DGS49
Diamond Member
Obviously, there is something magical about turbocharged 2-liter four-cylinder engines. Everybody makes one, and most of the manufacturers seem to place engines of that size in the heart of their product planning.
Not being a mechanical engineer, I have only a rudimentary understanding of what turbocharging (and supercharging) do to make engines more powerful, and obviously the more boost can lead to more power and torque. But that just leads to more questions.
FOR EXAMPLE, GM has had a 2-liter turbo for quite a while now, It powered the Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Skye, the HHR SS, and other cars, with significant success. At the time it was rated at 260-270 hp, and having driven some of those cars, it was an amazing engine, both powerful and economical, though they never figured out how to make it sound good.
Fast forward many years, and GM is still powering a large range of cars with t-liter turbo fours from Cadillac's to Chevy's, with HP ratings that range from 237/258 in the CT4 (base) to 265/295 in the Camaro. Apparently it's the same engine.
VW has a 2 liter four-banger that is rated at 184/221 in a Tiguan, and GTI-R rated at 315 hp.
What the fuck? If the turbo-4 is capable of 300 HP, why configure it at 185?
Is it just a matter of different programming? Could a different "chip" significantly get more power out of the same engine? Is it the CFM rating of the turbo? Could a larger turbo be added to a Tiguan to improve its performance (warranty issues aside)?
Is there a goldmine of additional power available to those who are able to make simple mods to these 2-liter engines?
Not being a mechanical engineer, I have only a rudimentary understanding of what turbocharging (and supercharging) do to make engines more powerful, and obviously the more boost can lead to more power and torque. But that just leads to more questions.
FOR EXAMPLE, GM has had a 2-liter turbo for quite a while now, It powered the Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Skye, the HHR SS, and other cars, with significant success. At the time it was rated at 260-270 hp, and having driven some of those cars, it was an amazing engine, both powerful and economical, though they never figured out how to make it sound good.
Fast forward many years, and GM is still powering a large range of cars with t-liter turbo fours from Cadillac's to Chevy's, with HP ratings that range from 237/258 in the CT4 (base) to 265/295 in the Camaro. Apparently it's the same engine.
VW has a 2 liter four-banger that is rated at 184/221 in a Tiguan, and GTI-R rated at 315 hp.
What the fuck? If the turbo-4 is capable of 300 HP, why configure it at 185?
Is it just a matter of different programming? Could a different "chip" significantly get more power out of the same engine? Is it the CFM rating of the turbo? Could a larger turbo be added to a Tiguan to improve its performance (warranty issues aside)?
Is there a goldmine of additional power available to those who are able to make simple mods to these 2-liter engines?