Why Ferrari engineers don't like turbos

Big-Foot

Randy V

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Garry Buzzelli said:
Superchargers is instant, but at the cost of some horsepower

Turbos are free horsepower. Personally I like superchargers, always have had them on all my cars, all BB, no replacement for cubic inches.

Here are a couple of my privious hot rods, both 521 Fords, lencos, 1 and 2 blower combination, 1000 hp 1500 hp.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately there is no such thing as free HP. The restriction of the turbocharger stiffles the flow of exhaust and there is your penalty. However, the benefits of turbocharging are greater than those of supercharging when you consider the reduced complexity of the systems.
Yes there are some newer turbos out there with much ilghter weight and variable vane turbines which really decrease their reaction time - but along with that comes other complexity which may challenge durability.

Blowers have their fair share of problems also. The increased wear on crankshaft bearings on the drive end, striping of keyways, fracturing of cranks etc.. Then there is the pacakging issue as well as the challenges of intercooling for supercharged configurations..

Both have their challenges in ignition controls and fuel management..

There is no such thing as a free or even cheap lunch here..

Picture is of a Nova I built. 800-1100 HP depending on Carburetion and under/overdrive of the wheezer..
Believe me, as a ground-pounder, this car made a rather nice statement...
IMG_0295.jpg

IMG_0331A.jpg
 
B

Bryan

Also lag is a little different on a race track then on the street. On the street, you are transitioning from engine speeds that simply don't create enough exhaust gas to spool the turbo, to all of a sudden full boost pressure, its like an on/off switch rather than a smooth torque curve. On a race track, your engine should never be at an rpm where you aren't able to create boost. So while there is still lag, its is pretty predictable and not impossible to modulate. Many times the more gradual increase in power can help with traction.

Also, turbo's are just really fun. The sound and power delivery experience is probably one of my personal favorite things about driving in general.
 
K

Keith

Moderator
Ah! What you need to do is Compound Turbocharging..but using a supercharger instead of a second turbo. That'll get your creative juices flowing.....:)

PS The F40 is my very favourite car of all time...:thumbsup:
 
M

Matt K

Love the front end. Love the back end. Hate the sides. I understand the need to go tt, but the 458 is where it's at.
 
R

roaldin

As a big block owner,
A multiple other V8 owner,
A multiple turbo owner
And a GT40 owner
I say:

Turbo - GOOD!
Ferrari who?

Tim.
 
Ron Earp

Ron Earp

Admin
What's Jim G's new whatafluzzit powered by? Ford just won the overall at the Daytona 24 with a Ecoboost 3.5L in a prototype.
 
T

Tom

Matt993 said:
Love the front end. Love the back end. Hate the sides. I understand the need to go tt, but the 458 is where it's at.
Click to expand...

I find the back looks a fair amount like my FR-S. The roof ridges, light shapes, and diffuser are all visually similar. Of course the "diffuser" on the FR-S is just a cosmetic hunk of plastic.
 
R

Bill

More on the new Ferrari 488 GTB, that boasts a turbo charged V8, and plans to turbo-charge many of its V8s going forward.

Check out this -> video
 
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