

| Subject: | Re: Oops, inline 4s, was invention of the WBX? |
| From: | Don Hanson |
| Date: | Fri, 13 Feb 2009 13:25:37 -0500 |
Hey, one thing to keep in mind when you talk about HP and turbos...Turbos do not suffer much from HP loss at altitude, so. Anyone who's done much driving above about 4500' above sea level knows that your Normally Aspirated motor loses a lot of power up there. So, 70-some HP that stays there all the while, despite climbing up mountain passes...that will seem pretty strong despite the low number.. I've not owned a turbo but I gather that they will take "boost" to the same point no matter what the altitude because most are controlled by some type of waste gate or pop-off valve system which measures the internal pressure to a set level at altitude or sea level. The normally aspirated inline diesel at altitude? Woefully underpowered almost to the point of danger. Even fully loaded 18-wheelers can get up a grade better than a Diesel Westy full of stuff and people...The one time I rode in one, we had 4 quite close calls (in just over 10 miles) from irate California drivers executing very unsafe passes while we crawled up a windy but not very steep grade. Scary stuff... Don Hanson
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