When you start researching performance car modifications, one acronym you’ll see pop up frequently is FBO. But what exactly does FBO mean when referring to cars? FBO stands for “Factory Blown/Built.”
Factory Blown The “blown” part of FBO refers to factory turbocharged or supercharged cars from the manufacturer. This could include popular performance models like:
- Subaru WRX/STI (turbocharged)
- Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 (supercharged)
- Volkswagen Golf R (turbocharged)
- Dodge Challenger Hellcat (supercharged)
These cars come boosted straight from the factory to provide greater power and acceleration from the factory engine when compared to naturally aspirated versions. “Blown” refers to the use of forced induction to blow more air into the engine.
Factory Built The “built” part of the FBO acronym refers to engine modifications or upgrades performed by the original manufacturer from the factory to increase performance over the base model engine. This could include:
- Stronger forged engine internals
- Higher compression pistons
- More aggressive camshafts
- Higher flow intake/exhaust
- Different turbo/supercharger than the base model
Some examples of factory-built engines would be the 5.2L V8 in the Mustang Shelby GT350, the handbuilt AMG V8s, or the high-revving Type-R engines from Honda/Acura.
FBO Modifications For owners of factory-blown/built cars, going “FBO” as a set of modifications means upgrading just the air intake, and downpipe, and tuning the engine computer to take maximum advantage of the factory turbo/supercharger and underlying engine performance potential.
The intake helps flow more air in, the downpipe exhaust helps flow more air out, and the tune ensures the engine computer adjusts for these airflow improvements along with dialing up the boost pressure and fuel trims.
FBO is a great modification platform for boosted cars, unlocking more power without touching any of the internal engine components – perfect for newer turbocharged models still under warranty.
Also Read: What Does “OBO” Mean When Selling a Car?
From there, owners can explore even more modifications like upgraded intercoolers, intakes, exhaust systems, bigger turbo/supercharger upgrades, and internal engine builds depending on the power goals.
But achieving the initial “FBO” state with intake, downpipe, and tune is usually the first step to unleashing the potential of a factory-blown/built car. It’s an affordable set of bolt-on modifications with solid power gains.
So in summary,
when researching performance cars and engine modifications, FBO refers to taking advantage of the factory’s forced induction or high-performance engine design with basic bolt-on parts to unlock more of that performance potential still on tap from the factory. It’s an enthusiast tradition, especially on turbocharged platforms.
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