6 Reasons Why N/A Is Better Than Forced Induction

Petrolheads love forced induction because it's one of the easiest ways to boost modest power to mad power quickly. Despite the power benefits of adding a supercharger or turbocharger, there are those who still prefer to keep their engines naturally aspirated, and these are the reasons why...

1. The purity of sound
Ever since the first production turbocharged cars came out, petrolheads have been intoxicated by the whoosh of a spooling turbo. Equally, the high-pitched whine of a supercharger is hard to ignore! 

However, the clean sound of an N/A car revving right the way up through the range is spectacular, especially for purists. As you step on the gas, you hear the induction noise start to build from a low thrum all the way to a distinctive wail. No amount of boost will ever be able to replace the honest scream that comes from an N/A motor.

2. Ease and peace of mind
Most forced induction cars are developed to the point where the boost is reliable, but at the back of everyone's mind is "can my internals still hold this boost" or "what if I blow the welds on my intake?".

With a naturally-aspirated car you don't worry as much. That's not to say that all N/A cars will live forever; it's just that N/A engines have fewer parts to go bad. And if there's something we all agree on , it's that the open road is better than digging chunks of turbine out of your exhaust system.

3. Linear power delivery
When a turbocharged car accelerates, the turbo starts to spool and the boost builds. Power isn't delivered all at once, but instead keeps getting stronger until it hits its predetermined threshold. What this means is that the level of acceleration you get at half throttle can change dramatically in half a second. 

This occasionally volatile trait (especially mid corner) can be avoided with a small turbo that doesn't have large amounts of lag, but it's only a reduction of the effect as opposed to it being completely removed.

You may now be thinking, "superchargers don't do this because they're powered by the engine". And while this is true, the throttle response is still sharper than an N/A car, which means that you won't have the precise throttle control you need.

4. Stealth factor
A car powered by forced induction can never lay the claim to ultimate stealth. There's no doubt that nearly every great sleeper on this  earth is powered by a giant turbo or a blown V8, but those that know, know.

It's not hard to hear the whine of a supercharger or the spool  of a turbo, which to me only means one thing: it's not a proper sleeper.  Getting high bhp figures from an N/A engine is very difficult, but where's the fun in taking the easy route? A built naturally-aspirated engine, then, is the ultimate sleeper.

5. Higher redline
Tuning has allowed many parts of a car to be improved, including the ability to take the rev range higher. In a naturally-aspirated car, the amount of air that it can bring into the cylinders is proportional to the amount of revs it can get through. So the longer the cylinder is open, the more air it can bring in, causing it to rev higher. On the other hand, a turbo car that sucks air in doesn't need to explore the higher revs as much as the N/A car, thus making its power lower down in the rev range. 

So if a turbo can make power more easily than a naturally-aspirated car, why does that make N/A better? Simple: in the car world, we are so often swayed not by the best decision on paper, but how the car makes us feel. A high revving engine is so much more rewarding, as you have to squeeze every last drop out of the rev range to be able to get the most out of the engine.

It may not be the most efficient method, but it's hard to deny how addictive it is to be on the limit! 

6. Cost
Cars with forced induction cost more to run. Fact. And then there's the installation to remember if your car doesn't already have a turbo or supercharger, which can set you back thousands of dollars.

N/A cars might not be as fast in a straight line, but if budget constraints mean you're choosin
g between forced induction and a decent set of coilovers, always go with the latter!