower. In an atmospheric engine, air enters the cylinders under the action of a vacuum created at the intake stroke - the piston descends and draws in air. It couldn't be easier.

• Aspirated motor

In order to force more air into the cylinders, forced boost comes to help the pressure difference. Roughly speaking, a "big fan" is installed at the inlet. We will talk briefly about the design of such systems below.

Why does the engine need boost?

To increase engine power, you need to burn more fuel in it - the relationship is simple. But in order to burn more fuel, you need to supply a lot of air into the cylinders, almost one cubic meter for every liter of gasoline. The only question is how to get him to do it? There are two main ways:

• Increase the volume. This suggests itself, and for a long time the designers went this way: they increased the number of cylinders, their volume and configuration. This is how the aviation W12 and V16 with a displacement of a hundred liters with a hook and the American seven-liter V8 for cars appeared. ... Now we will not go into details and only state that this path is difficult. At some point, a large motor becomes too heavy, and further increase is impractical.
• Increase the amount of fuel burned without increasing the engine volume. Indeed, why not force more air into the cylinders so that you can burn a lot of gasoline? This is where boost comes to the rescue.

The W12 engine developed by the Volkswagen Group has been installed over the years in the Audi A8L, Volkswagen Phaeton, Volkswagen Touareg, Bentley Continental Flying Spur and other premium models. Photo: w12cars.com

What are the main types of pressurization?

Basically, two methods are used to increase the inlet pressure above atmospheric.

• Mechanical blower. At the inlet there is an air pump - a compressor, which is driven from the engine crankshaft. Simple, but the engine has to turn it and spend part of the power on it.

• A turbocharger that uses energy from the exhaust gas. It is a double casing of two metal "snails", in which two impellers rotate on one shaft. One of them spins up the stream of exhaust gases escaping from the exhaust manifold. The second rotates, as it is on the same shaft with the first, - it "drives" atmospheric air into the intake manifold.

We will not now go into the advantages and disadvantages of each of the schemes, as well as describe the history of their creation and development - this is a topic for a separate material. Here it is important for us to determine how good the supercharged motors are.

What are the advantages of a supercharged motor?

High maximum power.

As we already understood, due to pressurization, it is possible to increase the amount of fuel burned, and therefore, to increase the engine power with a constant volume. The power can be increased several times, but the usual figure is 20–100% for serial engines.

Stable torque.

In a conventional naturally aspirated engine, the inlet pressure, and therefore the amount of fuel burned, varies depending on the engine speed. At some speeds, the filling is maximum, and the engine works with full efficiency. On others, the filling of the cylinders is worse, and the torque developed by the engine is less.

In a modern turbo engine, the cylinder is filled by the turbine, and the turbine is controlled by the electronics. It becomes possible to always supply as much air as is necessary for the most efficient combustion of the mixture, and as much so that the "iron" of the engine can withstand the load. This allows you to create the famous "shelf" of torque. This name comes from the type of the moment graph, which on turbo engines really looks like a flat shelf.

Low fuel consumption.

It would seem a paradox. Supercharging allows more fuel to be injected while still being economical. How? The fact is that the displacement of the turbo engines is smaller and in general they are lighter. With supercharging, the engine pulls perfectly from the very bottom, and at low revs there is less energy loss for friction and higher efficiency. As a result, the turbo engine is more economical when driving slowly. And under a heavy load, no one counts fuel consumption, it is not for nothing that there is an expression “go for all the money”, especially since few people constantly drive in extreme modes.

The graph for measuring the power and torque of the Skoda Fabia RS TSI showsthat in the range from 2,000 to 4,500 revolutions, the engine develops 250 Newton meters. This is called the "torque shelf".

Why are people afraid of supercharged motors?

It can be said with complete certainty that supercharged engines are at a higher stage of evolution than "aspirated" ones. And yet, at the moment, most of the cars produced and sold are equipped with classic engines, and not only in "backward" Russia, but also in "enlightened" Europe, not to mention the United States. Why is that?

The turbine service life is short.

On average, a turbine on a gasoline engine serves a maximum of 120-150 thousand kilometers, and repairs are not cheap. The mechanical drive supercharger is in theory "indestructible", but it is a dying species, and where it is applied, the resource is not taken care of.

The engine operates in more severe conditions.

The temperature and pressure in the cylinders of supercharged engines is much higher, which means that they wear out more. This is offset by the fact that turbo engines are initially built with a higher safety margin for all systems.

However, it is quite true that the engine is more complex, it has more sensors, more pipelines, the most heating and leaking, and any breakdown in the control system can damage the motor itself or the turbine.

They say that the turbine gives an unstable thrust.

Indeed, on old supercharged engines the turbine did not "respond" immediately - it took time for the exhaust gases to spin the impeller, and what was called "turbolag" was obtained. Now, with the introduction of new technologies (we will talk about them in more detail later), this problem has been solved. "Purists", advocates of atmospheric engines argue that there is still no ideal connection between the movement of the gas pedal and traction, but for ordinary drivers these subtleties will not be obvious.

They say that turbocharged engines sound less "noble" than atmospheric ones.

Indeed, the turbine makes the exhaust sound less bright and "purebred". But this can only be fully attributed to the "big" motors - in-line sixes or V8. Their sound is recognized as a kind of ideal, and the addition of a turbocharger to them changes the sound dramatically.

According to audiophiles, "from the exhaust" the sound becomes indistinct and smeared. The turbine acts as a muffler, smoothing out peaks in the exhaust gas pressure and creating its own harmonics. If we are talking about ordinary in-line "fours", then we cannot say that the exhaust of such an engine initially sounds especially good, with the addition of a turbine to it it becomes quieter, but uniqueness is hardly lost.

Exhaust acoustics specialists come to the rescue of fans of good engine sound. The exhaust systems of modern cars, whether supercharged or not, are the fruit of serious work, and the sound features primarily depend on the quality of the system setup and the wishes of the buyer.

Why are some sports car manufacturers still not recognizing supercharging?

Indeed, such "respected" cars as Toyota GT86, Renault Clio RS and Honda Civic Type R perfectly manage without turbines and superchargers. There are several main reasons for this:

• High power can be obtained without a turbine, but on condition that the engine develops it only at very high speeds. For example, 201 hp. on the same Honda Civic Type R, they are available only at 7,800 rpm, which is a lot for a non-racing engine.
• The pressurization system greatly increases the weight and size of small motors - it cannot be made truly compact. For sports cars, this is important.
• Many people like the "torsional" nature of atmospheric motors, the absence of any possible delays and the influence of air temperature, the "purity" of reactions and sound.
• In many racing disciplines, turbocharged engines are prohibited, but there is a tradition of forcing atmospheric engines.
• On "aspirated" engines - more powerful engine braking under gas discharge, which is noticeable on small motors and, again, is important for sports cars.
• In Japan and the USA, where naturally aspirated "lighters" are still mostly kept, there are no such strict restrictions on fuel consumption as in Europe. The turbine engine is more expensive, but it can deliver high power at low consumption and at any height, even on the tops of the Alps. An engine without a turbine is simpler, less demanding to maintain, especially when very high power is not needed, and high fuel consumption and low thrust in the "non-racing" mode can be neglected. And don't underestimate the strength of the national automotive tradition.

However, little by little boost is gaining space under the hood of sports cars. First, Formula 1 abandoned the "aspirated", and in March 2014 debuted the first ever turbocharged model of Ferrari - California T, which received a "snail" after a long break since the days of 288 and F40.