FEED THE BEAST: AN INDISPENSABLE INTRODUCTION TO FORCED INDUCTION
Tread Off_road Winter 2016
The advantages of a forced-induction engine over a naturally aspirated one are no secret. There’s an unquestionably better power-to-weight ratio, it’s more efficient, and forced induction significantly improves performance at high altitudes.
An internal-combustion engine is basically a big air pump that takes in air at one end, and blows exhaust out of the other—with a byproduct of work, of course. An engine is considered “naturally-aspirated” if it operates using incoming air at normal atmospheric pressure (14.7 psi at sea level, or around one bar) and no external compressor. Therefore, there is generally a vacuum condition within the intake manifold of a naturally-aspirated engine. You can greatly improve the performance of a naturally-aspirated engine by adding forced induction to it. Read more about it here