Update on the WRX
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ok, well, basically, as you go up in sea level, the air is less dense.
that's why its harder to breathe, and harder for a car to make power- there's less air "mass" per "volume" = density .
what does a turbo do? compresses air. thus, returning it to a more-dense state. so, once you're out of vacuum, and into boost, the difference, although still there, is hardly near as drastic as an all motor car suffers.
my best guess would be that he would run about .2 quicker and 2-3 mph quicker at sealevel- not the corrected huge jump as suggested.
that's why its harder to breathe, and harder for a car to make power- there's less air "mass" per "volume" = density .
what does a turbo do? compresses air. thus, returning it to a more-dense state. so, once you're out of vacuum, and into boost, the difference, although still there, is hardly near as drastic as an all motor car suffers.
my best guess would be that he would run about .2 quicker and 2-3 mph quicker at sealevel- not the corrected huge jump as suggested.
So wait.... I know the basic principle behind it, but I just wanted you to finish that thought. Good explanation, however... here's my thinking.
Sea level, a car with a turbo spools and runs a 13.5. The next day that same car with the turbo spools in Denver Colorado and only runs a 14.0.
Isn't the car in Denver still compressing a lesser amount of air than it would at sea level? You already have the 14.2 PSI at sea level ontop of the boost, but going into thinner air would mean you're spooling less even with the turbo working at the same psi. Right???
Sea level, a car with a turbo spools and runs a 13.5. The next day that same car with the turbo spools in Denver Colorado and only runs a 14.0.
Isn't the car in Denver still compressing a lesser amount of air than it would at sea level? You already have the 14.2 PSI at sea level ontop of the boost, but going into thinner air would mean you're spooling less even with the turbo working at the same psi. Right???
granted- but the turbo makes up for it.
at sea level, the ambient air is 1 bar, or 14.7 psi.
as you go up, this number drops... to say 14.2 where chris lives.
now, inorder to make 1 psi of boost, the turbo at sea level makes 1 psi.
in denver, its making 1.5 psi of boost, but due to the enviroment in which its in, its actually boosting the amount that would equal 1.5 psi at sea level, but is still registering as 1 psi, due to the elevation
at sea level, the ambient air is 1 bar, or 14.7 psi.
as you go up, this number drops... to say 14.2 where chris lives.
now, inorder to make 1 psi of boost, the turbo at sea level makes 1 psi.
in denver, its making 1.5 psi of boost, but due to the enviroment in which its in, its actually boosting the amount that would equal 1.5 psi at sea level, but is still registering as 1 psi, due to the elevation
dohcvtec_accord
WRX Sellout
No, definitely not.
A turbo won't work as efficiently up here at altitude.
Better yet, rather than me trying to explain this, read a post by my friend Mark, who is a mechanical engineer working in the aerospace field. He designs rockets for space travel, so you could say this is a reputable source.
http://www.clubwrx.net/forums/showthread.p...hlight=tech+air
A turbo won't work as efficiently up here at altitude.
Better yet, rather than me trying to explain this, read a post by my friend Mark, who is a mechanical engineer working in the aerospace field. He designs rockets for space travel, so you could say this is a reputable source.
http://www.clubwrx.net/forums/showthread.p...hlight=tech+air
lsvtec
GNU/Linux Evangelist
Awesome thread.
For a more concrete example, at Bandimere where Chris is running the NHRA rails are lucky to run under 7 seconds there. Where at sea level they can turn 4 second slips. Altitude affects boosted cars as well. Maybe not as much but it is still significant.
For a more concrete example, at Bandimere where Chris is running the NHRA rails are lucky to run under 7 seconds there. Where at sea level they can turn 4 second slips. Altitude affects boosted cars as well. Maybe not as much but it is still significant.
dohcvtec_accord
WRX Sellout
Close. The Top Fuel boys up here run in the high 5-second times up here, while down at sea level, they run in the high 4's. You might say that a whole second isn't all that much, but think of it this way: Their ET's are increasing by 25%. That should put it into a little better perspective.
The moral of the story is: While a turboed car has an advantage over a naturally aspirated car at sea level vs. high altitude, a turbo does not completely erase the effects of the thinner air.
The moral of the story is: While a turboed car has an advantage over a naturally aspirated car at sea level vs. high altitude, a turbo does not completely erase the effects of the thinner air.
whats up with that little bird everywhere? 
dohcvtec_accord
WRX Sellout
Long story. His name is Fritz, and he's the Mountain States pirate parrot. You'd have to read a bunch of the threads in there to get the idea.