Turbo vs Supercharger?
- Thread starter tuggy24g
- Start date
What about Lingenfelters 2011 camaro options. If I remember correctly the top package is at almost 650 HP. Not bad for an ordered from the dealer hotrod! which are also supercharged!!!!!!!!!!!!
turbo...i agree with robert1320, turbos are not free hp, they run off the exhuast which is a byproduct of whats happining inside the combustion chamber.
the difference is, it takes less power to turn a turbo impeller than a supercharger, the supercharger is held to the revs of the motor and the ability of the motor to hold together(the more boost, the more pressure on the crankshaft since it runs off the snout of the crankshaft, in essence its slowly twisting it upwards, especially in high boost applications, on a turbo u have to worry about exhuast piping, and correctly sizing it to ur motors app...
buick grand nationals are factory turbo muscle cars, the new cobra is factory supercharged, as is the vette,but power for power, everyone would agree its a turbo, thats why all the imports are turbocharging rather the supercharging, it makes more power and is more concealable that a supercharger....perfect for sleepers.
the difference is, it takes less power to turn a turbo impeller than a supercharger, the supercharger is held to the revs of the motor and the ability of the motor to hold together(the more boost, the more pressure on the crankshaft since it runs off the snout of the crankshaft, in essence its slowly twisting it upwards, especially in high boost applications, on a turbo u have to worry about exhuast piping, and correctly sizing it to ur motors app...
buick grand nationals are factory turbo muscle cars, the new cobra is factory supercharged, as is the vette,but power for power, everyone would agree its a turbo, thats why all the imports are turbocharging rather the supercharging, it makes more power and is more concealable that a supercharger....perfect for sleepers.
siege said:
It's really hard to tell how much power is used or lost due to back pressure but you can keep losses in this area to a minimum by selecting the correct turbine housing and having a free flowing exhaust. I've read that poorly designed street setups could lose as much as 50HP due to restriction.
Compare that to a blower. The average centrifugal uses 80 to 100 HP to spin it. Older units like the Paxton ball drive required more power. I have very little experience with Roots or screw blowers so I can't comment.
What I can tell you is I have seen increase of 160HP on a 2004 cobra by simply swapping the Eaton blower for single turbo setup. The car picked up the additional power at the same 14 lbs of boost with no other changes except for some added fuel to keep the A/F in check.
We also swapped an old Vortech unit for home made "cheap" single turbo setup on a stock 90 mustang. I don't remember the turbo size but we did it "cheap" with Flipped headers, A knockoff turbo and Ebay intercooler. With the Vortech the car put down around 300HP at the wheels at 5 PSI and ran low 13's at the strip.
With the Turbo running on the gate spring we where seeing between 4 and 5 lbs and put down 340hp. The following spring the car ran consistent 12.50's. The main difference in the track times was due to the almost instant boost the turbo supplied. Keep in mind that this turbo setup was pretty much a bunch of junk that was gathered by the owner and where less than ideally matched. A larger exhaust housing, better intercooler and better exhaust would have made a ton of different. I saw the car again last summer and the owner had just installed offroad X-Pipe and a full 2-1/2 inch exhaust. The car picked up another 40HP at the wheels but hadn't made it back to the track.
What would you guys recommend for me then. I have a 402 big block and want to get some more power out of. Would a turbo (twin or single) or a supercharger be better to make more HP?
tuggy24g said:
Totally depends on you.
No one makes an off the shelf turbo kit. P/C may have a kit and you can use your existing headers. The turbo will require more fabrication.
Can you weld and fab?
Not yet! I am going to a tech school this year so I might learn how to do that.
What I am looking for is something that will give me good extra power through out the whole strip. Maybe more the beginning if I had to choose since big block are better at the end of a race then beginning.
What I am looking for is something that will give me good extra power through out the whole strip. Maybe more the beginning if I had to choose since big block are better at the end of a race then beginning.
