3 Unique Facts to Know About How Superchargers Work

You’ve heard the term “superchargers” before and it just sounds like something cool. However, if someone asks you what that term means, it’s likely you may be scratching your brain wondering what to tell them. Today, we’re going to change all that. We’re going to describe to you what a vehicle supercharger is and give you three unique facts to share about it with all your friends.

What Is A Supercharger?

If you’ve ever had that experience where you’re driving down the road and you just feel like your car is giving it all it’s got but you’re not moving fast enough, you’re not alone. In fact, many vehicle owners feel this way from time to time. This is exactly why the supercharger was invented.

Superchargers are a piece of equipment that gets mounted on the side or top of the engine of your car or truck. The supercharger works to increase the power of your vehicle by allowing more air into the engine during its operation. With more air in the engine, the vehicle is able to burn more fuel. This means it will be able to work harder to supply your vehicle with more drive power.

Fact #1: They’re Mechanically Powered

While you may think of most car components as being digital these days, the supercharger is actually mechanically powered. You may be shaking your head in disbelief, but it’s true. Many people get the terms supercharger and turbocharger confused. They’re two very different pieces of equipment for a vehicle. A turbocharger is powered by the flow of exhaust gas that drives a turbine. The supercharger, on the other hand, is powered by the components which are connected to the engine’s crankshaft. These include the belt, shaft, gear, and chain itself.

The supercharger works to compress the air above the actual pressure in the atmosphere. This is just enough to send extra air into the engine compartment, but not enough to create a vacuum effect. This extra air in the engine gives the vehicle the boost it needs in power. A simple supercharger can increase your vehicle’s horsepower by up to 46 percent. It can increase your torque up to 31 percent.

Fact #2: They’re Rated By Capacity Per Revolution

When it comes to grading superchargers, the scale is capacity per revolution. Essentially, this is going to be how much air is pushed into the engine per one revolution. You’ll find there are two main types of superchargers for sale. These include the dynamic compressors and the positive displacement type. Dynamic compressors are built to only provide additional pressure to the engine once it reaches over a particular speed threshold. The positive displacement type of supercharger works to provide a constant level of pressure to the engine regardless of speed.

Fact #3: Superchargers Come in All Different Sizes

It’s no surprise to anyone that vehicles come in all shapes and sizes. For this reason, the superchargers come in various sizes to fit various vehicles. As discussed above, superchargers can be mounted on the top or the side of the engine. When you’re dealing with getting a supercharger for your own vehicle, you should look for an option that best fits your motor. For example, if you’re driving a modern vehicle, it’s likely a supercharger that mounts on the side or front of the engine is going to be more discrete. One that mounts on the top may not fit. For older muscles cars, the top mount superchargers are ideal. They bring style to those cars.

For the most part, supercharger power increases with the size of the supercharger. So, if you purchase a larger supercharger, you’re likely going to get more horsepower added to your vehicle. The only exception to this rule is the Roots supercharger. This is the type of supercharger that is found on muscle cars where the roof is actually lifted for the supercharger to come through. The size of these superchargers is clearly for show and their power output aren’t equal to their respective size.

Understanding superchargers may be something new for you. You’ve probably heard about them before but didn’t know if your vehicle is the perfect fit for one or not. Hopefully, you’ve got a clear idea of just how useful a supercharger can be for you and you gained some knowledge that you can share with others about this awesome vehicle enhancing device.

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