anyone have a charger? do they add to fuel efficiency as well as torque and hp? couldn't they potentially reduce the life of the engine (even a little) through greater wear and heat? any other info? thanks
by induction1, May 27, 2004
anyone have a charger? do they add to fuel efficiency as well as torque and hp? couldn't they potentially reduce the life of the engine (even a little) through greater wear and heat? any other info? thanks
You might want to check out the forums at
http://www.corolla-racing.com/index.shtml
Some of the people there run forced induction (turbo / exhaust) - some have very good advice, some .... you know - mostly BS.
Anytime you want to increase HP - you will see an increase in fuel consumption - especially with forced induction - turbo or supercharged. Look at the Dodge SRT-4 - a turboed Neon that can get as low as 14 MPG on a four cylinder (review in C&D). Remember the Lotus Esprit in the 80s - 2.2L turbo - lucky to get 10-12MPG - but at least it was faster than the Porsches and Ferraris at that time. Unless you make extensive changes to the engine design - adding a supercharger or turbo will guarantee less fuel economy. The TRD super actually makes use of an extra injector to prevent lean conditions.
Superchargers are driven off the crank and can produce instant boost with little lag -kits are available from TRD and at relatively low boost (7.5lbs) so no major mods need to be done.
As far as increased wear - depends on what you do to prevent them from starting. Heat is aways a problem - have to make sure that you have adequate cooling - may need a bigger radiator, have to wire the fans to run constantly, and good idea to invest in an oil cooler.
Probably don't have to beef up the internals with a low boost setup - but you will have to make sure that you don't lean out at higher RPMs - problems will most forced induction. Got to get revised fuel pump, pressure regulator, maybe new injectors. Lean condition is bad with any performance boost - firced induction or NOS. Run with too little fuel or can't keep up - end up with burned up gaskets or burn up your pistons.
May have to upgrae the ECU or at least get a piggyback controller. Gauges to keep an eye on boost, oil pressure, fuel pressure (very important), maybe a better temp gauges.
Have to beef of up the transmission - won't last too long with the increase in power - some people have seen problems develop as early as 15K miles into the upgrade with "mild" driving. Kick up a notch and you see you may have some problems.
Not a very easy job - but can be done - unfortunately, any time you add something - you will have to trade out something else. Just the way these cars were designed. Good Luck.
