The difference between superchargers and turbochargers

A supercharger by common definition is anything that compresses air and forces it into an engine.

In street talk, a supercharger is drived directly by the engine using a belt, gear or chain. There is no or very little delay in response when pushing on the gas and when the additional power created by the supercharger kicks in. That is why superchargers in their truest definition are used in drag racers.

Because of the definition of supercharger is anything that compresses air and forces it into an engine, a turbocharger falls into the category of a supercharger. The only difference is that a turbocharger is driven by the exhaust gas of the engine so there is no direct connection to the engine mechanically.

Turbochargers are effective and more efficient in providing extra power, but they don't provide the almost instant response that true drag racers want and need to perform.

You'll find turbochargers on most diesel engines because they give the diesel a power boost for acceleration and power when its needed.

Hope this clears up some of the misunderstanding that exists about the difference between superchargers and turbochargers.

Until next time...

Supercharger basics

A supercharger is nothing more than a compressor that compresses air and forces it into the combustion chamber of an engine.

There are two types of superchargers...some are more common than others.

1. Positive displacement - depend on tight meshing of gears to compress air.
2. Dynamic - rely on increasing the air velocity and then exchanging the velocity for pressure by diffusing it or slowing it down. Centrifugal, multi-stage axial flow and pressure wave superchargers are examples.

Superchargers are driven by a bunch of different methods:

1. Direct drive from the crankshaft of the engine using belts, chains or gears
2. exhaust gas turbine such as turbochargers on diesel engines

For more detailed discussion of manufacturers and efficiency of superchargers you can go to the following address:

Supercharger

In a later post, I'll work to demistify how superchargers work and the specifics in how to choose a supercharger.

All for now