Easy Question

[Dan]

I am sure that this is an easy question but one which I don't know the answer too.

Why is the Vortech supercharger called a supercharger and not a turbo charger?

Thanks,

Dan

[duhtroll]

. . . because it's "super?"

:lol:

I dunno.

-A

[Dan]

:uzi:

wizeguy

[MM03MOK]

It has to do with the power source. If it's driven mechanically by the engine, it's a supercharger. If it's driven by the exhaust, it's a turbocharger. Other than that, they work the same way.

[Bigdogjim]

Smart Bunny:):):)

[Logan]

What bunny said.

[TripleTransAm]

Not to mention that the fact that the turbo charger is driven by exhaust, it suffers from a lag before spinning up enough to provide boost, due to the "soft" physical interface that drives the compressor (ie. compressible exhaust gases instead of a solid belt). Think of it as a water wheel (is that what they're called) at an old factory... the wheel will take a while before it begins to spin at an appreciable speed. Reducing the mass of the impeller will make it spin up faster and reduce lag, but limit your maximum boost.

The supercharger, on the other hand, is driven straight off the engine and can provide boost almost immediately. The downside is that it saps engine power slightly because of the load of the belt-driven compressor on the engine pulleys, whereas the turbo uses velocity and heat energy from the exhaust gases that would have been expelled anyway.