---
title: "Watch This Open Turbo Setup Destroy Itself by Sucking Up a Shop Rag"
description: "That's why they make filters, folks."
date: "2017-10-25"
modified: "2017-10-26"
authors:
  - name: "Kyle Cheromcha"
    job_title: "Editor-in-Chief"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/kyle-cheromcha"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/watch-this/15466/watch-this-open-turbo-setup-destroy-itself-by-sucking-up-a-shop-rag"
categories:
  - "News"
  - "Watch This"
tags:
  - "Boost"
  - "dyno"
  - "Fail"
  - "filter"
  - "Turbo"
---

# Watch This Open Turbo Setup Destroy Itself by Sucking Up a Shop Rag

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/2017/10/crash-21.jpg>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com</em>*

An [exposed turbo](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/11401/this-2jz-swapped-jeep-wrangler-on-craigslist-is-unholy-in-the-best-way>) may not have the same cultural cache as a big ol' bug catcher intake, but there's a good reason most snails stay safely hidden away under the hood. After all, the whole point of a turbo is to cram massive amounts of air into the engine to boost its power. So what happens when a foreign object meets a turbine spinning at 150,000 RPM? Nothing pretty for either party, unfortunately.

A video [surfaced on Facebook](<https://www.facebook.com/gotboostofficial/videos/1670892922985003/>) this week showing exactly why most turbos are tucked away out of sight—and if they're exposed, you can bet they're usually covered with a filter or screen of some kind. It shows a faceless car's [dyno run](<https://www.thedrive.com/watch-this/10022/watch-this-6-second-nissan-gt-r-max-out-a-dyno-with-2700-horsepower>) that starts out great and [takes a turn for the tragic](<https://www.thedrive.com/watch-this/10582/watch-this-500-hp-honda-civic-destroy-itself-on-the-dyno>) when the turbo manages to pick up a shop rag right off a nearby bench. It hovers majestically in midair for a moment before being sucked into the blades and instantly vaporized.

The man behind the wheel immediately backs off the throttle, but some weird noises and a few puffs of smoke seem to confirm that some serious damage has been done. Apart from breaking the turbo, tiny bits of the rag also likely made it deep into the engine, possibly into the cylinders' combustion chambers. At the very least, the owner is probably looking at completely [rebuilding the turbocharger,](<https://www.thedrive.com/watch-this/10052/watch-how-turbochargers-are-made>) but an engine teardown may be necessary to make sure there are no hidden problems.

All this could have been avoided by using some sort of filter. Even a 50-cent piece of metal mesh with a ziptie (not officially recommended by anyone) could have prevented this from happening. Still, we thank whoever recorded this video for the great demonstration of just how much air a turbo takes in.

## Author
Overseeing an expert staff of writers and editors from his lair in Los Angeles, Kyle shapes The Drive’s singular approach to covering the automotive industry and car culture. He’s been with the site as a writer since 2017, taking over as editor in 2019. On a daily basis, Kyle is responsible for directing The Drive's editorial news and car review content strategies, setting special coverage priorities, managing complex reporting projects, and ensuring what you read on the page meets our high internal standards for quality and trustworthiness. He is also the executive producer of The Drive's YouTube channel, which was relaunched in February 2024 to great acclaim and has accumulated over 14M new views in its first year back on the scene. He hosts a biweekly series on the channel where he breaks down fascinating and complicated stories from the automotive world.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/kylecheromcha.bsky.social>)  
[Instagram](<https://www.instagram.com/kylecheromcha>)  
[LinkedIn](<https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-cheromcha-1550248a/>)