Originally Posted by
Dougal
I run a backpressure gauge on my Isuzu whenever I change the turbo setup and the results of this prove very interesting.
At 100km/h cruise with EGT's around 430C backpressure is ~1.5 times boost. 12-13psi backpressure for 8-9psi boost.
At the same rpm (2000 near enough) and full load the backpressure drops as EGT's rise. Above 600C I have slightly more boost than backpressure, the hotter the EGT's get, the lower the backpressure.
In these high load conditions, the turbo is essentially working off just the waste-heat, the backpressure it also needs to work is compensated for completely by the boost it provides. This mode of operation a supercharger just can't match.
Most of the time comments about turbocharger efficiency are talking about the compressors efficiency. Superchargers used to be a lot less efficient so the air charge was a lot hotter, but new superchargers have made big gains there.