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Supercharger – All You Need To Know
A supercharger is a type of forced induction system designed to increase the overall power output of an internal combustion engine by significantly increasing the density of the intake air.
However, unlike a turbocharger, a supercharger is mechanically powered, which usually involves a belt drive driven by the crankshaft of the internal combustion engine. This setup comes with some advantages and disadvantages as well.
The advantages of a supercharger include better response to throttle inputs as superchargers are typically powered by the crankshaft. However, it is not as efficient as a turbocharger which uses kinetic energy from the exhaust gases to power itself.
That being said, the world's first series production cars with a supercharger were the 1.6-litre Mercedes 6/25hp and 2.6-litre Mercedes 10/40hp, and were marketed as Kompressor models. Moreover, the production of both Kompressor models began the year 1923.
However, the existence of superchargers has been accounted for earlier than that. In fact, the first supercharged engine was built almost 45 years ago, in 1878. Moreover, there are two main types of supercharges - Positive displacement and Dynamic superchargers.
The positive displacement superchargers maintain a constant level of boost pressure, whereas the dynamic superchargers cause the boost pressure to rise exponentially with RPM. Also, superchargers can be classified according to drive system - Belt, Direct, Gear, Chain, and Electric.
At present, the most powerful supercharged car is the Zenvo TSR-GT with 1,346bhp. This supercar uses a twin-supercharged, 5.8-litre, V8 engine and has an electronically limited top speed of around 423.3km/h.
Though superchargers are capable of powering the latest supercars, their popularity has dwindled over the years as turbochargers have gained popularity among car manufacturers. This is because turbochargers are run by exhaust gases that are usually wasted. As a result, turbochargers produce more power and better fuel economy.
However, as mentioned, turbochargers have a few disadvantages compared to a supercharger. This includes throttle response and heat soak. However, the latter can be negated by using an intercooler to reduce the intake air temperature and thus improve air density in the intake.
That being said, manufacturers have used both superchargers and turbochargers in the same car to exploit the advantages of both systems. This system is called Twincharger and the first notable user is Lancia.
Lancia used this system in the Lancia S4 at the 1985 and 1986 World Rally Championships. Their system allowed the supercharger to run on low to mid rpm and disconnect the belt drive during higher rpm. However, the system was not very reliable due to its complex nature.
Thoughts About Superchargers
Superchargers are notably more common in American performance cars and many people on the other side of the pond still prefer superchargers to turbochargers for their throttle response and linear build-up of power.
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