SEMA 2014: Boosting Your Way To The Head Of The Pack With BorgWarner

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It is always great when we see a tier one manufacturer entering into the aftermarket. They have such stringent quality and durability standards that the products they produce are always dependable. A couple of years ago, BorgWarner completely changed the game when it comes to turbocharger performance with their EFR or Engineered For Racing line of turbochargers.

IMG_2518The EFR line takes a “clean sheet” approach that was solely designed for the aftermarket. No longer were they trying to take proven technology and production ready parts and package them into something that would work well for us in the aftermarket. They sat down and came up with a list of everything they thought might be possible and would be great to have in an ideal world. Then as they started developing the line they managed to keep almost every single aspect of that list.

The resulting product line has just some amazing features that we could do an entire article on itself. Here is just a few bullet points:

  • Gamma-Ti turbine wheel (weights about the same as the compressor)
  • Stainless steel turbine housing
  • Dual ceramic ball bearings
  • Forged milled compressor wheels
  • Integrated compressor recirculation valve (a.k.a. blow off valve)
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BorgWarner was even displaying some experimental turbocharger designs. This tubine housing has a valve in it to direct the exhaust to one side of the volute for even better response.

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These chargers have made a huge impact in drifting as well as time attack. The response has been absolutely fantastic and with consumer demand being almost equal to production, finding one has been a little bit of a challenge. Now that BorgWarner is finally starting to get ahead of demand (a recent occurrence), they are expanding the line up to help with the ease of some installations. On the compressor side, they will be offering an optional compressor cover with a 90 degree outlet. This means that the outlet and inlet are parallel.

IMG_2508On the exhaust side, they have come up with a more compact design for the wastegate actuator for the wastegated turbine housings. They have, also, expanded their turbine housing options with a few different inlets (T-3, V-band and T-4).

Many of the bearing housings have been upgraded as well. Thanks to BorgWarner’s EFR line being the official turbocharger of Indy Car, they developed aluminum housings. These aluminum housings are starting to work their way into the EFR line and become available. Not only are these lighter, but these won’t rust and will always look good.

IMG_2208Other big news revealed comes from their AirWerks line.

The S200 and S300 lines have been overhauled and are being debuted at the show. Both sizes feature forged milled compressor wheels with new aerodynamic packages. The compressor covers and wheels have been jointly redesigned and optimized. The combination is able to outflow the previous designs start to finish.

IMG_2201In addition to the air path being redesigned, the compressor cover feature content has increased. There is now an embossed area for a wheel speed sensor that is 90 percent pre-machined. There is, also, a boost reference port that is mostly drilled as well. To use either the boost port or the speed sensor, the holes just need to be finished with a regular hand drill. No precision machining required.

This continual improvement from BorgWarner shows their commitment to the aftermarket. We as enthusiasts are excited to see this and as editors look forward to testing these new products on our upcoming projects.

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About the author

Chad Westfall

With diesel running through his veins from childhood, Chad has more than a decade of experience in the automotive industry. From editorial work to wrenching, there isn’t much he hasn't conquered head-on. When he’s not writing and shooting trucks and tech, you’ll find him in the shop working on turning the ideas floating around in his head into reality.
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