What is Turbo Power?
While engines suck, turbos blow. A naturally aspirated engine is basically a big air pump, a vacuum pump on the inlet side, sucking air in from the atmosphere, and a pressure pump on the exhaust side, releasing gases back to the atmosphere. As each piston is pushed down, it creates a vacuum thatsucks air into the chamber. The spark plug fires the air (once the fuel is added and pressurized) and the waste gases are spent out the exhaust. A turbocharger is basically a self-contained, motor-driven air compressor that force feeds more air into the engine, and forcing the engine to ingest more air/fuel will net more powerful combustion, ergo a predictable gain in power. So, why is considered “free”? Simply put, the turbo uses the exhaust gases (that would normally be discarded by the exhaust system) to power the turbine (hence, turbo) that then crams the air down the throat of your soon-to-be speed-loving VW. In short, it costs the engine virtually nothing to operate.When boost exceeds wast
