NA or Turbo Engine?

[shiwei]

Hi, I am looking for comments on NA or Turbo engine,specifically VW Jetta 2.0L and 1.8TSI. .

I heard that Turbo engine could get more carbon deposit compared to NA engine, and Turbo engine will not last long as NA engine since it works at higher pressure and temperature.

Another concern is that I live in California where smog test is required. Which engine is better at smog test, especially after 10 years old, NA or Trubo?

Thank you for your comments.

Topic

[Bluesnut]

A turbocharged engine can last just as long as a N/A engine if it is maintained well and not abused.

The perception is often that a turbocharged engine is under more stress all the time and that is not the case. The boost pressure generally only comes in when the foot is planted somewhat hard. In easy or normal driving the turbocharger may deliver little or no boost at all.

Many people like the feel of a turbocharger pulling the car along so some turbo cars are driven aggressively. This leads to the engine being in the boost more often and possibly having a shorter life due to someone’s lead foot.

As to CA smog I can’t answer that as I haven’t lived in CA for many, many years. I would think emissions for both turbo and N/A would be a wash although it’s possible that over time and miles that a turbocharged engine could be more prone to emissions faults if a turbocharger seal was leaking and oil was being admitted to the intake tract. Personally, that’s not something I would worry about.
Hope that helps in your decision.

[James O’Hara]

I have a VW Jetta 1.9L TDI. My suggestion to you is to stay away from the VGT style turbo. The vanes over time will get covered with dirt/debri from normal combustion and seize up. Also to do it right it is not just as simple as through a turbo on and everything runs ok. There is a lot of work to change an NA car to a Turbo and get the most out of the turbo.

With that being said more air = more fuel. That means higher emissions whether it affects the smog test I do not know.

For proper NA to Turbo conversion:
CAC
Piping for intake and CAC
Turbo
Exhaust Manifold with turbo mounting bracket
Harness for added sensors boost etc
Added Sensors
A ECM that is flashable for a turbo or Aftermarket ECM
Someone to tune the thing properly

Anytime you do a modification like that you want everything running properly first nothing leaking etc. You are going to be putting more stress on seals, valves, etc. Anything, that is not an accessory, that is a problem will often be magnified by the adding of a performance device.

[Lorrin Barth]

About turbo vehicles – more power and a few more things that can break or go wrong.

[Gary]

Agreed with MDK22, opt out of a VGT setup if you got he turbo route. VGTs cannot be rebuilt correctly when they go out due to the nature of how they are designed. They simply give you the benift of having a “one turbo does all” where at lower RPMs it acts like a smaller turbo and at higher rpms it acts like a bigger turbo to minimize turbo lag without sacrificing power. However, a dual stage turbo setup will accomplish the same thing.

Me, I prefer NA and superchargers. Turbos create exhaust backpressure and have hotter temps than a supercharger due to where they are located and the gases that power them.

For small displacement motors, a turbo is better
For large displacement, Supercharger
For long term durability NA

[James O’Hara]

[quote=”Chevyman21″ post=137279]
For small displacement motors, a turbo is better
For large displacement, Supercharger
For long term durability NA[/quote]

Thinks about 13L diesel :p But as far as gas jobs this is a decent rule of thumb. (Got to love boondock saints)

[Author]

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