Cars in the Fast Lane

Two words, 4 syllables: Forced. Induction.

What is forced induction?

Forced induction is a term for internal combustion engines that are not naturally aspirated. Instead, a gas compressor is added to the air intake, thereby increasing the quantity of oxygen available for combustion. This compressed air is normally referred to as Boost or charged air.

The most common forms of forced induction are turbochargers and superchargers. What they generally do is force more air into your cylinders giving you more fuel to burn which translates to more power.

Turbochargers basically use exhaust gas to spin a turbine which compresses and forces more air into the cylinders.

Superchargers use a pulley device that does essentially the same thing.

One of the advantages of a turbo is that it is not constantly spooled, so that increases gas mileage. However, it is also a disadvantage known as turbo lag, which means your turbo doesn’t kick in until high revs. This is normally dealt with by using a smaller turbocharger for the low revs, known as twin turbo used in cars like the Toyota Supra and the Mazda RX-7.

A supercharger on the other hand, is constantly “on” — much like a naturally aspirated car. This means that a supercharger has power all throughout the revs.

Whichever you choose, it will add the most power to your car with gains anywhere from 50-60% and is the most cost efficient power mod.