When drawing in atmospheric air pressure doesn’t provide enough power, manufacturers and tuners turned to forced induction. It’s the best method of achieving significant power increases with almost any engine, and there are two main ways of getting it done: supercharging and turbocharging.
What’s the difference? A supercharger is an air compressor driven by the crankshaft of an engine, usually connected with a belt. Alternatively, a turbocharger is simply an air compressor driven by an exhaust gas turbine. That’s the one key difference; a supercharger requires engine power to run, while a turbocharger runs off waste energy created by the engine. You might assume that because the turbo is run off waste gases that it’s more efficient, and you’d be correct!
Pros:
Cons:
Here’s a quick video on how turbochargers work. Hold judgement on my drawing capabilities, it’s the second video I ever made…
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Pros:
Cons:
Superchargers often go hand in hand with big V8s, and they’re certainly capable of producing big power. Here’s a video on how they work:
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Which do I prefer?
As an engineer, it’s difficult to not side with efficiency. Turbochargers simply make more sense, as they improve the efficiency of the engine in multiple ways. Superchargers are an extra demand on the engine, even if they are capable of producing useful boost at low RPM. But if you find yourself unable to decide, it is possible to use both simultaneously, and it’s called twincharging.
Image source: Mercedes AMG Petronas
Where will things head in the future?
Electric turbos will likely be more common in future vehicles, where an electric motor spools up the turbo at low RPMs, producing useful boost until the exhaust gases are sufficient enough to power the turbo. This is exactly what’s happening in Formula 1 with the ERS system, and it’s the solution to the turbo’s biggest disadvantage - turbo lag.
Here’s a video explaining how electric turbochargers are utilised in Formula 1 engines:
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With all of this in mind, which is your preference; turbocharger or supercharger? Or are you more of an N/A kind of petrolhead…?
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