More Horsepower: Every Car Enthusiasts' DreamJun 22 '01 Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line Supercharging is an efficent and effective way to increase the horsepower and capabilities of your car.
If you cant tell by my ID, I love cars. My idea of a “car” however is not just your average car. I am one of those fidgety people who have to do something to their vehicle to improve performance and to show off a bit at the same time. :o) When it comes to Superchargers it is a serious decision. First you need to decide if a supercharger is right for you and what you use your vehicle for, and secondly, if you are going to be spending a lot of money on an upgrade to your current vehicle, you need to know which type and brand to get. From racing to towing, there is an application for you. What is a Supercharger & How does it Work?? A supercharger is contraptions that forces more air into your engine (boost) which therefore, along with the increased fuel flow, causes a greater internal explosion, giving your motor more horsepower. Superchargers are powered by a belt (in most cases…a few types are “screw” driven), which causes the ever so popular whine that many car lovers get excited about when they hear. It also makes a supercharged car easy to distinguish and tell apart from turbocharged applications. Superchargers have been around since the 1930’s and have been used for many applications including racing and increased towing capabilities. They have been kept popular by car enthusiasts that love speed, and have many advantages over alternative forms of increased power such as turbocharging and Nitrous systems. Unlike turbochargers, superchargers work as soon as the crankshaft starts turning. Because of this, there is no lag (or hesitation) with a supercharger . They are also very efficient, but only at low boosts. The higher the boost, the more drag caused by the belt, and the less efficient your supercharger is. Another advantage over other applications is ease. To supercharge you engine, no major modifications usually have to be made. Of course you have to make sure your engine is strong enough and you have low enough compression, but there is a lot less work than with a turbocharger installation. Your engine needs to be “strong” because of the extra boost and bigger explosions. If your engine is strong, then the supercharger (under low boosts) should not drastically effect the life of your motor. A Supercharger is a very low maintenance device. In most cases all that is needed is to keep an eye on your temperature gauges, and regular oil changes, fluid checks, and belt checks on a set schedule (provided by each manufacturer). A Supercharger needs to have a warm-up period to help get the oil and engine warm, but no special shut-down procedure, like you do with a turbocharger. Comparing a supercharger to Nitrous is fairly easy. Nitrous in your engine drastically reduces the life of your engine, and a “fogger” system is very short lived. Great for the quarter mile or other racing applications, but not for daily use. The worst aspect about a supercharger is the price. The blower alone is going to cost you at least a few thousand dollars. When you start looking at additional accessories such as an intercooler, you add to the price. For my application, a quick, strong, 1969 Camaro RS I am choosing an adjustable PSI ProCharger centrifugal supercharger with intercooler. The whole application, installed by me is going to cost around $4000.00. Not to mention that once you supercharge your vehicle expect only to fill up with a high octane premium grade gas, and your car is going to get worse gas mileage to boot. The Types of Superchargers The Roots, or Positive Displacement type blower is the most popular in muscle cars and hot rods. This is the supercharger that you see sticking out of the hood. Many of these are chrome and are very impressive looking. The Roots type blower is actually very straightforward and simple in its mechanics. They are belt-driven, and do not require any pre-oiling. There are no priority valves to foul; no waste-gates and they are very reliable. Roots type blowers have their own oil contained in them and although they can be just as hard to install, they are the “easy” choice. They also are very heavy, sometimes weighing up to 100 pounds. A downside of the Roots type blower is the fact that it does stick up out of the hood, or prevent the use of a hood outright. This is just a ticket waiting to happen. Officers of the law watch for the opportunity to ticket cars that look or sound fast, and with a blower sticking out of your car whistling as you drive, you can guarantee real power. The Centrifugal supercharger are under the hood applications that are usually much more expensive and much harder to install than the Roots type blower. In many case you will not be able to detect a Centrifugal supercharged vehicle unless you listen to the dull whine or see the impressive performance from an average car. These superchargers usually leave your engine compartment cluttered and hard to access, and additional fuel injectors usually need to be added. Centrifugal blowers are usually very lightweight, and are “custom” fabricated for your year, make, and model. Screw Type blowers are a bit hard to categorize. It is a bit of Positive Displacement and a bit of a Centrifugal . In a Positive Displacement blower, air is “trapped” inside the unit, therefore causing it to make the belt spin and starting to create boost. In the Centrifugal application, most of the compression is created in the supercharger. The Screw Type creates boost quickly like the Roots , but creates the compression inside the unit like the Centrifugal . Brands of Superchargers There are hundreds of brands and models of superchargers, but I will only list a few of the more popular ones: ProCharger (ATI) http://www.procharger.com This is my choice brand. They have GREAT customer service that quickly and accurately gives you information on the supercharger that best fits your need and application. Although a bit pricey, I would definitely recommend this brand. Paxton http://www.paxtonauto.com Holley http://www.holley.com This brand has been around for a long time, and is very well known and trusted. However it is one of those love or hate brands, and I happen to not like them. Holley products are very sensitive most of the time and have to be very finely tuned for the performance that you expect out of their products. Weiand http://www.weiand.com This company (owned by Holley) makes the impressive chrome Roots-type blowers, and is a very popular brand. You can find their superchargers for sale in magazines such as Summit and Jegs. Whipple http://www. Whipplesuperchargers.com They are the manufacturers of the Screw-type blowers. My father just installed one on his 2001 Chevy Suburban, and although the application wasn’t as easy to install as they promised, it was still fairly simple and fast. This particular brand brags of the low noise superchargers and I can vouch for that. The high pitch whine is only obnoxious when you really lay on the accelerator and higher boosts are met. This supercharger can be ordered directly from them and sent UPS to you. B&M http://www.bmracing.com Also very famous and very trusted in the world of high performance and racing parts and kits. Allen http://www.allenengine.com Have fun & Be Safe. Always wear your seat belt, and NEVER drink and drive!  |
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