super charger's

[Rem Bran]

is it really worth gettin super chargers are turbos good enough or when it comes to de diffrence in price does anyone actually have a super charger coz loads of ppes tend to have turbo's

[Exodus]

Depends on what your looking to do . . .

Superchargers are better for the car, easier to maintain, easier to install, but won't give you as much gain as a turbo can. Turbo's are harder to install, but can basically give you as much gain as you want depending on the psi you are putting out. Its not recommended though that you go for an aftermarket supercharger (unless its made for the car), or turbo without some kind of internal work done (specially for turbos).

[Guest]

Petrol engined turbos have one vice - the dreaded turbo-lag - but very high output can be from small displacement engines. Super charges tend not to have the lag (they are drive direct off the engine's cranking force), can deliver power and torque more evenly across the rev range but don't deliver the goods as well as a turbo can at the high end of the revs, particularly on small displacement engines.

Super charges are also thought to be the go for large displacement engines, which are normally designed to be slower revving and often rely on low rpm torque off the mark. There is an exception though, and it comes out of Australia where Ford has fitted a GT40 Garrat turbo with intercooler to a 4ltr twin OHC 24 Valve engine with VCT. Set to a low boost of 6 psi the set up delivers its maximum torque of 480nm from 2000rpm through to the conservative 6000rpm red line. The factory high performance version delivers 550nm pretty much in the same way. Ever since driving one I have favored this solution.

[J5545]

I would personally go for a supercharger as its less strain on the engine it if was an every day runner.As for a car you want a rediculous amount of BHP and torque from and isnt a daily runner id have a turbo.

[Usquanigo]

Positive displacement blowers are "harder" on the engine than turbos - they take a lot of power to generate boost, and they heat the air more as well, making detonation more of a problem.

However, they are cheaper than turbos and easier to bolt on. If you're dealing with a V8 and only need a slight huff to get the power you desire, blowers are better. They also deliver more N/A-like linearity to the torque curve.

However, Turbos, modern turbos, are almost vice free, in terms of operation. They can be sized, used in multiples, or even "smart" (VNTs and such) so that lag is non-existant (especially with some plumbing wizardry). They create no back-pressure (to speak of), and they even eat much of your exhaust noise so that you don't need such a restrictive muffler. It's also much easier to intercool the intake charge, and that allows one to run more boost and get more power.

The trouble is in their price, and plumbing. For V engines you normally want to hang pairs, and you always want to intercool when you can, so you better have a LOT of room in the engine bay.

Also, their power delivery is peaky. It's not nearly as bad as it used to be, but it's still not exactly N/A levels of linearity.

Generally, unless you are married to an engine, I'd say FI is the wrong way to go. Reason being - cost, installation headaches, worsened fuel economy, potentially peaky power delivery, and of course, engine strain.

Let's be real for a second here. 500 flywheel hp on a street car is MORE than enough. Get yourself an LS1, a good cam and heads package, a good exhaust and a good tune and you're pushing over that amount. And it's infinitely streetable, with far less strain on the engine. (Sure, you can get that power out of a small engine with FI, but you aren't saving fuel, there is a bfsc/hp ratio that you can't avoid, and you can't argue with the stress on the engine - if you try, Gale Banks watched a 1.something litre 4 banger with an Offenhauser turbo generate 1200hp on the dyno...... just before they painted the dyno cell with parts when it came apart on them - more boost means less engine life, likewise with rpm.)

[KiltyCol]

My Vectra Estate VXR has a 280bhp turbo V6 engine and it seems to work perfectly from 2000rpm upwards. There is obviously less power and a bit of lag below 2000rpm, but then I choose the gear to get the best compromise from power and economy and ....ENJOY.

Have fun folks.

[FMJ]

Supercharger for the win!!

Turbos just kill the noise! Just love the sound of a 6/71's toothed belt whining!!

[Usquanigo]