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Tuning and Turbochargers: 101 things you didn't know, and even more you wish you didn't
Knowledge is Horsepower!
This site is meant to be a resource for anyone interested in turbocharging and forced aspiration in general. It is not trying to copy or replicate anything else - it aims to be an interesting SupraTT read (work in progress!) and the definitive resource for the C20LET. I've deliberately gone for a (hopefully!) humorous approach, trying to dress up what is fundamentally a series of boring, technical subjects.
Regarding the size of this site, I realise that not everyone has broadband. For people with modems, browsing a graphics-rich page can be hell. So I have deliberately avoided any form of HTML protection, as the encryption increases the size of the files and is against the spirit of the internet anyway. I rely on the goodwill of other enthusiasts to use their decency and judgement when copying, linking or reusing any material. Each and every image here has been optimised for size, and 95% is pure html. I don't think it can be made to load much faster.
Who are you? A failed designer, a turbo martyr or a 15yr old hiding behind a PC?
None of the above. I've been involved in tuning for many years, starting at the very bottom: making mopeds go faster. Doesn't get lower than drilling holes on the airbox of a 50cc and going down the local straight hoping for an extra mph or two. At some later point I fell in love with a Kawasaki 750turbo, bought it new and got bitten by the turbo bug. Never looked back. I've made more stupid mistakes than I'd care to count. Melted many pistons and spent lots of weekends in the garage rebuilding what I should have left alone in the first place. I learned a lot from my own mistakes - but that was the eighties. Now we have the internet, and people can learn from other people's mistakes. Cheaper.
For several years I've been on many forums (username JohnA). I've learned a few things from other enthusiasts and I feel it's only fair to give something back. If you feel that life is too short and this site is a big waste of someone's precious time on this planet, I admit to be sharing the same feelings from time to time...
But why would you know anything that 'big-time' tuners don't know? After all, they've got vast R&D facilities and you're just a bloke with a shed and a couple of wrenches!
Ah, but it's not just data from my own experiments and tests. A lot comes from other enthusiasts, many of whom contact me for advice/help/information.
While I'm happy to help with simple things, I often ask in return for their own experiences and feedback.
Like Dr Lecter in the Silence of the Lambs.Quid pro quo
Tit for tat.
So some of the research is done by others, and I use my site as a medium to redistribute the knowledge back to the community. The only exception would be commercially sensitive info from professional tuners, which remains confidential ofcourse.
So why don't you stick to the forums then?
Originally I only intended to write a few technical articles for the 'tech' sections of the above Forums. But this site is a lot more than that, and since it's on my own webspace I can update it a lot easier. It also contains some of the masses of information I've been collecting on the subject.
I also hope that perusing my site will save some people from the expense and aggro of going through the usual useless mod cycle (airfilter-dumpvalve-exhaust-wheels-lowering etc)
Yeah, yeah... you just copy/paste stuff from the net, don't you?
There is no intention to copy what good stuff is already out there. Other relevant websites worth looking at are included as external links. Articles that are not my own are labelled accordingly.
This site is continuously revised and updated - it grows and changes all the time. It is a way of sharing some of my automotive knowledge; an enthusiast's effort, and should be treated as such. Everything here is my own personal opinion - nobody has to agree or disagree with it. Since there are no commercial interests behind, a lot of myths will be dispelled, a lot of 'conventional wisdom' will be discredited, 'expert opinions' will be laughed at.
I wouldn't have it any other way, life's too short...
