Guys, if I refer to a turbo-charged engine as "supercharged" (as opposed to naturally-aspirated), someone always jumps on my *** and 'corrects' me, ejaculating "IT'S TURBOCHARGED!!".

I've always thought that any forced-induction engine was "supercharged", with turbo units being most correctly referred to as "turbo-superchargers". And blowers most accurately referred to as "belt-driven superchargers".

Am I right or wrong? I don't argue about it, as often these same guys are the ones who want to go to blows over stuff. ;^)

Thanks!
T.

Both. Its like engine and motor thing. Some folks just go nuts if wording is not to their thinking. Try saying clip instead of magazine for piece that holds rounds of ammo around gun guys. IMO if know what someone meant by statement what is the big deal?

I guess technically they are different since one is exhaust driven and one driven by belt or gear off engine. Both do supercharge the air induction system.

Why make it complicated. Is this bar talk or what?

My opinion is that the name “supercharger” is reserved for a crankshaft driven compressor. Whether it be direct, gear or belt driven.
There are two types of them with one type having various architecture to compress air.

Centrifugal: a compressor wheel similar to that of a cold side of a turbo but is in fact belt driven. Brands associated with this type are ProCharger and Vortech. These units will almost always be mounted low and the drive system is usually compact.

Positive Displacement: The more common and widely used supercharger type. Most mounted on top of the intake or integral to the intake (hellcat). GM/Detroit two stroke Diesel engines were the birth of the modern “blowers”. These type of blowers can be any of the following…

Roots-two or three lobed rotors started out straight (gm) then became helixed (twisted), then became high helix. The amount of helix is specified by sanctioning bodies. Standard helix used in nitro categories. High helix for classes without restrictions but started as upgrade for alcohol dragster and funny car prior to the screw compressor. A standard roots is all open at the discharge and a high helix compresses the air to a triangle “delta” discharge hole making air/fuel balancing more difficult but the performance is worth it. These will be Kobelco, Littlefield, PSi, BDS, The Blower Shop etc…

Rotary Screw: Reserved for use on Alcohol classes and pro mod uses a male and female screw to compress the air down to a delta type discharge. Only two brands widely used, Whipple and PSI. Whipple used Swede made parts from a company called Lysholm to produce the 980 series blowers but when they quit building them the testing for certification process became unobtainable. SFI (safety) requires that a new unit be spun tested to an RPM a certain percentage above their rated usage. Almost a destructive test…maybe they do destroy them, not sure. These tests had to be done at some interval leaving Whipple out because they were no longer in production. PSI now owns the entire alcohol class as the only approved screw supercharger for use in the blown alcohol categories and ProMod.

One detail about blowers that so many people don’t realize is that the air is not compressed rotor to rotor but rotor to case. All of the blowers are driven on the right of the engine (as you’re looking at it) and turn CW…….So when you look at the rotors from the top it would appear that they are blowing air up at you.


If this was bar talk, it’s last call, gotta go

Hmm, good info bry-war; thank you.

I'm older.Supercharging meant "Forced induction"
by mechanical means, That included Belt driven,or exhaust driven devices to force more air into the engine.
Carburetors or fuel injection on engines that relied only on atmosphere pressure differentials were termed "Normally Aspirated"
Nitrous Oxide was originally termed "chemical supercharging" because it was a hybrid way of introducing more O2 into the combustion chamber
Now we classify these methods as Power Adders

quote:

Originally posted by wideopen231:
Try saying clip instead of magazine for piece that holds rounds of ammo around gun guys.

This is one that does drive me nuts......A clip and a magazine are two very different things.....and are not interchangeable....

As to the topic, I'll use the term "supercharging" an engine, and if more detail is requested, I'll add in it's a turbo, blower, etc.....

turbo-supercharger.

turbo = hairdryer
super = huffer