To Boost or not to Boost?

Ever since owning a car I've been wondering whether I should boost it or keep it Naturally Aspirated (NA). Boosting is the pressurisation of the intake (boost pressure) to force more air (forced induction) into the motor to increase the motor's power output (through combustion). NA is simply that, the natural aspiration of the motor without forced induction.

The main reason for boosting is for more power. As more air is available for combustion, the motor can create more power when the correct amonut of fuel and timing is applied.

But there are also some hinderances including but not limited to:

• COST: adding a turbo isn't cheap for standard naturally aspirated cars. You'll need a whole lot of additional equipment as well as a lot of elbow grease to get it going. Costs rack up real quick.
• Can the motor handle it? In my opinion, most motors should be able to handle a small amount of boost provided it is tuned correctly, but doing so will limit its life due to the additional stress (don't underestimate the power of air pressure) and heat. If you want to make more serious power, the engine may need to be rebuilt and strengthened, which comes back to cost.
• Can the rest of the car handle it? With the added power you'll need to look at the whole car. Can your clutch or torque converter handle the additional power? How about your drivetrain? Brakes?

Changing your car's specification away from what it was designed and manufactured to has its consequences.

From adding boost, to even simply changing the airfilter; the car's dynamics will change and you will need to compensate in order to maximise the benefit of the modification.

Looking at the limiting factors, cost seems to be right up there. If you have the dosh and wanting some more power, why not? But if not, there's always other alternatives to going boosted!