High quality component: what is a ball bearing turbocharger?

Thermal energy is converted into kinetic energy in the turbocharger, and the thermal energy is used to drive the turbocharger's compressor wheel. The compressor wheel compresses the air that was drawn in from the air filter. The engine has more air available for combustion. The turbocharger ensures better combustion. How quickly a turbocharger draws in also depends on the turbocharger shaft. A distinction is made here between ball-bearing turbochargers and slide-bearing turbochargers. In the following, the ball-bearing turbocharger is discussed in more detail and the advantages of the variant are explained.

Ball-bearing turbocharger - what can it do?

A turbocharger with ball bearings can build up high pressure in a short time even with small amounts of exhaust gas. The ball-bearing turbocharger reacts faster than other variants and delivers the fresh air required for combustion faster. Even when there is a load change, boost pressure is built up quickly, which significantly reduces the risk of turbo lag. A ball bearing turbocharger is recommended for small engines. Furthermore, the turbocharger variant is also interesting for tuners, because the pressure can build up quickly, so that the driver can quickly feel the performance.

What is a plain bearing turbocharger?

In the case of a slide-bearing turbocharger, the shaft is in a bearing bush. When the oil supply is running, an oil film forms between the shaft and bush. As a result, the shaft becomes smoother. However, the performance is built up more homogeneously and is not there in one fell swoop, as is the case with a ball-bearing turbocharger. For this, a loader with sliding technology can be repaired and bearing and shaft damage can be revised by means of repair. This is not the case with a ball bearing turbocharger. The structure of the ball bearing is complex and repair or repair is usually out of the question for ball bearing turbochargers.

What to look for when buying a turbocharger?

Whichever Turbo Alder a tuner chooses, the turbocharger must fit the vehicle and the size of the exhaust and fresh gas side should be taken into account. For example, if the exhaust side is too large for a small engine, the exhaust side fills up too slowly and the response behavior is reduced. If the exhaust side is too small, the temperatures are too high and the exhaust side subsequently receives cracks. This leads to the exhaust side becoming leaky and the turbocharger can consequently break. At the same time, an exhaust gas backflow increases the engine temperature and problems with the thermals can occur. The choice of the right turbocharger is therefore crucial.

Ball-bearing turbocharger - interesting for tuners

The ball-bearing turbocharger is not intended for repair, but can make sense for tuners due to the rapid build-up of pressure. With a ball bearing turbocharger, the performance is there suddenly and in general this variant is more effective. The loaders are offered for example in specialist shops and the interested tuner can choose the right model according to the vehicle, purpose and tuning target. When buying, attention should be paid to quality and high-quality workmanship. Tuning workshops and tuning forums can possibly help with the choice. PS: You can find even more information in our large turbocharger special!

We hope that you the info report on the topic / term ball bearing turbocharger (further names / keywords: BallBearing turbocharger, plain bearing turbocharger) from the field of autotuning.