Superchargers

November 17th, 2006 at 04:13pm By Mike Lambert
Under Car FAQ: Car Maintenance: Engine

Most people have absolutely no idea what a supercharger is. If they hear that it is on a car, most would think “wow, that must be good.” Lets start with the basics- a supercharger works in much the same way as a turbocharger (see my tip “Turbochargers”), as it draws more air into the engine then it normally could, which is called forced induction. Unlike a turbo, which runs off exhaust gases, a supercharger is belt driven. This means that there is no “turbo lag” (which is the delay for the exhaust gases to spool the turbo) when you try to accelerate, as the supercharger is always being turned. Also, unlike a turbo, you don’t have to allow to it spool down before turning off your engine by allowing it to idle, which prolongs the life of the turbo but is unnecessary with a supercharger. So a supercharger does offer some advantages over a turbo. If more air is being forced into the engine, then there is the potential for more power, as the engine runs off air, fuel and electric spark. So by introducing more air (along with the proportionate amount of fuel and spark) the engine can make more power.

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