Customer Reviews

Turbo: Real-World High-Performance Turbocharger Systems (S-A Design)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Wow! This is a powerful book for anyone who is interested in turbos or for those who are contemplating a turbo upgrade or tuning project. This book is an excellent primer for those who are new to turbocharging, as well as those who've been around them a while.

For myself, this book helped me immensely by being able to seperate fact from fiction about everything I've heard about turbos. Up until now, I've been building my questionable knowledge base on Porshce tuning web forums. The color pictures, diagrams, sidebars, and easily understandable explanations really convey the wealth of information this author has to offer. His ability to explain them to somebody without a highly technical background is first class.

I was starting a turbo tuning project on my Porsche 911 Turbo, when I found Mr. Miller's book on Amazon. No need to get any others. If you have turbo questions or are looking for help in matching a turbo charger to your car, and understanding the benefits and avoidable risks associated with turbocharging-this is the book you want.

Daniel W.

I am an automotive instructor and have been looking for a good book that teaches about turbochargers for my students. I was perusing the site that contains the Automotive Media Awards for 2008 for any new good books, and I saw where this book, TURBO won a silver medal. To my knowledge, none of the other turbo-related books have won such an award. So I bought the book to see if it was what I was looking for, and it was. I like the way it's laid out, the way it was written without too much opinion, and the content is presented in a logical and progressive manner that makes it very educational as a text book and study guide. It's obvious it was written by a person who knows turbochargers, not a writer who studied turbos and then wrote about them. If you want to learn about turbochargers, from the inside out, this is the book. Speaking as an instructor, I can tell you this is the book I'll now use to teach my students.

After reading several other turbo books I found this bood to be a bit of an overview of the technology with alot of historical info. The calcs and definitions are in there, just req's alot of wading thru trivial stuff. I liked the Bell and Warner books better.

Great book. It has helped me understand turbos a great deal more. Searching the internet for information is ok, but having it all in one book is very handy. (Plus you know its good information!) I highly recommend this to anybody who is thinking about getting into turbocharged vehicles or is just curious about them.

Jay Miller's passion for turbos and turbo terminology is clearly revealed throughout this book. When introducing turbine housing and compressor cover nomenclature, he lets his readers know that, "...under no circumstances should either be called a snail!" Or when discussing turbine housing A/R ratios: "Many people call this an aspect ratio. I've never liked that term (it is incorrect). And development engineers don't use it. It's simply the A/R ratio."

True to the title of the book, Mr. Miller delivers a comprehensive turbo reference, and the chapters on turbo anatomy, manufacturers and nomenclature, maintenance and rebuilding, and failure analysis and troubleshooting are invaluable sources of pure turbo information. In addition, Mr. Miller emphasizes that the reason a turbo exists is to drive more air into the engine -- "...as a general rule, getting more fuel into an engine usually isn't the problem; getting enough air to burn it is." One of the book's strong suits is applying basic turbo knowledge to the relationship between turbos and the engines (diesel and gas) on which they're installed.

Turbo failure analysis and troubleshooting is of particular interest in the business I'm in, and the chapter devoted to this subject is among the most comprehensive sources I've ever found. As Mr. Miller notes, the objective is to teach a fundamental approach to failure analysis, "...so that corrective measures can be taken to avoid unnecessary repeats." The chapter continues with a step by step narration of the process of effective failure analysis and troubleshooting, including plenty of photographs of failed parts to complement the text.

Read this book from cover to cover if your goal is to learn everything you can about turbos, or, if you're looking to increase your knowledge about particular aspects of turbocharging, the descriptive chapter titles and subheadings make it easy to reference specific subjects. In any case, if you're interested in turbos and turbocharged engines, Mr. Miller has balanced technical accuracy with an easy to read and understand writing style.

I give this book 3 stars for technical content and one more for including some very useful compressor maps. A good book on the topic but by no means the best. If I were asked to rate it compared to other books I would give it third place behind mark warners street turbocharging in second and way out front in first is A. graham bells forced induction performance tuning.

Only book I could find with a great failure analysis procedure with illustrative photos. There are some other turbo books out there and they are good as well, but for FA this is a great pick.

Decent book about turbos. I wish there was more info about compressor mapping and vehicle application, but overall it is an interesting book. I was surprised how much I didn't know about turbos.

Really, really, a wonderful book. It's more than a textbook and even to be a practical guide of turbochargers' world.

This is a very nice technical book explaining all about forced induction using turbo. It covers every single element of the turbo charger, explained with high resolution photos and understandable language. As an addition the book shows how to rebuild failed turbo charger in great detail and also guiding you in choosing the right intercooler(aftercooler), Blow Off Valve, Waste Gate, Boost controller even which clamps are better in order to build the most reliable setup.
If you are the guy who is considering a turbo project, this nicely styled book will guide you all the way down to the first ear to ear smile driving your car ON BOOST!
Do not hesitate - it is a GREAT BOOK - just do it ;) WOSHSHSHSHSH