Turbocharger vs. Supercharger

Turbocharger vs. Supercharger

Let's, for a change, start with the bottom line – a turbocharged/supercharged engine produces more power when compared to the same engine without the charging. What exactly these bad-boys do to your engine to make it more powerful? Well, in simple English, they act as injectors of adrenaline directly into the heart of the engine.

Both, a turbocharger and a supercharger, are called forced induction systems. This simply means that both these systems compress the air flowing into the engine. What is the benefit of that? For a successful combustion in an engine cylinder, both air and fuel are required. If the air flowing into the engine is compressed then that means there is more space for more air that can be pumped in. More air means more fuel can be stuffed into the cylinder (to maintain the air to fuel ratio inside the cylinder) and hence you get more power out of every explosion in every cylinder.

Theoretically, a typical turbocharger or a supercharger should provide 50% more power on top of the actual power available from the engine alone. But practically, these systems are not that efficient. You get anything between 30-40% extra boost.

Let's move on to the key difference now. It is to do with the power supply that these two use. No, you don't get an extra battery under the hood somewhere for either of them, but for the air compressors to work, they require some sort of power. In case of a supercharger, the belt of the air compressors is directly connected to the engine. A turbocharger on the other hand, gets is juices from the exhaust system of the car. The exhaust runs through a turbine which helps in spinning the compressor inside the turbocharger.

Nothing in this world comes with only goodies at their disposal and these systems are no exception.

Supercharger:
Pros: Much easier to install; instant power delivery
Cons: Comparatively expensive

Turbocharger:
Pros: Comparatively cheaper; In theory environmentally friendly (uses wasted energy as its power source)
Cons: Back pressure on the exhaust system that causes turbo-lag.