Who Killed The Twincharger?
VW’s 1.4 TSI “Twincharger” engine may well have been the most groundbreaking mass-market of the last 20 years, combining a supercharger and turbocharger to create a lag-free, forced-induction driving experience (a feat only Group B racers had previously attempted with any seriousness). Making either 120 HP or 158 HP in a Golf, the 1.4 TSI is rated on the Euro-cycle (non-EPA) at 6 liters per 100 km, or 39 MPG (please note, cross-cycle mileage comparisons are problematic). In the (smaller, lighter) 177 HP Polo GTI, it gets an even better 5.9l/100km. In short, it can be quite powerful, extremely efficient, and more importantly, it offers the flexibility to be tuned for a number of different applications. As a result, it won the International Engine Of The Year Award for 1.0-1.4 liter displacements four times running, and added “Best New Engine” in 2006, as well as “Green Engine Of The Year” and “International Engine Of The Year” in 2009.
And now, according to Autocar, the industry’s tortured tug-of-war between outstanding technical achievements and crushing profit-seeking grind will call the Twincharger its latest victim. The British mag reports
The company’s 1.4-litre engine, which mixes turbocharging and supercharging, is said to be too complex and expensive to produce.
Instead, VW engineers now believe that new turbocharging technology can achieve similar results at a much-reduced cost.
More by Edward Niedermeyer
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How much PSI does it generate, don't you reach a point of diminishing returns? Seriously how much boost (air) can one stuff into an engine before it blows up? A twincharger sounds like a good racing engine but overkill for a road car. As mentioned a good turbo works just fine. I've got a 1.8T VW Passat - 150hp / 160tq = 30 mpg. A CPU upgrade alone gives you north of 210hp: http://www.goapr.com/products/ecu_upgrade_passat18t.html
I was hoping that this method would lead to the creation of a single unit twincharger (the turbo/super in the same unit). By repositioning the turbo on the intake side in line with the belt / chain from the crank to provide the supercharger effect at low rpms then with some variable gearing /clutch to disengage the super and switch over to a turbo at higher rpm. This should save costs of being able to do twin charging but it seems to require some ingenious engineering.
The biggest problem with these engines has been the timing chain, it stretches and causes the engine to run poorly, and if not dealt with the engine will obviously be toast. Supposedly it has been updated at some point though. This is what a friend who works at a VW/Audi dealership told me. I've driven the Golf V TSI with the 170hp version of this engine. The 1.4TSI(122hp, no supercharger, just a turbo) in the Golf VI is more impressive though, considering the HP rating. And if it is indeed being phased out, it will takes years. Still used in at least the the Skoda Fabia, Seat Ibiza, VW Polo, Golf, Scirocco and Touran, and Audi A1, some of which have been introduced pretty recently.
My P-38 Lightning does just fine with this setup...