DJR91 said:
General problem with turbos is lag.
Turbo lag is the result of using an engine with two torque curves. BTW, seldom mentioned for some reason but superchargers have their lag also. Both take time to spin up and effect the load on the engine. Examining the torque curves of an engine shows there is not an appreciable power loss during torque curve transition so the "problem" is all about instantaneous boost.
DJR91, Put the marketing hype and the writers easy topic to witch about aside and ask yourself this, "There are ways to that turbo lag could be greatly reduced or even done away with entirely but it isn't, why?" You are examining the potential of using the non-induced ram air intake which has been reliably shown to you to have little effect on turbo lag. Why not just examine ways to always have the turbo ready at a predetermined potential? Even the lag that would come from moving the induced boost from the turbo to the intake has workable solutions.
Then again you can increase torque by increasing displacement but in racing Ferrari and GM have both proven the limits with this option.
Have you considered that turbo lag may be a good condition? First consider this though, is lag really lag? Lag implies a time delay between action and reaction. The only time the compressor surge line flat lines is when it's induced to operate below the designed minimum airflow. Turbo lag is really the time it takes for the turbo to go from minimum design specs to deliver the boost the accelerator is demanding. Again when graphed the time taken to deliver all the boost demanded is a constant rise when transitioning between the engines two torque curves. Turbo response is almost instantaneous and adding boost, just not the full demand.
What you need to look for is the studies done where the boost was instantaneously available when demanded. Consider the effects instantaneous boost might have on an engine. What's the added fatigue and failure rates of components effected by instantaneous boost? Would overcoming the added stresses of instantaneous boost require materials prohibited in most racing or would there be enough interest from consumers to justify offering production street cars with engines designed and built to meet the requirements of instantaneous boost?
It might help to look into NOS and how it's used. It's use is limited to full throttle conditions but most street cars with let's say a 250 HP system don't start with the full 250 HP shot. They'll start with maybe a 50 HP shot and build up to the full shot. Rebuilding engines is expensive for most people and it takes the car off the road. There are also limits to how many times an engine can reliably be rebuilt.
Finally look into what is being done to maximize turbo lag efficeincy and overall turbine efficiency like variable geometry turbines and changing blade camber designs.
It's cool that you are questioning what is because that's where the new and better ideas come from. The place to start sometimes though is with looking at what has been tried, what's being studied and tested now and then consider what's being missed. I guarantee there are ideas being missed.
