Understanding Turbocharger Trim Explained

Trim is a common term used when talking about or describing turbochargers. For example, you may hear

someone say "I have a GT2871R ' 56 Trim ' turbocharger. What is 'Trim ?' Trim is a term to express the

relationship between the inducer* and exducer* of both turbine and compressor wheels. More accurately, it is an

area ratio.

* The inducer diameter is defined as the diameter where the air enters the wheel, where as the exducer diameter

is defined as the diameter where the air exits the wheel.

Based on aerodynamics and air entry paths, the inducer for a compressor wheel is the smaller diameter. For

turbine wheels, the inducer it is the larger diameter (see Figure 1.)

Figure 1. I llustration of the inducer and exducer diameter of compressor and turbine wheels

Exam ple # 1 : GT2871R turbocharger (Garrett part number 743347-2) has a compressor wheel with the below

dimensions. What is the trim of the compressor wheel?

Inducer diameter = 53.1mm

Exducer diameter = 71.0mm

Exam ple # 2 : GT2871R turbocharger (part # 743347-1) has a compressor wheel with an exducer diameter of

71.0m m and a trim of 48. What is the inducer diameter of the compressor wheel?

Exducer diameter = 71.0mm

Trim = 48

The trim of a wheel, whether compressor or turbine, affects performance by shifting the airflow capacity. All other

factors held constant, a higher trim wheel will flow m ore than a smaller trim wheel.

However, it is important to note that very often all other factors are not held constant. So just because a wheel is

a larger trim does not necessarily mean that it will flow more.