Supercharger VS Turbocharger

[Nadz44]

Hey guys just a question... What do you think would be a better application on a sports sedan??. Turbo or supercharge??. I dont know why we dont see more cars with blowers, as from what i know of them they would prob suit a car better then a turbo as there is no lag and would get the power down instantly rather then later in the rev range when a turbo comes on boost and supercharge prob wont be as violent as a big hp turboed car... S/C prob not as powerfull but not as much of a handfull and more pleasant to drive..

[toranaracer]

The biggest problem with supercharging is the increase in inlet air temperatures.
A supercharger in short bursts (street or drags) can be kept to a minimum, however over a longer time (10 lap race) keeping the IAT down would be an issue.
You are 100% correct with driveability.
My company car at my ex place of employment had a supercharger fitted and the increase in torque was phenominal.
However tow my ski boat or the race car and the intercooler temperature would skyrocket and the power fall away.
Each has there pros and cons.

Just my two bobs worth!

toranaracer.

[profi]

Nice close ratio box, you can keep a turbo engine in its rev range.

[MrBoost]

easier said than done profi. unfortunately there are other cars out on the track that effect that by taking different lines and or corner speeds that stuff us up haha. and as nascar have poured milllllllllions into chevs and they are making more power these days means we need bigger turbo's to keep up which is making more lag. Superchargers are yeh no good for racing. the best thing you can do if you had the time and money is to supercharge and turbo an engine like the lancia delta s4's from the group b rally days. they were awesome! or spent squillions replacing manifolds and turbos and run antilag

[2002 turbo]

I am biased but turbos in my opinion are a better option for a smaller capacity engine in circuit racing.
With superchargers you have installation constraints, they obviously use up engine power where as turbos use wasted energy in the exhaust (better efficiency) and altering boost pressure is much easier with a turbo. As for power delivery it really depends on the exact setup, not all have to be laggy just look at the current world rally cars!. If you build an efficient setup that flows the air throughout the entire intake system i.e intercooler, intake manifold, intake ports you don't have to resort to having an over sized turbo which will give you lag.