Explaining forced induction to a youngster is like explaining the joy of motorcycling to your wife. Words don't work. You need first-person experience.
So after explaining supercharger/turbocharger boost to my 10-year-old son a couple weeks ago (with minimal success) I decided it was time for a first-person experience. Strapped into our Nissan GT-R's passenger seat I dialed up the custom LCD screen that displayed brake and throttle application, plus boost level, speed and G-force tracking.
After a short reminder of what the boost gauge was tracking ("This is the amount of air pressure being pushed into the combustion chamber.") I told my young Padawan to watch the throttle position and boost gauges. "You'll see the throttle gauge suddenly go from zero to 100 percent, and then you'll see the boost gauge follow. You'll also notice a change in the GT-R's forward momentum."
Like I said, talking about forced induction is one thing. Seeing it visually displayed on a gauge while simultaneously feeling it throughout your body is something else.
I'm happy to report that when it comes to understanding the benefits of forced induction my son definitely "gets it." And unlike the wife's opinion of motorcycling, he's not terrified by it.
Next on the lesson plan: Why lateral G-forces are cool.
Thank you, Nissan, for the helpful visual aids
Karl Brauer, Edmunds.com Editor in Chief @ 19,223 miles
cwmoo740 says:
05:56 PM, 04/28/09
Too bad you don't have a naturally aspirated GT-R for him to compare it with. +1 for the bad-ass parenting, by the way.
altimadude00 says:
06:41 PM, 04/28/09
350Z is naturally aspirated. It's like a GT-R Jr.
DLu says:
06:56 PM, 04/28/09
the kid's gonna be addicted. ;)
billt9 says:
07:00 PM, 04/28/09
Cultivating this level of addiction, daddy will be missing a big chunk of change when young Padawan grows to 16 years old.
tantan73 says:
09:20 PM, 04/28/09
"You'll also notice a change in the GT-R's forward momentum."
HA!
estreka says:
12:24 AM, 04/29/09
When my mom remarried, I instantly turned my newly-acquired younger step-siblings into car nuts.
I never miss an opportunity to create little engineers.
mrryte says:
05:22 AM, 04/29/09
Lead him the right way Obi-Wan; lest he be seduced by the dark side of the Force...
(translation: let him learn about cars the right way and not from "The Fast & Furious" or other idiotic racing movies....)
ahightower says:
06:34 AM, 04/29/09
Sweet. Think I could convince my wife that I need one for its educational value?
audisport says:
06:42 AM, 04/29/09
Just don't teach him any cheesy Vin Diesel one liners.
wobbly_ears says:
07:39 AM, 04/29/09
My dad & I still talk about cars most of the time. (Which drives my mom & my wife crazy, as they feel left out. I can't ever thank my dad for training me the right way, driving being one of them.
Never discount the role dads have in a child's life.
Keep at it Karl, your son would thank you later. (Btw, don't care too much about the wife being scared. Is there anything women aren't scared when it comes to their kids?? Sheesh!)
blueguydotcom says:
08:01 AM, 04/29/09
Never forget my first experience doing 140 in a car. I was 16 and my dad's lifelong friend, a massive car buff who worked fir Indy/Cart racing, took my out in his customized Mustang. He'd added a 460 to it, a special tranny and made all sorts of adjustments to the fuel lines/suspension. Wow what an experience. Car was crazy fast and it fed the beast.
Years later doing 140+ on the Autobahn I reflected on how insanely inefficient his car was at 140-150. We burned through well over a quarter of a tank of gas in a few miles of driving. In my 3 series I just chugged along get 25+.
felonious says:
08:32 AM, 04/29/09
I love being a dad, and a car guy. Thanks for the good story. :)
dips200 says:
10:37 AM, 04/29/09
Lateral G's, huh? So I take it you'll be signing out the Challenger, M3, G8, et. al. and showing the youngster some power slides? That first one is always a little scary. After he gets over it he'll be hooked. When I finally have kids I hope that it won't be a conservative all electric world. That sounds like a great bonding experience.
apexing says:
09:26 AM, 04/30/09
Ah...how timely to read this posting, as just yesterday I explained forced induction figuratively and then visually using the GT-R's display to my 11 & 14 year olds. Then we did a few WOT launches. I don't know who had more fun.