What's the difference?

Oh man there is a lot to say on this. I recommend doing a search this has been covered tons of times. Basics are turbos are driven by your exhaust, however they do lag because it takes time for the momentum to build so you gotta get your revs up. The plus side is there is no parasitic loss from it. A supercharger is belt driven so you have power on demand, but you don't make as much power per pound of boost.

Dead on except the lag for turbo. A properly setup turbo is on the wategates at full boost early, while a supercharger takes 'till almost redline for full boost.

Of course, I was giving a general statement, but it is very true the size of the turbo determines how fast it spools up.

Don't forget the big roots blowers

A turbo would have to be a custom setup, superchargers come in aftermarket kits. The superchargers go for 2,000-3,000 depending on the type. As for the turbo, there are some guys on here that have done there own setups and could help you if you search.

A blower and a supercharger are one in the same. You also have options with any of these set-ups. You have centrifugal superchargers, which are belt driven and mount like an engine accessory, and you have roots and/or twin screw type blowers that mount like an intake manifold. With respect to turbos, you can run a single or twin turbo. Check out 10secgoal's threads for info on a big single turbo set-up.
Insofar as how the engine needs to be built for forced induction, it's really not that much different, from what I understand, than what a naturally aspirated engine of similar horsepower would require. If you plan on building much boost, you need forged internals, and the forced induction will affect your choice of camshaft to some degree as well as the compression ratio you want to run. High compression + mega boost = Finally, I think forced induction does require some ignition changes to retard/advance timing in some situations. Just my $.02, and I certainly don't claim to be an expert on this subject.

as 65 stated, a supercharger and blower are the same thing. there are however 3 types of superchargers;

1: the old standby roots type supercharger

2: the newer, but still quite old style, centrifugal supercharger

3: the new style screw type supercharger.

all three have their good and bad points, but all three get the job done in about the same way. the screw type supercharger is going to be the most efficient, but also the most expensive. all three though require engine power to turn them and make boost.

a turbocharger as stated uses exhaust pressure and flow to turn the compressor and build boost, but it is NOT free power as many people think. even with a wastegate you still increase backpressure in the exhaust system, and that can cost you power even on a well designed system. the reason people think it is free power is because the turbo uses less power to build boost than an engine driven supercharger does. properly sized, and with the right controls, you can make boost early in the rpm range with a turbo, and still get it to build maximum boost at around 3K rpm if you so choose.

when building a turbo or supercharged engine, you need to use top quality parts, forged pistons, good aftermarket rods if you are going to turn rpms above 6000, a well prepped crank, again if going above 6K rpm, then get a forged crank. depending on the fuel you plan on using you want low compression, stay below 9:1 for a street engine with 10psi boost or less. you also want the intake and exhaust systems to be as efficient as possible, but still designed to work in the rpm range you plan on running your engine in. is does no good to put a supercharger on an engine designed for high rpm, and still expect that engine to make power at low or moderate rpm as well.

with a turbo you want a cam that has fairly wide lobe centers, 110-114 degrees, even on most race engines. a supercharger on the other hand will tolerate narrower lobe centers for the street, and needs narrower lobe centers for the track, 106-110 degrees. just remember that everything has to work together for best power and efficiency in the rpm range you plan on running in 85% of the time.


oh, by the way, yes there are other types of superchargers, but the three i mentioned are the most used today as the others have gone by the wayside for a variety of reasons.