Supercharger or Turbocharger – Which is best for my situation?

My career as an automotive improvement expert began when I modified my first car. Since then, as a car enthusiast and published author, my obsession with the automobile has led me to enhance tons of vehicles both inside and out. That’s why I’m thrilled to be a part of a brand new series designed to help keep your car looking great and your engine running like new! I’m Chris Duke, and welcome to eHow’s Auto Center brought to you by Mobil1! Today we’re going to take a look at superchargers and turbochargers, show you the difference between the two and the pros and cons of each. For anyone looking to add horsepower in a hurry, supercharging or turbocharging is a great way to go. Both use forced induction to increase airflow through the throttle body, which in turn significantly increases horsepower. Boost, which is normally measured in pounds per square inch or bar, is the amount of air pressure that an engine will see ovar a naturally aspirated setup. The difference between the two chargers lies in the fact that turbo chargers make boost through spinning of a turbine wheel that is pushed by exhaust gases, while supercharger compressors are driven by a belt connected to the various pulleys on an engines face. Because they are driven by different methods, turbos and superchargers make boost and power in different ways, giving different driving experiences depending on what you choose to install. Deciding on which to pick for your vehicle may seem a little daunting, so let’s take a look at each one, learn some facts, and see how they work. Superchargers are mechanically driven, usually using a belt or gear and act like air compressors to force air through the throttle body to get you that power you need. Turbochargers work by using the exhaust gases to create their forced induction for power. Exhaust flow from the engine spins a turbine, which in turn spins an air pump. This lets the engine squeeze more air into a cylinder. Driven by a belt, chain or gears directly from the engine’s driveshaft, a supercharger represents a greater parasitic load on the engine than a turbocharger does. The increased output more than makes up for the drag, but in the overall equation, superchargers are less efficient. However, the direct connection means the supercharger’s output advantage is there even at low engine revolutions. Speaking generally, a turbo’s presence is felt only at higher rpm once the engine revs up, the exhaust gases flow and the turbine “spools up.” Conversely, superchargers are less effective at high engine rpm because they can’t keep up with the demands of a high revving engine. A supercharger geared to increase its output to meet the demand would add so much complexity and friction as to make it unfeasible. Turbos are able to keep up with the demand basically because they are driven by and driving the same medium — gas, in the form of exhaust gases and intake air: An increase in exhaust flow with rpm nets a nearly equal increase in charging pressure on the intake side. As we said at the beginning, both have their pros and cons, so let’s take a quick look at some of those! The biggest advantage with supercharger systems is that the power is instantly there for you. Since supercharger systems are mechanically driven by the engine, they do not need to spool up before providing power. Their power band is instantaneous and increases smoothly while under throttle. The biggest disadvantage with superchargers is that it uses some of the horsepower from the engine to run, so even though the amount of power is small, it is still robbing horsepower. As for turbochargers, the main advantage is the fact that it does NOT use the engine’s power to create horsepower since it runs off of the engine’s exhaust gasses. But, with air being pumped into the cylinders under pressure of the turbocharger, and then being compressed further buy the piston, there is an increased danger of knock. In order to avoid knock your car will need a higher octane fuel. If the boost pressure is really high then you may need to reduce the compression ratio of the engine. Both systems deliver a significant amount of horsepower to your ride. Whereas adding a cat back exhaust system or cold air intake can get you 10-25 horsepower, a supercharger or turbocharger system can deliver over 100 horsepower from a simple kit install. On the other hand, both systems can be pretty pricey and usually take some technical savvy to install and tune. It isn’t very likely that you can do a complete supercharger or turbocharger kit install and tune your vehicle without help or even turning to a hot rod shop to get some, if not all, of the work done. One other factor you will want to keep in mind is that a supercharger or turbocharger will generate a lot of heat. You may need to install additional cooling components other than what is provided with the kit, depending on the type of vehicle and kit you use. The most common cooling component is an inter-cooler. We’ve given you the basics and shown you two very effective ways to add some serious power to your ride. The question you’re going to ask yourself now is: “Which one is right for me?” Unfortunately, there really is no simple answer. You’ll have to take a look and see which kits are available for your specific vehicle, then weigh in the cost, difficulty of install, and horsepower gain. Those are usually the three top deciding factors and once you figure those out, you should be able to make a confident decision. Another important consideration you’ll need to make is whether or not to upgrade your drivetrain. As a result of adding additional horsepower and torque, your transmission and rear end will be under more stress than the factory specifications. So, before you start peeling up the pavement with all that new power, also consider beefing up your drivetrain... otherwise you may break something, and those parts aren’t cheap! I hope we’ve given you a better understanding of what a supercharger and turbocharger can do, and given you the information you need to help you make the decision of which is right for you. Regardless of your choice, you will love the new power your ride will have and you will have a lot of fun doing the work, or learning to do it along the way! For eHow’s Auto Center, I’m Chris Duke. Here’s to helping keep your car running like new!