Blown vs. Turbo
- Thread starter jmhkas
- Start date
99FiveOh
15 Year Member
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.
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
Founding Member
Black95GTS
Active Member
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
15 Year Member
Did you even read my post? That point was mentioned in my "Turbo Pros" section..
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.
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
15 Year Member
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.
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.
mustangkid05
New Member
- Mar 10, 2006
- 199
- 0
- 0
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.
illwood
Member
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
Founding Member
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
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
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.
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.
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.
