I'm fairly new to mods like superchargers and turbochargers. I know the differences, but my question is in reliability. I'm sure more can be answered after SEMA. I was wondering about wear and tear on the motor. Which is harder on the motor and which needs more attention, or maintenance. To be honest, I currently don't race (at the track) and more than likely never will. I've been reading so much about about the two lately, I'm getting antsy for power. What are the in's and out's of these mods. I know this is probably very entailed to reply. Any sources to read up on will be appreciated as well as personal experiences. Thanks David

 

Ahh perfect spot to post one of my favorite sites: howstuffworks.com

This is actually titled "What is the difference between a turbo and a supercharger?"

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/question122.htm

One of the main benefits (besides the extra hp) is increased gas mileage ... my question for people who've done it to stangs before is: how hard is a s/c or a turbo install on a stang normally?

 

Theoretically, turbochargers cause less engine wear. That is, you can achieve the same power with a turbo using less pounds of boost than the equivalent power level with a supercharger. At reasonable boost levels on pump gas with a good tune, both should be reliable. The key is to have a reputable, knowlegable shop perform the mods.

FYI, know that you will not be able to run high boost levels (more than 6/8 psi) on a stock engine w/o seriously compromising its long term reliability. In other words, you're probably going to hit a ceiling power-wise, maybe 400-425 rwhp at the most? Not sure on that one.

Some benefits of a turbocharger include: in car adjustable boost, potentially less engine wear, and efficiency. Some disadvantages include: high cost (get ready to spend $$$), engine packaging, and maybe some lag (not much of a problem if turbo is properly sized).

Some benefits of a (Roots based) supercharger include: instant boost, low cost compared to turbos, easy packaging. Some disadvantages include some efficiency lost due to parasitic drag and potentially more engine wear.

Unless you have a huge budget and loads of time to spend waiting for custom fabrication, I'd recommend a supercharger. Soon, S/C kits will be readily available for S197 stangs, and they will likely be very reliable if you stick to the manufacturers recommended boost levels. Good luck.

 

S/Cs are bolt on fairly straightforward, could be done in a day/weekend without a major headache.

Turbo? Prepare to skin your knuckles, get aggrivated, call your exhaust guy daily, have the company you bought the turbo kit from on speedial, and write a lot of checks. Oh yeah, and if the neighbors cat farts while walking by, you have to retune it.

 

good point Rob,

A turbo is more efficent than a supercharger. Exhaust gases are free energy essentially while the engine uses up power from the crank to drive the compressor.

A supercharger is the simpler way to go. If I wanted a mustang with a blower, I would rather wait for the Cobra, you can't build one for less.

 

Normal Supercharger install = 8 hours.

Normal Turbocharger install = 25 hours.

No

 

That doesn't include time on the phone does it?

 

im personally puttin in a supercharger......turbos im not too crazy about and wouldnt be able to do it myself

 

Grantsdale, that's a great site! Besides this topic, one can learn a lot from that site. Now I have a source when my 5 yr old asks how something works. I can answer him with something legit besides, "I'm not sure son."
So, bottom line: supercharger=less engine life, less cost-so save for new motor.
turbocharger=expensive, longer engine life, lots of maintenance.

 

169stang sooo true......props to grantsdale

 

oh look, 200+ posts. woopee

 

I don't like turbo lag, I like low end power, even if it costs me a bit in parasitic loss.

Kenne Bell's website has a decent amount of information about their superchargers (which have less parasitic loss than most). Their S/Cs are twin screw, not roots type, and as far as I know twin-screws are the most efficient type of S/Cs (although factory cars like the Cobra use Roots type because they are cheaper).

 

Normal Supercharger install = 8 hours.

Normal Turbocharger install = 25 hours.

No [/b][/quote]
I just don't know I guess. I just tend to think that bolting something to the top of the motor (supercharger) would be more difficult than bolting a turbocharger to the front. I was thinking that with having a belt driving the t/c there would be more drag on the motor as opposed to a s/c operating off the exhaust.