CHOOSING THE RIGHT TURBO OR SUPERCHARGER KIT - The Complete Guide

[The Sentinel]

Hi all,

This is a question I get asked daily from my project BRZ build.

I've recently put together a detailed article explaining all of the factors that need to be considered when choosing a turbo or supercharger kit for your car.

Importantly. This is not a discussion on brands and which is better than the other. This is purely around the physics of how each forced induction type works.

Hoping this helps lots of people make informed decisions based on their needs and driving style.

ARTICLE HERE

[Irace86]

Cool read. Kinda the basics.

Would have been cool if you included types of turbos and turbo setups like you did for types of superchargers. And maybe talked about sizes of superchargers and turbos comparing dynos. I would say that turbo selection is much more complicated than supercharger selection because of the sizes on compressor and exhaust housings plus type plus performance.

Would have also been cool if you mentioned electric forced induction too because it is a popular type.

Also, if this is a generic guide then a basic discussion of typical supporting mods would be good for newbies to know. If it is specific to the FA20 then the list could include at what general hp or boost level it is suggested to have supporting fuel mods and at what power might a built motor be required. That will also change opinions on what type of boost they have the budget for.

Maybe in a follow up you can talk about fuel/oxygen/cooling e85, nitrous, meth injection, water injection and octane fuels considering these are often used with forced induction or could be used alternatively to forced induction, and could influence someone's ultimate decision when choosing to modify their car.

Lastly, I would add to the positive list for turbos section that boost can be easily controlled and modified with a boost controller meaning it is possible to have a car that can have multiple levels of power at the turn of a switch.


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[The Sentinel]

Originally Posted by Irace86

Cool read. Kinda the basics.

Would have been cool if you included types of turbos and turbo setups like you did for types of superchargers. And maybe talked about sizes of superchargers and turbos comparing dynos. I would say that turbo selection is much more complicated than supercharger selection because of the sizes on compressor and exhaust housings plus type plus performance.

Would have also been cool if you mentioned electric forced induction too because it is a popular type.

Also, if this is a generic guide then a basic discussion of typical supporting mods would be good for newbies to know. If it is specific to the FA20 then the list could include at what general hp or boost level it is suggested to have supporting fuel mods and at what power might a built motor be required. That will also change opinions on what type of boost they have the budget for.

Maybe in a follow up you can talk about fuel/oxygen/cooling e85, nitrous, meth injection, water injection and octane fuels considering these are often used with forced induction or could be used alternatively to forced induction, and could influence someone's ultimate decision when choosing to modify their car.

Lastly, I would add to the positive list for turbos section that boost can be easily controlled and modified with a boost controller meaning it is possible to have a car that can have multiple levels of power at the turn of a switch.


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All great points! Thanks for the feedback. I didn't want to get too much in to the different types of turbos in this particular document as it was already long, and i did touch on the various setups and how they change the power curve, but yes, there is definitely more to be discussed in future articles.

I will add the point about boost control to the pros now

[GsxrMe]

Im happy you pointed out the compression comparison to boost requirements for power level output. For this very reason due to the limitation of my wastegate, I will be building a high comp (12.5:1) running Flex Fuel with my current kit to get the most out of what is available.

[cdrazic93]

I think this should be stickied right under the buyers guide +/- $5,000 thread, or possibly merged with it.

[Phantobe]

Great article from just skimming through, gonna read the rest of my lunch break. Just had a question about compression ratio & supercharging (specific to the FA20).

For supercharging since amount of peak boost is determined by pulley size...for example, the HBP produces 12 PSI (JRSC). When building a engine for a supercharger wouldn't it be best to keep 12.5:1 compression since you can't control boost like you would with a turbo. Meaning that you can't pump up the boost and lower compression.

[The Sentinel]

Originally Posted by Phantobe

Great article from just skimming through, gonna read the rest of my lunch break. Just had a question about compression ratio & supercharging (specific to the FA20).

For supercharging since amount of peak boost is determined by pulley size...for example, the HBP produces 12 PSI (JRSC). When building a engine for a supercharger wouldn't it be best to keep 12.5:1 compression since you can't control boost like you would with a turbo. Meaning that you can't pump up the boost and lower compression.

It's always best to build the engine with your target boost requirements in mind, whether turbo or supercharger. That way you can ensure you're choosing the most appropriate pulley/turbo setup.

Regarding High Comp, lowering the comp to run more boost typically results in the same power as its the overall cylinder pressure that determines the power the engine can make.

It's almost always more beneficial to run higher comp with lower boost as this is typically more efficient. Lowering the comp and raising the boost is a very old-school approach and better suited to engines that don't have Direct Injection.

[The Sentinel]

Originally Posted by cdrazic93

I think this should be stickied right under the buyers guide +/- $5,000 thread, or possibly merged with it.

@Hachiroku worth considering for sticky?