Naturally Aspirated vs. Forced Induction: which is best

I wouldn't buy an older used car with an aftermarket turbo... or really any turbo at all if it's high mileage. For a newer car though, can't deny that extra power is a good thing.
 
user7 said:
The great debate!

I should clarify that 'best' refers to the best daily drive car. The type car you would like to live with; think something with decent power, acceptable maintainance/reliability, acceptable running cost.

I ask this because I'm planning to buy a used car, and I've been mulling over what kind of engine I want. The way I see it there are three categories: Manufacturer forced induction (think supra and colbalt ss), typical naturally aspirated, and aftermarket force induction.

I find myself leaning toward naturally aspirated, I don't want to worry that my engine will explode while I take the next corner. I feel that I should spend my money on a larger engine/displacement rather than a super/turbocharged car. Plus I would always have the option to install an aftermarket one.

But I'm most wary of aftermarket turbos/superchargers. I always wonder if a skilled mechanic installed it, was it installed propperly, has it been maintained properly. The way I see it, if the owner was looking for cheap power, what else has he skimped on the car.

it's not a pole thread, I'd rather hear opinions and experience.
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Factory FI setups are usually pretty darn reliable.
Aftermarket FI setups don't have to be installed by a "skilled mechanic" to be reliable. Maintenance on such cars is the same as in any other car - there is no magic turbo fluid that you have to change every so often.
As for the question at hand - it doesn't matter. The reason I say that is because there are plenty of shitty NA cars and there are plenty of shitty FI cars. On the other hand, there are plenty of great NA cars just as there are plenty of awesome FI cars. I love the responsiveness of an NA engine but I also love the torque, sound, and experience of a decent turbocharged motor. I was in my friend's STi-swapped RS the other day and its fantastic - the turbo hisses and whistles and the wastegate flutters and the exhaust rumbles and I just cant help but smile.


MrChips said:
You hit the nail on the head with that. The FQ400 is a bit of a dyno queen; as in, sure it produces a mountain of horsepower, but it's not all that usable or accessible.
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Who the hell told you that??? I know a number of people that are pushing 400hp to the wheels in 4-cyl cars and they manage just fine. :? In the FQ400 the power is perfectly "useable" and "accessible" - just don't be JC and actually use proper gears.
 
rta96c.jpg
 
Air is so arrogant, I prefer to squeeze it and cram it into the engine to show it who's boss. :D
 
thevictor390 said:
I wouldn't buy an older used car with an aftermarket turbo... or really any turbo at all if it's high mileage. For a newer car though, can't deny that extra power is a good thing.
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Word.

But anyways, I would have a Turbo any day. Actually, let me elaborate...there are certain cars that a certain system suits them. For a Volvo - Turbo, for a Jaguar - Supercharger, for V8 powered cars - Supercharger.
 
For a sports car, N/A all the way.
 
LeVeL said:
Who the hell told you that??? I know a number of people that are pushing 400hp to the wheels in 4-cyl cars and they manage just fine. :? In the FQ400 the power is perfectly "useable" and "accessible" - just don't be JC and actually use proper gears.
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This.
 
Mmmm superchargers....

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8kkV1SFDBI[/YOUTUBE]
 
i have just listened to some victorian ladies having a crysis.
 
LIke everything else in life, it depends. Natural is good, Turbos can be fun, Superchargers can be fun... it's all good.
 
There is one forced induction system which pretty much pwns all NA engines ever produced. I'm of course referring to the Direct Exhaust Injection system which you can buy on eBay. It pretty much forces all of the air back in to your engine and makes your bhp a mathematical formula:

lim f(x)
x->?

=

rx^t

dei.jpg


It makes your car so fast that none of the major car makers will pick up the design in fear of lawsuits.
 
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For me a daily driver has to be simple and reliable, and whe nit breaks it needs to be easy to repair.

Forced induction adds a lot of extra moving parts and complexity to an engine... And in most cases they either create drivability problems, or are installed in order to try to compensate for pre-existing drivability problems.

In any case, I think I'd go NA for a car that I wanted to be a daily driver.

But for a performance car, if I had the money, I'd go turbo every single time. To me superchargers just make the car sound like it's wheezing, not really cool beyond the fact taht I know that if I line up next to a whistling car I know I'm gonna get beat..... lol.
 
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InfernalVortex said:
not really cool beyond the fact taht I know that if I line up next to a whistling car I know I'm gonna get beat..... lol.
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I have to disagree here...how can you compare two methods?
You can have cars with 1000hp using any of the three. You will get beat if you have less power/torque, simple as that.
 
I love the sound of a good running n/a engine. BMW, Toyota (4a-ge mainly), Honda, Alfa Romeo, Mazda, and a bunch of others come to mind.

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z16Gw2OCubU[/YOUTUBE]

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qju9iEFqp3Y[/YOUTUBE]
[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiwL9HGLksE[/YOUTUBE]

Turbos ruin the exhaust and intake note, the superchargers ruin the intake sound. They sound good in their own right, but I love that bark from the intake...
 
Er, quoting from Initial D -

Initial D said:
NA engines are best for downhill runs.
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But we're not all street racers are we, now?

Unless you plan on cornering like mad, a properly installed turbo would do fine. One exception - If you want something smooth, go NA.
 
LeVeL said:
Maintenance on such cars is the same as in any other car - there is no magic turbo fluid that you have to change every so often.
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Just popping in to say my supercharger has it's own oil system that needs changed every so often. Not a turbo, but FI nonetheless.
 
Labcoatguy said:
EDIT: Just read your question more thoroughly. In a daily driver, you want low-end to midrange torque, and it doesn't matter if it's displacement, a supercharger, or small turbos that deliver it. I've been told by people with high-strung cars that revving the nuts off an engine just to get anywhere gets tired fast.
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+1 Contrary to popular thinking, turbo engines generally have the most low to mid range grunt. That's why virtually all pulling vehicles use them. My RX7 doesn't make a hint of torque until 4,500rpm. You get used to it, but it is somewhat annoying having to rev it to the sky when you need to pull into traffic.
 
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