The trending downsizing era through forced induction. Why...?

In the automotive industry engine downsizing is the practice of utilizing smaller engine displacement over larger ones of the same power capacity.

It is the result of manufacturers attempting to provide more efficient vehicles that emit fewer emissions.

The big problem with small engines has long been mediocre performance, but the adoption of turbocharging, direct injection, variable-cam timing and other tricks. for example, in India Ford offered a 1.0L Ecoboost engine for the C-SUV ECOSPORT, its little three-cylinder produced 123 bhp@6000 rpm & 170 Nm@1400-4500 rpm will perform like a 1.5-liter four which produced 120 bhp@6500 rpm & 149 Nm@4500 rpm.

What are the pro's and Con's of Engine downsizing through turbocharging

Elaboration

Pro's

Lower emissions released because of lower engine displacement needs only less air and fuel to operate in urban driving cycle.

Higher fuel economy is achieved again by the lower engine displacement and turbocharging which utilizes wasted exhaust gas energy to produce useful boost.

Due to less inertial mass the engine is free to accelerate and decelerate.

Con's

The engine is exposed to more pressure and temperature to achieve the same power output as the larger displacement counterpart so the wear and tear is higher resulting in faster engine oil degradation and the components material used in the engine are expensive to ensure durability which makes the servicing cost and vehicle more expensive than NA engines.

A turbo can not excel in all engine rpm and load ranges, either it is for lower and mid range or for the high end. So, when the engine is not operating in the turbos optimum range there is a lag between the power requested by the driver and the power delivery. Modern turbo technologies are trying to eliminate the lag to less than a second using VGT, Twin-stage Turbo charging etc,.

How to take care of a Turbocharged engine

1.Regular Oil Maintenance Check

More torque = more heat = high oil temperature = faster oil degradation

failing to do so would burn the turbo bearing and other bearings often ending up with a noisy engine and more critical problems.

2. Warm Up the Engine After Every Start Before Driving

Engine oil temperature = atmospheric temperature (more viscous than optimum) initially before a start.

Lubricating oil should be maintained at an optimum temperature to reduce wear and tear. If not it can cause damage to the bearings and other frictional parts. Wait until warmup enrichment process completes (usually <2mins, depends on how cold the atmospheric temp is).

3. Let the Engine Cooldown After Driving

After miles and miles of driving the turbochargers and its bearing are exposed to very high temperature due to exhaust gas heat transferred from turbine to the counterparts, for cooling the engine oil and coolant are pumped and passed through the layshaft and bearing while coolant is passed through turbo housing. Failing to cooldown and turning off the engine results in lack of lubrication and cooling and damages the seals, bearing and shaft causing failure.

Modern engines have a turbo timer map in the ECU or for a custom built turbo car aftermarket turbo timer is installed to not turn of the engine even if the ignition key is removed until an optimum coolant and oil temperature is reached to prevent turbo or engine failure.

The bottom line, analysts say, is consumers are increasingly concerned with fuel economy and drivability, not the size of the engine. If a smaller engine provides better fuel economy *and *performance on par with a larger one, they'll buy it.

"It used to be all about horsepower," said Mike Omotoso, an analyst with J.D. Power and Associates. "Now it's all about fuel economy. This downsizing offers the best of both worlds -- it offers similar performance to a larger engine and improved fuel economy and more importantly to keep IC engines alive with the new stringent emission norms released by the government.

Thanks for reading.

Hope you learnt something new today.

Please feel free to comment your thoughts,

regards. R Harish raj

References

https://www.wired.com/2011/09/three-is-the-new-four-as-engines-downsize/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engine_downsizing