Turbo charger vs. supercharger

[iamcivic]

Im deciding on if I want a turbo or a supercharger. What is the main difference between them? What is the difference between the hp/tq rating on both. Would a supercharger be okay for a daily driven car?

 

[nd4sped]

Turbo runs off the exhaust pulses....(Making boost from waste)

Supercharger runs off the crank...(Draw power to make boost)

The turbocharger is the most powerful power adder. Though you will have torque more readily availabe at a lower rpm with a supercharger but not as powerful on top as a T/C will provide.

Personally I think taking power to make power sucks....When you can make power fromt he waste that your engine produces...

 

[Going-West]

if u want a daily driver id do a turbo because a supercharger will make your fuel efficiency work a lot better....im not 100 on all the specifics but i know a turbo spools up exaust gasses and a supercharger uses belts....another difference is that a supercharger is engaged pretty much all the time ( hence the gas milage ) and a turbo engages at higher rpms. i would turbo it especially because its ur daily driver

 

[05]

plus s/c sounds lame compared to t/c

 

[TurboZinc]

A little write-up i did a while ago on the pros/cons of turbo vs supercharger

Here's a quick rundown on the pros/cons of a roots or cent. supercharger vs a turbo:

A roots type is great for low rpm boost, but lack the power up top. They aren't the most efficient means of compressing air, so as the boost increases it tends to heat the air considerably more than a centrifugal or turbo would.

A centrifugal blower does not create boost until higher in the rpm range. Max boost will happen at max rpm. Boost is dependent on engine speed. This happens because the compressor wheel is spun by a pulley off the belt.

A turbocharger creates boost by using the spent exhaust gases to spin a turbine wheel attached to the compressor wheel, thereby spinning the compressor wheel. The boost is not dependent on engine speed, but rather on load. Full boost will come in at a much lower rpm than a centrifugal style blower, and it will hold that boost until redline, unlike a centrifugal blower.

I personally prefer a turbo, but they all have their pros and cons. A roots has great low end torque, but lacks top end power. The centrifugal has great top end power, but the boost at low rpm is non existant and the boost curve is linear to engine speed. A PROPERLY SIZED turbo has good low end response and will hold max boost all the way to redline. A turbo will usually be harder to install and will create more heat in the engine bay. A centrifugal blower or a roots type are probably the easiest to install and don't create much more heat in the engine bay. The cost(at least for mustangs) is generally highest for a turbo kit (less availability and more complexity) then for either of the supercharger kits, but all things equal, the turbo will usually produce more power under the curve and make a more driveable car.

 

[TurboZinc]

BTW - This topic has been posted about 9,000,000 times. A simple search would have sufficed.

 

[Going-West]

yea thats pretty much it, nice writeup

 

[iamcivic]

How high does the rpms have to be for the t/c to kick in? What would be a properly sized turbo for a 00 civic ex, where I can get the max amount of torque from it.

 

[SeanMc300]

friends turbo builds full 10psi at around 3000 rpms. for your engine, a ihi rhb5 turbo is best....hands down.

 

[iamcivic]

friends turbo builds full 10psi at around 3000 rpms. for your engine, a ihi rhb5 turbo is best....hands down.

3000rpm is not bad, I was expecting around 4000. I check up on the turbo and start saving.

 

[nd4sped]

Search Dammit Search!

 

[TurboZinc]

Search Dammit Search!

 

[ner0x]

uhhh. i'd go turbo, with a supercharger your motor is constantly getting non-needed boost that can harm the engine after time... the turbo just brings boost when needed (when floored) thats why lag is goood

this prolly was mentioned in the posts up there ^^ if so sorry for the repeat.. didnt feel like readin all your posts