The AET Blog – Turbo Facts

Prevention is always better than the cure, and looking after your vehicle and keeping it well maintained is the best way to avoid costly repairs.

With more components and a more complex design, turbocharged engines are a little different to their naturally aspirated cousins – which means they benefit from a bit of special treatment when it comes to driving and everyday care.

This month, we take a look at 5 driving and maintenance tips designed to help you keep your turbocharged car in tip-top condition.

From early pioneers like the Oldsmobile Jetfire, to modern classics like the Toyota Supra Turbo, there have been some truly fantastic turbocharged cars – but which are the best?

This month, we’re looking at some of our favourite iconic turbocharged cars from the past 50 years, and after a fair amount of debate, we’ve managed to whittle it down to our top 5!

Looking to buy a new car, but worried about the running costs? This month, we take a look at some seriously frugal motors, with our list of the top 5 most fuel-efficient cars of 2014, perfect for if you do a lot of miles, are concerned about your carbon emissions, or just want to keep running costs down.

As we’re going for frugal motors, we’ve discounted more expensive hybrid and electric cars, and only looked at those fitted with conventional engines.

Cold, wet, and windy – sadly, the British winter is here again!

In addition to creating hazardous driving conditions, cold weather can also put some serious strain on your vehicle, which is why it’s so important to be prepared.

Batten down the hatches, and ensure you’re ready for the worst of the winter weather with our top tips, designed to keep you on the road, and ensure you’re not left stranded now the cold weather has set in.

Last month, we launched Turbo tech 101 – a series of posts designed to provide some basic information about different turbocharging components.

In part one, we kicked things off by looking at the intercooler, and this month, we’ll be looking at turbo wastegates – finding out what they are, what they do and how they work.

AT AET, we’re always looking out for the latest developments in turbo tech – and earlier this month, French company Valeo has announced the development of a new electric turbocharger that promises to completely eliminate turbo lag.

In this post, we examine the new turbo technology, and look at the future of electric turbocharging as a whole, examining its benefits, downsides, and some near-future applications.

At AET, we love the sound a turbocharger makes – but we understand that when your car starts making noises, you want to know exactly what’s happening, and why!

In this guide we examine the turbo whistle, a noise made by turbochargers when in operation – you’ll learn what it sounds like, what causes it, and when you need to have it checked out.

How to get more out of a vehicle’s engine is always at the centre of the true performance enthusiast’s thinking. Whilst there are many ways to measure vehicle performance, in the world of the petrol-head – BHP is the undisputed king!

Thankfully, if your current turbocharged car isn’t satisfying your need for speed, there are plenty of things you can do to remedy it! In this guide, we look at 5 relatively easy methods you can use to drive the BHP up, and maximise engine performance.

At AET, we’re serious about turbo tech, but we understand that not everyone is quite so passionate about turbocharger components!

Whilst there’s nothing wrong with not knowing your wastegate from your turbine, a little knowledge about components and what they do can be really helpful! Whether you’re looking to improve the performance or power of your engine, or just want to ensure you don’t have the wool pulled over your eyes by an unscrupulous mechanic when things go wrong, getting clued up is the way to go.

In this post, we’re looking at the intercooler, examining what it is, what it does and how it works, as well as providing some additional information about the different types of intercooler available.

If you’re looking to maximise the power and performance of your vehicle, then changing your stock turbocharger for a bigger or better model can be an effective part of the process.

In this guide, we take a look at some of the reasons for upgrading, what you can expect to achieve, and the considerations you need to take for the process to be completed safely and in the most efficient way possible.

Before looking at this guide, you might want to look at our beginners guide to turbocharging, which offers a brief overview of how turbocharging works!