Why Supercharged Instead of Turbo?
 

For as far back as I can remember I have been a turbo driver. If my car didn't come with one, I bought an engine that did and swapped it in, or added one to it. To me there is just nothing like the feeling when the boost kicks in around 3-4k RPM's when you get sucked back into your seat.

But I see a lot of members on this site who have gone with a Supercharger install instead of a turbo, and rather than asking them each individually what their reasoning is I thought I would make a thread.

For those of you who don't know, Superchargers require adding an additional pulley onto your engine which creates more drag on the engine and therefore power is robbed from the engine to create forced induction - to create more power. To me this has always seemed inefficient, as my goal is solely to increase HP, not take HP to make HP. Turbos on the other hand run off exhaust gases and do not rob HP from the engine to make HP - and thus turbo'd engines tend to be more economical in terms of fuel economy (and they typically make more power from the same amount of boost).

So for all you supercharger guys out there - what was your reasoning for going Supercharged instead of Turbo? I'm obviously missing something and am looking to be educated. :thanks:

Personal preference. The sooner you accept that people will do what they want despite what you think they should do, the happier you'll be.


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This thread is not about what I think they should do, it is asking WHY you prefer a supercharger. My happiness comes from my own car - not from what other people do to their rides.

Obviously the choice to go with one or the other is a personal preference for anyone - but I've stated my reasons for why I've always been turbo so I'd like to know why your preference is supercharger. For example maybe you like the more flat hp and tq curves and the steady rise to boost instead of it kicking in all at once? This is a reason for a preference, not just a cop-out response.

OP are you going to have a heart attack if I tell you I'm planning to go electric supercharger?

/sarcasm

Depending on where people live they may have to be CARB certified and IIRC there is not a turbo kit out that is CARB certified.

Typically an SC will give you better response down low. I'm speaking in very general terms here and not trying to get into the whole "just size your turbo properly and this won't be a problem debate"

Typically less maintenance

Not everyone is looking to make big HP and an SC fits the more modest power crowd.

Just my 2 cents.

To specifically answer your question,

I didn't know whether to go Turbo or SC. There's just too damned much information out there to learn about the pros and cons of both. BUT, the biggest drawback on both (for me anyways) is cost. The kits plus the add-ons required is a LOT and this is my daily-driver. I want more oomph, but not so much pocket ouch!

Eventually I heard about the Phantom Electric Supercharger that seemed the perfect fit for me; It's about 1/2 the cost of traditional Turbo/SC, doesn't require supporting add-ons, easy install/removal and the boost is instant torque at the low end (which is exactly what I want). So now I'm on the wait list for one to see if it lives up to the hype.

Thank you for educating me. I had no idea that in order to do IIRC your car has to be CARB certified. Makes sense to go Supercharger in that instance if there is no CARB certified turbo kit available.

Also I hadn't really though about the maintenance before - that's another good point. :w00t:

Throttle response, less heat, cruise torque, linear power curve, more predictable power delivery, sound, space requirements, most have no chance of boost spikes, many don't require circulating engine oil through them, less plumbing.

None of these reasons necessarily apply to all SCs, but these are some common reasons. There are ups and downs for both.

Please refrain from jumping in and saying "OH YEAhh bro??!!? Mah turbo Haz a linear torque curVE!!!!" I'm speaking "generally" and this does not cover every individual case.

The WORKS stage 2 turbo is now CARB legal :D

^^ This!

The massive surge of power when the turbo spools can be fun in a straight line, but makes putting power down on a track VERY tricky.

Supercharger power delivery is way more predictable at part throttle, and the throttle response is better.

You could use a much smaller turbo than most kits use, but then you're also dealing with the extra heat from the turbo in the oven we call an engine bay.

Does any of this matter for pure street cars, no. But it makes a massive difference on a track.

How many laps of boost will you get out of that bad boy?

Wasn't tricky for me. As long as you realize there is an area between 0 throttle and WOT, and it is your job as the driver to utilize that area.

Well it recharges the battery after every pull, so you get 90 seconds of 5 PSi of boost and then 20-30 seconds of recharge time.

If you use the Procede controller, it's always on. More like having a beefier engine.

I second that motion. When you know your car, when it boosts, how it boosts and how to shift and maintain your RPM goldilocks zone, then it's not very tricky at all in a turbo car. But I've never driven a SC car to compare - from that standpoint the SC may be easier or faster to learn how to control than a turbo.

And how much extra power does it generate with the 5psi? Also what is the cost of the electric SC kit?