Which is better: Turbo vs. Non-Turbo engine?

In many car reviews and spec sheets, you would have surely come across the term turbo and non-turbo engine. But what is the difference? Non-turbo engines in India are generally called naturally aspirated engines.

How does NA engine work?

The engine of a car is made of multiple different parts and equipment.  Mostly engine nowadays is four-stroke engines.  The process of producing power is a four-step process.  During the first stroke, the piston is pushed downwards, and the air is filled in the chamber along with fuel. This step is also known as Intake Stroke.  During the second stroke the piston travels upwards, thus compressing the mixture. During the third stroke, the mixture is ignited with the help of a spark plug and the mixture gets combusted. In the fourth step, the exhaust gases leave the chamber.  These engines are known as Naturally aspirated engine because natural air enters into the engine.

How does Turbo-charged engine work?

When the exhaust gases exit the chamber from the NA engine, precious energy is wasted.  The turbocharged engine on the other hand utilizes these exhaust gases and use it to improve the efficiency of the engine.  The turbocharged engine is made up of two blades: Turbine and Compressor.  Both the blades work together and provide better performance and efficiency to the vehicle.

The main difference between both the engines is that during the first stroke in Turbocharged engines, the air is sent with pressure into the cylinder.  As a result, smaller engines produce better performance and efficiency. More about Turbo vs. Non-Turbo engine below.

Reliability

In terms of reliability, naturally aspirated engines are more reliable than turbocharged engines. Though the difference is not much, the NA engines are more reliable because fresh clean new air gets inside the engine every time.  Use of Pre-used gasses in the turbocharged engine is a bit more stressful for the engine and additional components also increase maintenance cost and risk of failure.  The general life expectancy of naturally aspirated engines is always longer than turbocharged counterparts.

Also read: Which is the bestseller Bajaj Pulsar engine?

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