Quote:
Originally Posted by chonko
True that you gain HP in cold temperatures
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Not significantly in a turbo engine. The turbo is capable of compressing incoming air much more than it is allowed to do. If the air is warm, the ECU simply allows a higher turbo pressure to pump the full
mass of air into the engine. If the air is cold, the turbo pressure is limited to that which once again provides the ideal air
mass. The ambient temperature would have to be well over 100F before you detected any difference in horsepower, and that would just be because the intercoolers have a finite ability to cool the compressed air.
Turbos compensate in the same way for altitude, so turbocharged engines develop the same horsepower at height as they do at sea level. In case you missed the bold text
, it is all to do with air
mass, which is independent of temperature or pressure.