First let’s bring the overall picture of what is turbo lag? Turbo lag is a problem with the turbocharged engines and it can be easily described as when you press the gas pedal and you don’t experience the desired boost and increase of power to instantly launch the vehicle. Sounds like a frustrating thing when you expect an instant boost, doesn’t it?

But, no worries that’s why we are here to bring you closer what causes the turbo lag and how to be fixed. The turbocharged engines work this way: The air comes through the air intake filter of the turbo, then continues to the turbo intercooler where the air is cooled and next is transferred to the cylinder where the internal combustion happens. When more air is delivered to the cylinder more gas can be burned and that means more power. That’s why the turbo charged engines are pushing you back when you hardly press the gas pedal, basically with that you are feeding the engine with the right ingredients through the turbo.

So, what causes the turbo lag? Our good friend YouTube user Engineering Explained is here to tell you all. When the throttle is not pressed there is not so much air going into the cylinders and there is not so much exhaust gas going through the exhaust turbine. The exhaust turbine is connected with the intake turbine and it will try to move the both with the help of the exhaust gas. When the throttle is open (pressed) more air flows to the engine and the pressure in the exhaust turbine is increasing and that causes the intake turbine to spin and deliver even more air into the engine. This is a process which takes some amount of time, this amount of time is called the turbo lag.

Watch the video bellow to see how this process exactly occurs and how to prevent it.