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To the average racer, the black art of choosing the right turbocharger for a specific application is something akin to doing algebra with Roman numerals – frustrating, confusing, and full of terms that you simply don’t understand. Even if you don’t know a compressor map from Google Maps, though, there’s a solution on the way from Garrett Turbo [2] in the form of an app for the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad.
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Turns out those fancy devices from Cupertino happen to have pretty powerful computers hidden inside their glossy shells, and Garrett has harnessed that power to take the institutional wisdom of their engineering staff and condense it into a form that you can carry around in your pocket (unless you’re using an iPad, of course, in which case you will need oversized cargo pants at a minimum).
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The TurboCalc app takes the data you input on things like engine displacement, target horsepower, the type of intercooler you will be running, and even the average barometric pressure and temperature for your particular location, and turns that information into important factors like estimated pressure ratios, boost levels, intake air temps, and airflow in pounds per minute.
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With those critical numbers calculated, the app then does its real magic and provides a list of recommended Garrett turbochargers, which you can then select from to view compressor map information.
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When you’re done, you can post the results straight to Facebook, email them to yourself or your tuner/engine builder, or get a list of local distributors to take the next step and turn software into hardware. TurboCalc will be available soon in the iPhone app store for free download, so keep an eye out!
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