which is better ; turbo charger or super charger, and what is the actual difference?

Question

I have a 1999 pontiac sunfire 2-door and i am seriously considering purchasing a supercharger for what seems to be a fairly cheap price. The thing that seems different about it is that it just hooks up to your battery, Im not sure if i should get it or not. Ive heard that turbo's are betterso im not sure. What else can i do to make my car look/sound/drive sweet/fast? I just ordered a new exhaust tip, and a cold air intake, what else can i do without getting a whole new engine?

Answer 1

A supercharger runs off electricity and is basically a fan. A turbocharger runs off exhaust gas and there is therefore a turbo lag while the exhaust builds up enough to work. You don't need either one, there is no need to go anywhere that fast. If you are in a plane that is a different story.

Answer 2

Those e-turbos are a rip off, it's a bilge fan for boats.

Now, the thing with real forced induction:
A turbo uses exhaust gasses to turn a turbine, which drives a second turbine that forces pressurized air back into the engine. This will only make power at high RPMs, and takes a moment to 'spool up' and make power when you hit the gas. Once it's pushing, though, it's usually going to be putting down more than most superchargers will. They're a little more dangerous than a supercharger, and will destroy your engine fast if not properly intercooled.

A supercharger uses a pulley on the engine to drive a turbine or pump to compress air into the engine, resulting in instant boost. Since they run off the engine, and always are boosting, they will have more of a negative impact than a turbo will on gas mileage, and will not make quite as much power per PSI of air.

Before you do either of these, it's a good idea to get slightly higher lift and duration cams, forged pistons, stronger connecting rods and a crankshaft, and have your head gone over, ported, and polished. Use a head gasket rated for high compression and boost, and only run synthetic oils with high flow filters. It's not a wise idea to just 'bolt on' something like that.

Answer 3

Both are pumping air into the engine, which, with more gas, makes more power. Turbochargers are driven by exhaust; imagine 2 impellers that look like pinwheels, mounted back to back, with exhaust routed over one side and the intake air being pushed in as the blades spin. Superchargers are directly attached to the motor by belts or other connections. There are a couple of types of impellers used. Turbos don't cost engine power, but seem more sensitive to heating the intake charge. Remember also pressurizing air makes the temp rise. Heat is the worst enemy of turbos and superchargers, because heat increases risk of detonation, which can cause damage to the motor. This is why intercoolers are typically part of a factory turbo setup. Finally, remember boosting power creates more stress on rest of drivetrain.

Good luck!

Answer 4

Turbo chargers run off of a car's exhaust, and take about a minute to spool up. Superchargers take air in from the outside and (typically) run off a pulley on the engine, and give you power instantly. Both give your car power by helping the engine aspirate, or breathe, better. And both cost a fair amount of money to overhaul when they wear out.

Superchargers are a good bargain for increasing performance on engines that are able to handle them. They are also usually the better choice for modifying passenger cars.

I wouldn't take one that runs off the battery, though. The battery is there to provide the initial jump to the starter to turn the car over...not to run accessories. You could wind up shortening your battery's life if the supercharger draws too much power too often.

Answer 5

Never heard of a supercharger that runs off of the battery, This item may not be of any real performance value. Superchargers are usually belt driven or gear driven ect ,while turbochargers are exhaust driven, by the engine exhaust gas. My personal opinion is that turbo's are better, more bang for the buck.

Answer 6

A turbo charger works off the exhaust system, while a super charger works off the drive belt. As far as power they both will do good for power. The turbo will have to have a lot of exhaust pipe modifacations, the supercharger will have to have upper intake modifacations done.

Answer 7

A super charger give a lot of low end torque.
A turbo works at high RPM
Both are very involved and would take an experianced mechanic a full day to install.
These are not somethig that "hooks up to your battery"

Answer 8

You obviously have more money than you know what to do with. Spend your money on a car that has the suspension for such 'sweet' driving first.