Blown vs. Turbo

jmhkas · Apr 4, 2007

Give me a summary of pro and cons of each please!!!

99FiveOh · Apr 4, 2007

Have you been hiding under a rock? j/k.

I'll do my best.

Supercharger Pros:

Usually less expensive
alot less complex
easier to install
cooler underhood temps than turbos

Cons:

Parasitic loss from being driven by the crank
Stress on the crank bearings
Boost is linear to engine RPMs so boost doesn't come on as fast as turbos
Makes less power than turbos lb for lb

Turbo pro's

Like having "free power" meaning no extra load on the engine to drive it
Boost comes on pretty fast and max boost is reached much sooner than S/C's
Being able to control boost level from the driver's seat!
Killer sound!
Can be setup in a "Twin" fashion which is just cooler.
Simple kits can build serious HP
Alot of parts can be had for crazy cheap prices if found in junkyards

Turbo cons:

A whole lot of underhood heat which can damage alot of electronics and such prematurely.
Installing the kits can be really involved as they are much more complex than S/C kits.
Since turbo's use exhaust to operate, this means they get alot hotter than S/C head units, so their charge temps are much higher as well, requiring some kind of intercooler setup.
All the extra piping and accessories adds more weight than your typical S/C setup.
Since the boost comes on so quick, if there's a problem like detonation, it's usually too late to get out of the boost before disaster strikes.

I'm sure there's some things I didn't hit on and there's things that hardcore Turbo guys will probably have a problem with. Turbomustangs.com is an awsome site to gain all kinds of knowledge on turbos.

OrangeMustangGt · Apr 4, 2007

dont forget the main advantage of turbos. You get full boost at a set, usually low rpm!

Black95GTS · Apr 4, 2007

jmhkas said:
Give me a summary of pro and cons of each please!!!

Holy search function. Google here too. I mean, this is like when my parents call me at my apartment because they need help with consumer electronics yet haven't even tried to unwrap the instruction manual.

Adam

99FiveOh · Apr 4, 2007

GreenMustangGt said:
dont forget the main advantage of turbos. You get full boost at a set, usually low rpm!

Did you even read my post? That point was mentioned in my "Turbo Pros" section..

tjh566 · Apr 4, 2007

Actually, dependant on what type of blower you have some of that information is incorrect. Like my supercharger, I got full boost at 1500rpm, show me a turbo car doing that. This is a roots style blower, or a twin screw style such as the kenne bell. The one he has described is one like a vortech, It functions "kinda" like a turbo as boost builds with rpm. Also, alot of turbos have turbo lag, in which most kits sized for racing dont come in full boost till 3000+.

All in all, a Turbo is better, more peak power, no power loss for a belt drive, adjustable boost levels, etc. Only thing as said above a turbo system is alot more complicated.

BlackVert · Apr 4, 2007

big inch n/a

cbarr300 · Apr 4, 2007

Turbo lag with a V8? I haven't heard too many people complain about that....I guess it depends on your setup though.

Twin turbo....the name just sounds better. Not to mention all the chrome piping you could have up under the hood.

Really though, if your car is a daily driver I'd go with a vortech or similar centrifugal supercharger. You keep stock like driveability under 4000 or so rpms....which can help save gas...but when you need it to be quick, you have it at the mash of a pedal.

everyone else hit pretty well with the pros and cons.

tjh566 · Apr 4, 2007

well if racing is your game you put a big turbo because you'll be in high rpms during racing. if you use that setup on the street it will lag a little.

94GTLaserRC · Apr 4, 2007

Nice write up by "THE MUSTANG"

RC

cbarr300 · Apr 4, 2007

haha yeah, I know what you're saying. That's why I put that it depends on your setup.

How's that m90 going for you?

ProKiller · Apr 5, 2007

go get a used vortech and put that on and call it day...

mustangkid05 · Apr 5, 2007

plus one for the supercharger it = more women

twoturbofox · Apr 5, 2007

cbarr300 said:
Turbo lag with a V8? I haven't heard too many people complain about that....I guess it depends on your setup though.

Twin turbo....the name just sounds better. Not to mention all the chrome piping you could have up under the hood.

Really though, if your car is a daily driver I'd go with a vortech or similar centrifugal supercharger. You keep stock like driveability under 4000 or so rpms....which can help save gas...but when you need it to be quick, you have it at the mash of a pedal.

everyone else hit pretty well with the pros and cons.

sorry have to disagree. For a daily driver I would go turbo all the way. You control the load with your right foot, therefore you have full control over boost. You can drive the car and not even notice you have a turbo in there. Driveability with a turbo is sensational. I drove mine for over 10k miles without a tune, getting up to 18 mpg, trapping 120mph. I would never ever run a supercharger on anything after this.

wytstang · Apr 5, 2007

turbo kits wait time can be months for it to be built (unless you peice it togther faster). Superchargers take 2 days to install using hand tools and roughly 3-5 days arrival time. A daily driver for light to light action a Kenne Bell is funner with torque almost instant.

illwood · Apr 5, 2007

twoturbofox said:
sorry have to disagree. For a daily driver I would go turbo all the way. You control the load with your right foot, therefore you have full control over boost. You can drive the car and not even notice you have a turbo in there. Driveability with a turbo is sensational. I drove mine for over 10k miles without a tune, getting up to 18 mpg, trapping 120mph. I would never ever run a supercharger on anything after this.

Jeff, I'm not surprised that this post caught you attention long enough to post.

So, IMO, the pros and cons of turbos are as follows:

Pros:
-Superior means for making power by boost

Cons:
-Not usually a cookie cutter solution

Pros and cons of superchargers:

Pros:
-Usually easy to buy a kit that will bolt in on a Saturday or weekend.

Cons:
-Most things listed above.

How much time and effort are you planning on putting into this? Looking for instant gratification, go supercharger, looking for to have a sweet setup and willing to put serious time and research into it, go turbo.

"You've paid your money, now make your decision" -R. Norton

Stanger007 · Apr 5, 2007

When you search you'll notice that most of the guys that are serious about horsepower and start off running superchargers eventually end up with turbos.

That being said, the comments above are GREAT advice on both options.

I'm about to install a Vortech V1 S-trim on my '95 - why? Well my car is a daily driver, so I value reliability. I also value doing ALL the work on it that I can myself and I want something that has been proven and is easy to find information on as I take this first step on boost. (I also tune my own car - twEECer R/T)

After the supercharger I'm tossing around the idea of putting a turbo/EFI motor in my other Mustang - the S-trim is my "safe" way of cutting my teeth on a boosted application first and learning the ropes before I head to the turbo.

My neighbor and I are finishing up a motor rebuild/turbo install on his Integra - so I've been doing a lot of research and listening to him on the finer points of a turbo system... they definitely seem like the way to go if you don't mind a little fabrication and making things fit.

So there's my personal experience... YMMV.

Wes

94GTLaserRC · Apr 5, 2007

(any) Power adder = FUN!!

RC

jmhkas · Apr 5, 2007

Personally leaning toward the supercharger. I had Vortech's were good, but seems everyone is really loving the Kenne Bell

tjh566 · Apr 5, 2007

a kenne bell will "feel" alot faster than a vortech because of enormous amount of low end torque. You'd have more fun with a kenne bell if your mostly street driving.

cbarr300 said:
haha yeah, I know what you're saying. That's why I put that it depends on your setup.

How's that m90 going for you?

Running good, I hope i just fixed the slipping belt, and gonna get some sticky tires then going back to the track and hoping for low 8's in my local 1/8th mile track. With the belt slipping and me losing psi in the upper rpm, and no traction, it ran a 8.9@80mph.

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