Turbo Manifold Designs

A look at log, tubular, and twin-scroll manifolds.

Contributed by: Enginebasics.com

When it comes to turbo manifold design there is actually

a lot more to it then just connecting all of the exhaust
ports together to feed the turbo. The reality is there is a lot
more physics at play. The exhaust flow, pressure, and
runner length are all very important in deciding the many
characteristics that make up a turbocharged car. Hopefully
this article will be able to give you the basics to
understanding what is involved with the designs of
different turbo manifolds.

Basics of Turbo Manifolds

The idea behind a turbo manifold is to collect all of the

exhaust gases from the motor to a common turbo flange
where the turbo may be bolted. The following are the
basics that can be changed to control the characteristics of
a given manifold.

1. Runner volume based on runner pipe/tube

size.

2. Collector angle towards turbo flange

3. Runner length

4. Wastegate placement

1. Runner Volume

Runner volume needs to be considered when building a

turbo manifold. While a larger runner diameter does
facilitate lower exhaust backpressure for better flow on the
top-end, it does cause a lower exhaust velocity. A lower
exhaust velocity will cause longer spool times, and less
transient response out of the turbo.

2. Collector Angle

The collector angle is important in dialing in how the

exhaust gasses will come together and merge before the
turbo. The less the angle the better the flow, but often
times the space you have to work with will dictate the
collector design. While a proper collector is important, it is
not as important as the individual runners design, so better
to give up some angle on the collector if it gives you an
advantage on the runner design.

3. Runner Length

This is arguably one of the most important factors. First

would be to make sure that the runners are as equal
length as possible. The idea being that the exhaust pulses
will be spaced out evenly and arriving at the turbine wheel
on the turbo at there own time in the firing order. If they
arrive sooner or later, they may interfere with the exhaust
pulses from the next firing cylinder. Next, a longer runner
manifold will have better flow up top, while a shorter
manifold can yield a faster spool, with also less transient
lag. This is only a small description. The importance
of runner length has been fully discused in the article
called: Short vs Long runner length exhaust manifolds.

4. Wastegate Placement

The wastegate should be placed in a location where it can

be fed by all of the exhaust runners. It also needs to be
able to receive good flow from the runners. The idea
behind this is that the better the wastegate can flow, the
better it can control boost and keep you from getting
spikes or over boosting.

Common Types of Turbo Manifolds

There are two main types of turbo manifolds with many

renditions of each of them.

1. Log Manifold

The log type manifold is the most economical manifold on

the market. They are almost bullet proof when it comes to
reliability and they are the most compact manifolds
available. Most manifolds you find on factory turbocharged
cars are log type manifolds. This is understandable when
you figure a manufacturer is all about reliability. When it
comes to performance, a log manifold will leave you
wanting. All of the exhaust gases flow into a common
plenum where they often collide with each other causing a
lot of turbulence before the turbo. This hurts the turbo’s
performance and hurts the motors performance as well
being that a log manifolds common plenum is so close to
the other cylinders, it causes a lot of back flow of exhaust.

2. Tubular Manifold

A tubular manifold is one that is custom made for that

particular users goal for the car. Most road racing cars will
build an avg. runner, equal length manifold that will
support great flow characteristics throughout the entire rev
range. A car being set-up for drag racing will use a long
runner tubular manifold, which will favor flow in the upper
rev range. Tubular manifolds are VERY efficient when
compared to a log manifold. They offer superior flow
characteristics, and offer less back flow of exhaust gases
back into the motor. Now for the negative……tubular
manifolds are often prone to cracking causing them to lose
points in the reliability column. For those focused on
getting the most performance they can, a tubular manifold
is a must.

a. Single scroll Manifold

 single scroll on right, twin scroll on left.

A single scroll manifold is one where all the exhaust

runners come to a common collector where they enter the
turbocharger. Also all the runners share a common
wastegate to expel exhaust gases. This is the most
common type of tubular manifold.

b. Twin Scroll or divided Manifold

A twin scroll manifold is designed for the most

ideal exhaust flow a motor can offer. These manifolds are
built so that runners that come together are paired to
be 180 degrees apart from each other on their firing order.
This is done so that there is little chance of exhaust flow
interference from another cylinders exhaust gases. This not
only helps the motor to better expel its exhaust, but also
helps to keep the exhaust velocity as high as possible,
aiding in the turbochargers spool and the
motors torque output. A twin scroll manifold must be used
with a turbo that is equipped with a twin scroll housing
that keeps the exhausts divided all the way to the turbo’s
exhaust wheel. To truly do this, separate wastegates
should be used as well as keeping each side fully divided.
While this might be one of the best flowing set-ups when it
comes to turbo manifolds, it is also the most expensive.
While the gains are noticeable, a well-built single scroll
tubular manifold can perform almost as well. One should
weigh the costs before deciding whether to go with a single
or twin scroll manifold.

As you can see there is a lot more to a turbo manifold than

meets the eye. This is only just the basics of turbo
manifolds. There is a lot of physics that goes into designing
the perfect manifold, but hopefully this article has given
you the basics you need to understand the pro’s and con’s
of each manifold and which manifold would be best for
you. If you have any comments or questions be sure to
contact us.

For information and a how to on building your own turbo

manifold, follow the link below:
Long tube vs Short tube
header manifold Design

A look at how the design of a tubular or log

based manifold effects performance of an
engine, turbocharged or N/A.
Contributed by: Enginebasics.com

In a previous article we discussed building a turbo

manifold. We talked about the pro’s and con’s of different
types of manifolds from log manifolds, to tubular. In this
article we are going to take a closer look at the importance
of runner length.
Recently Mazda has released a new turbocharged motor
with technology called “Sky Technology”. While this motor
has many innovations that improve efficiency, one of them
is the motors high compression ratio. At 14:1 running on
pump gas it is quite amazing. Recently the motor was
released in the U.S. but sadly the compression ratio was
dropped to 13:1. When asked about why the compression
was dropped for the American version Mazda said: “We
were unable to fit the long tube turbo header on the
American versions causing us to have to lower the
compression”. REALLY…..so manifold design plays a pretty
big roll in not only exhaust flow but many other things as
well.
How tuning of manifold runner lengths changes things:

1. How responsive the turbocharger is.

2. How much exhaust reversion the engine experiences.

3. Exhaust flow.

4. Detonation Suppression.

Lets take some time to talk about each of these topics:

1. How responsive the turbocharger is

The longer the manifold runner length, the more area that
needs to be filled by exhaust gasses to build the pressure
and heat required to spin the turbine of the turbocharger.
Short tube header manifolds, with their small runner areas
are excellent at transferring the energy of the combustion
of fuels in the engine to the turbine. This allows the turbo
to spool several RPM sooner than a long tube manifold.

2. How much exhaust reversion the engine experiences.

One of the problems with short runner length manifolds is

that they suffer in the power department when it comes to
all out peak HP. This is mainly due to something called
exhaust reversion. Exhaust reversion is when exhaust
heading out of the combustion chamber in the exhaust
manifold reverses direction, and heads back towards the
combustion chamber. This causes exhaust gases to not
completely evacuate the cylinder. The cylinder will
therefore have not only less room for clean air and gas to
enter the chamber when the intake valve opens, but also
that air will be hotter and more prone to pre-ignition and
detonation. Longer tube manifolds help to keep the
exhaust gases flowing in the right direction and don’t allow
reversion from cylinders to other cylinders. One of the
huge benefits of a twin scroll divided set-up is that it pairs
exhaust runners who are 180 degrees apart from each
other in their firing order together. This cuts WAY down on
exhaust reversion. For example, on a four-cylinder motor
you would pair cylinder 1 with 4 and 2 with 3.

3. Exhaust flow

Longer tube headers before the turbo allow for more area
before the restriction of the turbine wheel of the turbo.
This added area allows for more expansion and flow of the
hot exhaust gases. This increase in area provides you flow
just like going from a 2” to 3” exhaust ads exhaust area
and gains exhaust flow.

4. Detonation Suppression

Longer tube headers allow for more exhaust flow and

hinder exhaust reversion. This helps in controlling
combustion cylinder temperatures by allowing more area
for fresh cool air to enter the combustion chamber. Since
cylinder temperatures directly correlate to detonation, it is
important to keep them as cool as possible.

Long tube vs short tube turbo header design

So it looks like you have choices to make when it comes to

designing or picking out a turbo manifold. The length and
design of the manifold will greatly control the
responsiveness of the turbo, and the compression
or ignition timing you will be able to run without causing
detonation or pre-ignition. Short tube headers will provide
a fast responsive turbo, while a long tube header, like the
one on the Mazda sky motor, will allow you to run higher
compression, more advanced timing, and have higher
exhaust flow. There is no best option here as it really
depends on what you’re going for with your set-up.
Whatever you choose, now you can make an educated
decision for your goals.
How to build a Turbo
Manifold
Contributed by: Enginebasics.com

The following is a short article on the steps to take to build

your own turbo manifold. The following was build for a 4
cyl motor that was going to be using a divided ( twin scroll
) type set-up. It took roughly 20 hours to build.

The first thing to do is to get the header flange and

the turbo flange that you will be using. Their are many
times where a header flange is not offered for your
particular engine, in which case you will have to build one.
The easiest way is to take an exhaust manifold gasket
and trace it out onto ¼” mild steel. Then cut out the design
with a plasma torch leaving yourself space to grind down
and match the design perfectly after you have cut it
entirely out.

As for the turbo flange, most fabrication companies sell the

turbo flanges of the major turbo flange designs. These
would be the T3, T4, T6, and Mitsubishi inlets. These
flanges should also be purchased in mild steel in ¼” size.
Be sure at this point to decide if you need a single entry or
twin entry design.

The next step is to construct the collector. Some argue this

to be one of the most complicated steps. You must decide
not only your collector’s length, but the entry angles of the
pipe into the collector. If this is your first manifold that you
are building, you may want to purchase a pre-cut collector.
Once the collector is welded to the turbo inlet you can
begin to design the manifold. I would suggest using
Stainless Steal SS 304L Sch10 Weld El Pipe for a turbo
manifold. I have found to have the least amount of
cracking going with the thick pipe instead of tube. If your
worried about the weight, then using SS tubing can be
used, but be sure to use a slip-joint at the collector to help
avoid cracking.

STEP 1.

Take some ¼” rod and position the turbo collector where

you want the turbo to sit in not only location but angle as
well. With the rod, weld the collector in place to the header
flange so that between the flange and the collector,
nothing will be able to move. Also, be sure to bolt the
header flange down to a large piece of metal or a spare
head so that as you weld on the flange it doesn’t warp and
make it impossible to seal on the engine.

Step 2.

Measure and look for all obstacles that you will have to
avoid while building the manifold. Some fabricators will
actually tack in small wire to show obstructions to avoid. I
usually just construct a design on graph paper showing
how much room I have to work with in building the
manifold.

Step 3.
Begin to lay out the first runner. Remember that your goal
is to make all the runners as equal in length as possible, so
the length of this first runner will decide the length of all
the runners. Try your best to make the runner have as few
bends as possible and to keep the gaps on manifold tight.
Do not fully weld the joint but instead tack them in 2-3
places that are easy to get to if you need to break them
and make some tweaks or changes.

Step 4.

Lay out all other runners keeping a close eye on the length
and bends doing your best to have each runner have the
same amount of bends and length.
Step 5.

Now with the fully tacked manifold, place it on the motor

and check that everything fits and there are no
obstructions. Also make sure there is room to add
the wastegate or gate’s on the manifold.

Step 6.

Once completed with all the runners begin planning which

runners you will remove to begin welding. On a 4 cylinder I
find removing cylinders 1 and 3, or 2 and 4, to give me the
most room to weld. Weld the two removed cylinders on a
table and weld the other two cylinders runners on the
manifold itself. Then weld in the two removed runners to
the manifold. Be sure to back-purge the set-up as you are
welding so you don’t get sugaring inside the runners and
weaken the welds.

Step 7.

Lay out wastegate if building a manifold to support an

external wastegate. The wastegate should be placed in the
collector where all cylinders have access to the gate.
Remember to bias flow to the wastegate or spiking may
occur in your boost control. Once laid out fully and tacked,
weld the wastegate plumbing onto the collector.
Step 8.

Bolt the turbo and wastegate onto the manifold and make
sure everything fits on the engine. Now step back and
admire your work of art.
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