The New York Times tells the story today of the first turbochargers on American production cars, the 1962 Olds F-85 Jetfire and the Chevy Corvair Monza Spyder. They failed miserably, but eventually the technology was improved and turbos made a comeback:
In 1978, the Saab 99 had offered the first turbo on a production car since G.M.’s misfires....In 1982, Saab’s turbos added its breakthrough Automatic Performance Control, a microphone that listened to engine combustion and made adjustments on the fly. The engine became functional, reliable and economical. The word turbo became synonymous with Saab.
....With technical and image problems quashed, turbos crept back. By the mid-1980s they could be found on a Volvo wagon, the Porsche 944, the Ford Mustang SVO, the Datsun 280ZX, the Dodge Daytona Shelby Z and Chrysler’s LeBaron GTS.
Oh come on. Porsche turbocharged the 911 in 1975 and it's been putting blowers on anything that moved ever since. Granted, we're not talking about cars aimed at the broad middle class, but they are production vehicles, and they obviously weren't the product of Saab envy. Let's get our history right, folks.
Nice. forget about the turbo nonsence.
I'm content with my CR-V Ex-L turbo suv.
Loved my old Saab 900 Turbo, perfect for Minnesota winter, and otherwise excellent.
Hell, my 2002 Dodge Ram 2500 Diesel is a turbo.
Well, superchargers are better anyway.
Superchargers are more compact, but turbo's are more efficient because they run on the exhaust energy a supercharger throws away.
I think you meant to say...that's why there's a turbocharger lag but not in superchargers.
Have you driven a modern turbocharged car? While all out performance cars that use huge turbos and lotsa boost still have lag, on cars like my Alfa Romeo Giulia there is no detectable lag.
I would think that usually you'd see less turbo lag in high performance racing where lags are too big of a performance gap, such that they'd add anti-lag devices; nitro perhaps. I can't imagine most road vehicles would have them, though.
Detectable from a standstill or while driving?
I should have said imperceptable instead of indetectable. I am sure under some conditions there is a small amount of lag, but reduced turbine mass and improved scroll design has really all but eliminated it for well designed cars that use small to mid-size turbines.
I always liked Saabs.
Not being a car guy, turbo is the "last of the V8 Interceptors." ;>
https://youtu.be/EK2ijfxqlnY
Just for your info, a turbocharger and a blower are two different things. A real LA boomer knows that.
Saab is synonymous with turbo. Porsche is synonymous with rear engines.
Synonymous doesn’t mean first, or best, or whatever. It’s the thing most associated. And Saab, for whatever reason, grabbed it.
Your way over your skis here Kevin. 🤣
Driving a Porsche and flying an American flag….
No wonder Kevin has been having so many questionable takes recently. He’s a tool.
Funny, no qualms about Saab/Turbo. It was a fairly reasonably priced car for a sports car unlike any Porsche. Saw many Saab Turbos around and maybe an occasional Porsche. It’s was synonymous to me..
I think Saab was the first with real time knock detection, which allowed the electronic engine control unit to retard the ignition while limiting the boost, avoiding the sort of catastrophic failures turbos had previously been known for. I realize this is diving down the gear head tunnel, but it was a key development in making turbos practical for the masses.
Finish the sentence:
Quattro is synonymous with ____.
AWD is synonymous with ____.
Not quite the same.
Quattro is Audi’s name for AWD. So it’s only used on Audis. Like 4Matic on Benz. Not everyone does this,of course.
I’d still say AWD could be synonymous with Audi, but Subaru might have a better argument. Only because Audi came up with their own name.
4WD goes to Jeep? Or maybe 4x4?
Nobody should be putting turbochargers on gas engines anymore. Even affordable electric cars can suck the doors off of most internal combustion "supercars." The future must not involve fossil fuels in the tank, no matter how cool it may seem.
I mean, most of those electric cars now are powered off of natural gas, coal, or some other fossil fuel.
Solving that problem will be very necessary before getting off gas vehicles makes any difference.
EVs are still cleaner than internal combustion engines, even with the dirtiest of power. And that power will get cleaner, while your internal combustion engine will not.
https://theicct.org/publications/global-LCA-passenger-cars-jul2021
This is a great point. 30 years ago, a car that could do 0-60mph was fast. Today, it’s slow.
You could greatly increase overall fuel economy by just putting in enough power to do 0-60 in 8-10 seconds. Without needing turbos or hybrids.
We’ve deluded ourselves into needing 400hp SUVs.
I am not that surprised that Saab would have it figured out. After all they are a manufacturer of airplanes (for the Swedish military among others) who built cars as a side business, one might say as a hobby. They would have the engineers for the job.
It was actually their truck engineers that suggested a turbo and provided the engineering.
1982 Honda CX500 Turbo!
I had a buddy that had one of those. Looked cool, but the lag....
…was a total blast when it kicked in!