Just curious, is there a difference between a turbo charged engine and a super charged engine?
Big difference…Turbocharging uses the engines exhaust gas to power the compressor, which is a very high-speed turbine…A supercharger is mechanically driven by the engine and uses one of several methods to compress the incoming air…Google Eaton M90 supercharger to see what the unit on Buick Regals looks like. It’s belt driven. As with all Turbo and Superchargers, they do nothing unless the throttle is opened at least 2/3 of the way and engine RPM is over 3600 or so. At WOT and over 4000 rpm, the power gain can be startling as manifold pressure builds…
The other difference is that turbos have a bit of “lag” as the engine revs up and the turbo spools up from the exhaust gases. Superchargers are belt driven and do not experience any lag. Turbos are more efficient since they run on the waste gas that the engine already produces.
It’s kind of like the difference between alternators and generators. Actually turbocharging is a type of supercharging. But the full name (turbo supercharging) is almost never used.
Thanks for the explanation. What about power? My pinhead guess would be that supercharging would be capable of producing a bigger HP boost b/c it doesn’t impede the exhaust flow.
Yep, just look at Top Fuel dragsters.
My research leads me to believe turbos can produce more power than superchargers, and the drag due to exhaust on turbos is less than a drag on power due to mechanical losses on a supercharger, especially a Roots-style blower. Of course, not doing the research myself, I cannot say for sure. Turbos are much more popular on smaller displacements where superchargers can move and compress much more mass of air and popular with large displacement engines.
I’d like to see a 500 C.I. push-rod V8 with a turbo make 10,000 HP…
Another consideration, RPM…Turbos spin at very high speed so they require careful design and construction from expensive materials. The turbos shaft is supported by a center bearing that must be kept sealed and lubricated in order to survive…High-speed machinery tends to be high maintenance. Belt driven superchargers can be fitted with a clutch similar to those used on A/C compressors. They only engage when the throttle is fully opened. This set-up goes a long ways towards limiting wear and tear on the blower…
Turbos have become near invisible as far as maintenance is concerned . Change the oil per the owners manual … that;s it !
New turbo cars are setup for regular gas so no problem there .
I drive a turbo car that I bought new in '99 … no engine.turbo /problems in the 180,000 miles I’ve driven it .