A turbocharged engine is an internal combustion engine that uses a turbocharger, a forced induction device powered by the flow of exhaust gases, to compress the intake air and force more air into the engine in order to produce more power for a given displacement. The turbocharger is connected to the exhaust manifold of the engine, and exhaust gases enter the turbocharger and spin the turbines within. The turbines then suck air into the compressor, which forces the air into the engines cylinders. The more air passing through the cylinders, the more power the engine can produce.

Turbocharged engines can have up to 50% more air flowing through them than traditional engines, which means that they can be smaller than traditional engines but still produce the same amount of power. This is what gives turbocharged vehicles their ability to quickly and powerfully accelerate.

Turbos are composed of a shaft with a turbine wheel on one end and a compressor wheel on the other. These are covered by a snail-shaped housing featuring an inlet port, which the wasted exhaust gases enter at a high pressure. As the air passes through the turbine, the turbine spins and the compressor turns with it, drawing in vast quantities of air which are compressed and passed out of the outlet port. A pipe feeds this compressed air back into the cylinders via an intercooler, which cools the air before it reaches the cylinders. As turbos run at such high speeds (up to 250,000 RPM), they typically have an oil cooling system to make sure they don’t run too hot. Most systems also contain a valve known as a ‘wastegate’, which is used to divert excess gas away from the turbocharger when the engine produces too much boost, preventing damage to the turbine by limiting its rotational speed.

In summary, a turbocharged engine is a type of internal combustion engine that uses a turbocharger to compress the intake air and force more air into the engine to produce more power.