Here is a great link for thosd of you who don't know, or defend either one just because you have it . It is a non-biased, factual article. In fact, at the end, they even explain why they only sell superchargers! Enjoy!

http://superchargersonline.com/content.asp?ID=19

 

good article. thanks for posting the link !
explains why those in search of 'maximum' extreme peak power would favor turbocharger, also explains why both are good and why I'll keep the supercharger on my SS

 

I like the horsepower calculator on that site, could be very useful for tuning!

 

Wow verrrrrry good article indead

 

I liked it but i also liked how the supercharger is just a lil better.

 

Uh. I think that article is a bit biased.

Anyone that is selling something that puts a "factual" report on their site, that report is going to be biased toward whatever they are selling.

I've got a meeting to go to, but when I get back I will address some of their turbocharger "facts."

 

I have to disagree it doesn't seem bias to me. This always happens with these types of turbo vs. supercharged thread. It's probably the 4th article I have read like this on the net and they all pretty much say the same thing. Hell they even address how turbos try to mitigate turbo lag with a smaller turbo and a wastegate.

Hell the guy even trys to explain how he is not bias.

I don't think there is a question that the turbo can produce much more power, more efficiently but I think the point the guy is trying to make is if you are looking to do forced induction without a lot of hassle and things to deal with the supercharger excels in that fashion.

 

lol any article that favors one over the article is going to be biased in some way.

There is no definite better choice, both turbochargers and superchargers have their pro's and con's as stated in the article. Sure superchargers are great for instant power and low rpm power, but heck a turbo can put out more peak power at higher rpm's. In my view (yes biased) in a drag race you don't seem to be in the low rpm's that much are you? I like turbo's, better gas mileage, less stress on smaller engines, and minimal lag if done right. I mean you could always twin turbo, wastegates, headers etc. Making 700+ hp with full boost at 2500rpm doesn't seem like much lag to me.

Yea Im biased because I like what the turbo offers but that doesn't mean its better then the supercharger. It just means the turbo suits my life style better.

The article was a good read but they screwed up when putting their opinion in at the last part. They should of ended like they began "It depends"

Jon

 

Well I'd have to say that the pros must like superchargers better being they use them on their top fuel dragsters.

 

you do know that on some circuits turbo's are restricted due to their capabilities. I've seen turbo'd dragsters with over 10,000hp. Like stock cars dragsters have certain restrictions too.

Also I'd thing by the time you got that powerful and everything else, the only thing that would really matter would be a good launch, which would be the superchargers advantage.

 

mchat drives a SRT-4 which is Turbocharged, so of course Turbos are better and the article biased.

 

I'd have to look it up when I get home, but I believe Turbochargers are outlawed in Top Fuel and Funny Car.

As for the article:

Realistically the air spends so little time in the turbo charger that I doubt it is being heated more than 25-50 degrees. The laws of thermodynamics dictate that simply compressing the air will heat it up. That's how air-conditioners work. Compress a gas, the gas heats up, send it through a "radiator" and cool it back down to "close to" ambient temperature, then de-compress, whala, cold gas.

No doubt the air temp coming out of a turbo is going to be hotter than a comparable supercharger. However the difference between having 300 degree air and 350 degree air is not all their making it out to be. Reguardless of what they say, pushing more than 7 pounds of boost without some form of an after-cooler is going to cause detonation. Especially during the summer months. 10psi un-aftercooled, you better have 100oct gas available or some way to retard the timing or you'll be purchasing pistons real soon.

And what is so complex about the install of an intercooler? I think the complex part they're complaining about is the design, maybe they're a bit lazy and don't want to take the time to design the piping and mounting brackets for an intercooler.

That may be true, however many turbo guys can get away with running no mufflers on the street because the turbo does absorb alot of sound energy (as mentioned in the Noise paragraph). My SRT-4 (2.4L) has a 3" exhaust w/ no muffler, yet it is much, much quieter than my race car (2.0L) which also has a 3" exhaust, but has 2 resonators as well. So the backpressure issue can be mitigated.

Even with the backpressure, the turbo will still not reduce the power output as much as a supercharger scavenges straight from the crankshaft. Not to mention the additional rotational mass of a supercharger.

Turbo manifolds are generally much, much more reliable than aftermarket headers. And stock exhaust manifolds on non-turbo cars can be a considerable restriction. The backpressure of a stock exhaust manifold + mufflers is probably close to the back pressure of a turbo + straight pipe exhaust. And the noise level will be about the same for both.

As for baking the oil while the car is turned off, ya that is a possibility. Generally the idea isn't to come screaming up to your house under boost and then shut it off and walk inside. You can either take it easy while driving into your neighborhood (your neighbors will thank you) giving the turbo a chance to cool down a bit, and/or you can install a turbo timer which will keep the car running for a period of time after you shut the ignition off. The issue is a reality, but there are fairly simple methods of mitigating it.

This is just about an out right lie. I would say that tuning a turbo equiped car is on par with tuning a supercharger equipped car. The only thing more difficult about a turbo is setting the boost level. Which either a Manual Boost Controller (MBC) (relatively inexpensive) or Electronic Boost Controler EBC (more expensive, but more features, such as gear depenent boost on some models). Setting boost level is not too difficult.

Which brings up another point. With a turbo charger you can run around town on pump gas & low boost, then hit the track, dump in some race gas and turn the boost up. Changes from just a few psi to 10-15psi (or more) can be made simply by selecting a different boost map from the EBC or turning a screw on the MBC.


Overall there was alot of decent information. However just like all propoganda there is some "iffy" material scattered in there. Pick up a box of rat poison. It's 95% good stuff, w/ 5% poison. Same thing with alot of these so called "unbiased" reports on VENDOR websites. 95% good stuff 5% "iffy" (at best) stuff.

 

I do wish Superchargers had a way to change boost settings, without pully swaps and bypass mods.

 

Disable the rev-limiter and shift at 8k You'll spin the blower a little faster that way!

 

So to add to the mix what does everyone like better:

Supercharger whine

or

Turbo BOV

 

Actually I don't really care for the BOV noise... I got the quietest one that'll do the job as I could.

I like the Turbo wistle tho... lets you know when it's really spooled up And you know a car is going to be nasty when it's got a loud exhaust, but when it's staging on the line you can't hear the exhaust for the turbo wistling.

 

agreeded. i like a supercharger whine over a BOV.... but i like the turbo spool up (wistle) over a supercharger whine

 

srt4 owner so obviously i like the sound of the turbo spool. with a cai swap for the stock intake it makes it so much louder. Like a jet taking off. Plus my mopar noisemaker sounds lovely to me. Besides drive past some hotties? Give the throttle a blip release and let them hear the orgasmic sound, then look at em nod and drive off

Is the cobalts sc noticable in sound? Most videos I see I can't hear the blower compared to say a cobra.

 

Noj...if u add a CAI, yes the blower is as loud as a cobra, and sounds just like it

 

Totally agree. I saw the video on here that somebody posted of their Cobalt SS S/C with an intake, and damn that sucker was loud

I've seen Cobra videos also, and I'd say the blower whine sound level is about the same.

Turbos sound cool when they start boosting (the fffwhizzz sound), but after that they aren't really as noticeable. Blow-Off Valves are okay, but I think after a while you would get tired of the constant "whoosh" sound everytime you let off the throttle

 

daily driving i don't boost over 1-2lbs of boost so when i release the gas it doesn't make a loud pshhhhh like if i went over 5lbs. So its not that bad. Good to hear you guys get the loud ass whine too. Again, can't wait to see one in Topeka sometime.

 

Well, I just started reading this and I have noted a few things not mentioned on this site.
Ummm...??? Where did he get this? The wastegate causes exhaust gas to be diverted around the turbo, therefore controlling and lowering the output pressure. The way he says this makes absolutely no sense.
Well, there is something that needs to be adressed here. While back pressure does decrease general hp, it does add torque and move the torque curve lower in the RPM band. So really, it's a trade off, but I wouldn't say it detracts from overall efficiency enough to include here. Heck, the extra drag caused by the tension of the belt pulling against the berrings of a S/C has as much effect.

As for tunability, a supercharger will have (all else being equal) basically a Linear boost curve. (You have to take into acount the added draw of an engine at higher RPM to realize that by staying at 5 PSI boost from 2000rpm to 5000rpm is actually vastly increasing SC output)... A turbo will have a MUCH more erradic and unpredictable (in comparison) boost curve. For a race car without Digital Fuel Injection, this is an obsticle to overcome (which is why they are not that prominent)... Also, both systems are just as reliable and safe IF properly setup. A supercharger TENDS to be more of a bolt on mod (not in the true sense), because it is a set it and forget it type thing (relatively). Where as a Turbo needs to be constantly tweaked and monitered for changing conditions (where a computer comes in handy)...

 

Yah i think after a while you'd get sick of the BOV...i like the supercharger whine much better