Turbo engines do require more fuel, but yes, fuel pumps can certainly support turbo engines, as long as they’re designed to do so in the first place. That means full throttle (how much pedal you’re putting down) leads to a boost in needle opening (above a certain threshold), which is particularly important for turbocharged engines, especially when they are producing north of 300 horsepower, since the demand for fuel flow will be greater in order to keep up with the engine’s fueling demand while under the additional pressure produced by the turbocharger. Standard fuel pumps usually flow 100-200 liters per hour (LPH) so it might not be the amount needed in high boost situations. Turbo engines often drop significant turbos, upping the boost levels while lowering the air-to-fuel ratios—thus why high-performance pumps will be recommended, delivering in the 255 LPH range or higher.
We gotta keep the fuel pressure constant so that in the turbo engines if for some reason the fuel pressure drops it will run lean with a possible misfire, power loss, and in the worst case blow a piston. Depending on your boost levels, turbocharged engines typically need 40 — 100 PSI of fuel pressure. With this kind of scenario in mind, a fuel pump built for these parameters would make sure that pressure didn’t fluctuate, even at the highest of RPMs. In performance testing, turbocharged engine-supporting upgraded fuel pumps have proven to sustain power output while improving fuel efficiency by some 5-10%.
In turbocharged engines, electronic control units (ECUs) require finely-tuned fuel delivery to match the extra air that a turbo provides. And with a steady supply of pressure from the pump, the ECU knows precisely when to inject fuel ensuring the best combustion to deliver optimal power. As Automotive expert Ed China noted, “Turbo engines thrive on their reliability which is due in part to the precision of the fuel delivery systems,” and this makes fuel pumps the most critical component of any forced induction system.
Quality high flow fuel pumps such as those by Fuel Pump means there are enough fuel to feed turbo charged engine to avoid lean condition and allow optimum performance on different driving condition. These pumps are much more robust for 1) high-temperature, 2) high-pressure, and 3) high-fuel demand, so they’re made to hold up during the tougher turbo setups.