To enhance a vehicle's performance, owners might add aftermarket engine components such as a cold air intake or a new exhaust system. However, such modifications might not be enough to offer you enough horsepower for an upgrade. A car's system can only work efficiently when such modifications account for factors such as airflow, timing, and fueling. For instance, a cold air intake enhances the flow of cool air into an existing turbo system. Besides, investing in a new turbo can reduce exhaust gas temperatures and improve the reliability of an engine. Here is everything to know about upgrading a diesel turbo for your truck.

Why Upgrade Your Stock Turbo?

Fuel requires enough air to combust fully and give an engine the much-needed power. It is estimated that an engine requires at least 18 times more air than fuel for combustion and smoke-free performance. A stock turbo can suffer from reduced efficiency because a compressor can reach maximum flow, which forces the speed of a turbo to increase rapidly. Consequently, compressor temperature increases exponentially and transfers the heat to an intake manifold and exhaust system. An upgraded turbo can solve this problem by reducing smoke and exhaust gas temperatures and improving engine efficiency. Also, the drivability of your vehicle horsepower is significantly improved after an upgrade.

Sizing

If you want to upgrade a turbo system, you should never assume that a bigger turbo is better than the small one. Although a bigger turbo generates a lot of boost for an engine, it usually takes longer to yield full power in what is called a turbo lag. In most vehicles that are intended for everyday use, an engine usually operates at lower RPMs. At such speeds, a bigger turbo can only offer a minimum boost because of the lag. Therefore, you must assess a vehicle's power needs because a turbo that offers peak response in high to medium RPMs might work better. Besides, the intended purpose of a car can determine the ideal turbo size. For example, regular towing might call for a small turbo that can offer extra power at low engine speeds. However, if you need more power for high-speed racing, then a large turbo can churn out the extra horsepower before spooling. Furthermore, the engine capacity or displacement of your vehicle can influence the size of a turbo system. Notably, a vehicle with a large engine displacement generates adequate drive pressure to spin a large turbo compared to a smaller displacement engine.

Contact an auto parts store to buy turbo kits for your vehicle.