Maximum Boost: Designing, Testing, and Installing Turbocharger Systems (Engineering and Performance)

It lived up to the expectations. It tries to cover everything about tuning turbocharged engines, so not every aspect is as detailed as the next. Still a great buy, although the images look a bit old fashioned.

I've owned and driven a turbo designed car for many years. I've read a number of articles here and there and had a number of conversations, all aimed at getting an understanding of how my car worked. This book really is a concise, yet thorough, explanation of a turbo-charged engine. A discussion of the competing dynamics that are at work and what one can do to influence those dynamics. The author has provided a ton of math, so the technically inclined can use the formulas and explanations to guide their own tuning. But the book is also practical in it's explanations, not just theoretical. I drive an older Saab and I came away from the book with a real appreciation for how much great science went into the design of my car.

A little outdated as far as modern advances. But has all the basics and is still a must read starting point.

I realize that Corky Bell is one of the most recognized authorities on turbocharging, but I think that this book is fairly outdated by now and does not give adequate coverage of today's modern, computer controlled vehicles. The books most recent publication is listed as 1997. Think of how much cars have changed over the last decade. It looks like over time he has attempted to keep it timely, but even these are outdated now and are incorporated merely as footnotes to each chapter. I also hate to admit such a non-scientific, emotional response, but looking at a bunch of photos of cars and engines from decades ago just doesn't motivate me to go out and modify my car.

The book does provide a good overview of turbocharging and how it works. I do think it will serve as a good primer for people. However, I am looking forward to buying some of the more recent publications out there.

This book is very useful for the average enthusiast. I'm a mechanical engineer, so much of the technical discussion was easy for me to understand, however none of it was so complex that a non-technical person couldn't grasp it extremely quickly. Very helpful and useful for those attempting to understand turbochargers and their set up and installation. Before you get into any project, you have to understand the foundations and the big picture before you can understand the details. This is the perfect book to familiarize almost anyone with the overall design, installation, and function of turbochargers.