Porsche 718 S Uses Old Tech to Reduce Turbo Lag
Porsche looks to commercial diesel truck technology to solve a decades-old problem.
As good as the new Porsche 718 S Cayman and Boxster are, nobody is really a fan of their new preferred choice of powerplant. Yes, we’re talking about those pesky turbocharged four-cylinder engines. In fact, the new downsized, boosted mill is really the only bone anyone has to pick with the otherwise excellent mid-engine sports car. But regardless of how you feel about the four banger, you can’t deny that it’s a fascinating little engine.
Mainly because of how the turbo operates, mind you. The variable-geometry hair dryer features vanes on the inlet wheel that open and shut mechanically. During normal driving at low RPMs, those vanes are almost completely closed. This effectively accelerates otherwise slow-moving exhaust gasses by creating a narrower path. Like placing your finger partially over a garden hose, this decreases dreaded turbo lag.
As you’ve probably figured out by now, those same vanes open up at higher RPMs, reducing that restriction. And it’s all controlled by a telescoping piece in between the inlet and the compressor. That handy part adjusts the position of the vane constantly and rapidly – up to 10 times per second.
Now, this technology isn’t exactly anything new. It’s been around for decades, mostly in commercial diesel applications. But interestingly enough, the smart guys in Stuttgart claim that the Porsche 718 S and 911 Turbo are the only two production gasoline-powered cars to have ever used it. Why that is, we have no clue. But it certainly works in the real-world, as both cars exhibit much less lag than your average turbocharged automobile.
It’s also proof that Porsche isn’t afraid to do whatever is necessary to build the ultimate performance machine. They don’t concern themselves with silly things like physics. They just go out and figure out a way around it. Even if that means adopting old school commercial truck technology.
