Turbocharged vs Supercharged...what's the difference?
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From: Detroit MI,

Is there a difference between these two or are they just synonyms? I did a search to see if this question came up before and didn't find nothing. :?:
How Stuff Works explanation
Originally Posted by How Stuff Works
The key difference between a turbocharger and a supercharger is its power supply. Something has to supply the power to run the air compressor. In a supercharger, there is a belt that connects directly to the engine. It gets its power the same way that the water pump or alternator does. A turbocharger, on the other hand, gets its power from the exhaust stream. The exhaust runs through a turbine, which in turn spins the compressor
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From: August 07 COTM....NEBF '06, CEBF '06 OHMM '06 ONBF '07 CEBF '07

And don't confuse a centrifugal supercharger with a turbocharger, they look the same but the centerfrugal supercharger is belt-driven.
A CSC and a Turbo are probably the best to show the differences, roots blowers typically have the most off idle power, but loose steam due to heat. Typically called blowers too..
CSC'* have a turbo-like powerband, but still have the parasitic losses of the supercharger.
CSC'* have a turbo-like powerband, but still have the parasitic losses of the supercharger.
Originally Posted by popatim
turbos are nice, but I'd rather be blown. 
Turbo = teh ultimate IMO, tunability for any engine with compressor sizing, boost controllers can do wonders, and they're more efficient then superchargers. If done correctly they deliver power in the entire RPM range too..
The whoosh is undeniable as well.
I've always been a fan of superchargers, myself, even before my first */c car purchase. Turbo lag annoys me, and very few people ever get the turbo-sizing right. They either go large for power and neglect off-idle performance, or go smaller to spool quickly, and lose upper-end. Then there'* the complicated tuning neccessary for turbos to make reliable power.
Give me a straight-forward system. I like being able to just smash the pedal down and bust off the line any old time. I don't have to worry about hitting the power band when I downshift, because the power band is the entire operating range of the motor. If I give up some mileage for it, oh well.
Give me a straight-forward system. I like being able to just smash the pedal down and bust off the line any old time. I don't have to worry about hitting the power band when I downshift, because the power band is the entire operating range of the motor. If I give up some mileage for it, oh well.
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Dirtracr95
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Mar 4, 2008 06:39 AM



