To Supercharge or not to Supercharge? That is the question!

Submitted by Drew Hahn on Wed, 2009-10-14 11:54

When it comes to satisfying your Need for Speed, people look at modifying the only family member that you willingly put money into, your ride.  You know that it has more potential that what you currently see and you’re looking to reach the “posted speed limit “just a little bit quicker than you friend does. He has minor exhaust and intake upgrades, making the vehicle breathe better. He feels it in mid and higher rpm range, you want something better! Something that makes the engine alive with obscene amounts of power! You now think forced induction. You now think turbo or supercharge? What am I going to do?

Here is a stroked 350 with all the bells and whistles! No turbo or “blower” in there.

Superchargers and Turbo’s vary in the way they develop power and thus have different pros and cons to think about. Turbochargers work by using a modified exhaust manifold that has been designed to route the exhaust gases into a turbine to harnesses the kinetic energy of the moving gases. The turbine then acts as a radial air pump and compress’s air down the intake plenum. It displaces so much air through it that the engine stops relying on the use of the intake valve and piston movement to suck in air and is enhanced by this pump now.  As exhaust flow increases with engine rpm, the turbine’s boost does too, as well as efficacy and more air enters in the combustion chamber. Turbos normally take a little time to react to the change in exhaust flow and can slightly lag until the moving parts catch up. The more air we have going in, the more fuel we can add to it and the bigger the bang because of it. Everyone likes more power right?   Kits normally sell designed for your specific vehicle and should have an expected overall gain.  The good ones come with a intercooler , all piping , connections and clamps , one way to a apply remapped timings and specs for fuel calibrations and  even a complete tuned  exhaust system.

In the real world the feel of a turbocharged vehicle is one that every one time owner of one knows about. It’s that surge of power when the turbo spools up and kicks in .The slight throttle delay and then the insane power when the boost gauge reaches 1 bar. It’s an awesome change in the way your vehicle performs! I’m not even going to talk about the new noises heard! A turbo upgrade to a car can turn almost anything to a monster.

This is a stage 3 – 900hp, twin turbo charged 350z engine compartment. It’s so tight in there that you have to look close to see the details.

Superchargers very in internal design but they all have one thing in common, they harness the rotational movement of the crankshaft to drive an air pump via a belt.  Unfortunately just the act of doing this robs the engine of some power in order to move the mass associated with the added hardware and weight. It’s no big deal though; “blowers” take away only a portion on what they develop and engineering give it more torque then turbos do at lower engine rpm. Superchargers are more responsive and efficient here because of the directly driven design, where some turbos don’t start spooling well yet. Belt driven chargers respond instantly throughout the rpm range.  The whine of a supercharger is recognizable at any rpm, a turbo is silent at idle. The feeling of boost on tap is amazing with both. Between the two, generally less space is required for supercharges and starting costs are less.

Here’s a supercharged 5.7L Hemi pumping 500+hp.

Both accomplish the same thing with two different ways of doing  it, both give your engine considerably more power and increase that all important power to weight ratio. So there is a bunch to think about be before you make a decision.

After the install of ANY good kit out there, the whole riding sensation becomes new and fresh again! It’s a tough one to choose depending on your budget and what you’re starting with. It really depends on what you want from your vehicle.  Kits go from mild to wild and everything in between. What would you put in your ride?  A Turbo or Supercharger?

Cheers!
- Roger Z

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