TURBOCHARGER SPEED SENSORS

In many motorsport applications, a dedicated turbocharger speed sensor is used to accurately measure how fast the turbo is spinning. This tells the driver and his or her engineers how much boost is being produced at any given time, and is of particular significance at high altitude, such as Pikes Peak, the highest summit of the southern front range of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. Standing more than 4,300 metres tall, air pressure at the famous hill climb venue is close to 580 millibars, which means a turbocharger needs to spin almost twice as fast as when producing the same level of boost at ground level. Ordinarily, such fast operation would result in catastrophic mechanical failure, but with a turbo speed sensor fitted, the host vehicle’s ECU can make the necessary alterations to maintain safe operation.