Turbochargers (turbos for short) have revolutionized the automotive tuning market. Turb ocharching a car can add a great amount of horsepower to even a small engine, but what exactly is a turbocharger?

A turbo is a very simple device. It uses a turbine that is driven by the hot exhaust gases coming out of the engine to spin a centrifugal compressor. This compressor highly pressurizes the air going into the engine giving it more explosive power and thus more horsepower. Some turbo kits can produce anywhere from 50 to 500 horsepower, but with turbos the customization possibilities are endless. Below is an image of one of HKS's turbos.

The available information on turbos is quite extensive, and many books have been written on the subject of turbocharging. Since I only intended on covering the very basics here are some pros and cons of turbocharging your car:

Turbo fact: Many cars on the road have factory equipped turbos such as the VW Jetta 1.8T. Many large diesel trucks also need turbos to generate enough power to move their enourmous weights.