Is supercharger more reliable then turbocharger ?

[Newlogics]

Hi guys,

Is supercharger design more reliable then turbo ?

I'd assume it is, since it is not subjected to such intense heat, but I really didn't fing much info on it's 'weak spots' as far as reliablity conserned (not taking performance in consideration)

 

[greathuskie]

they both have parts that spin at 100,000+ rpms

 

[ChrisHKS]

my opinion, turbos are better/more efficient. they use the everlasting exaust gases to operate the turbo. superchargers run off of your engine pullys thus putting more strain on the engine at one point or another.also turbos are WAY more easy to tune to your specific needs/wants. good luck

 

[InFlames]

I would say superchargers are way more reliable than a turbo.

 

[nholley]

I asked the same question on another site, this link should give you all the answers:

http://www.speedstreet.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=222

 

[jdmawd]

i have had more probnlems from my blower than my turbo. thrown belts, bad outlet shaft seals. oner big pain

 

[Drewsiff00]

Turbos are more efficient than a blower. blowers run off pully belts from the engine and suck power as they make it about 30-40% of it to be exact. a turbo will only take about 10-15% at most. and the are easier to tune

 

[greathuskie]

a blower will take 20% of your engine power to run AT MOST

 

[Thalomos]

He's not asking about effinciency... he's asking about reliability, and from what i've heard, blower takes the cake.

 

[95talontsi]

everyseen a top fuel dragster throw a blower belt not pretty, if you just take care of your turbo it will last for a long time.

 

[GRNDSM]

OK, lets put efficiency issues apart. Superchargers will never win that one anyway . The question is about reliability. A typical watercooled turbo will last 80-140k miles (Turbotimers seems to have very little effect on to that number). Naturally, there are exceptions in ether direction. If you need to rebuild a turbo it will cost you around $300.

Most aftermarket superchargers are no-where near as reliable as OEM models. Where as supercharged MR2 or T-bird, can easily go 100-150k miles on their roots style blowers, centrifugal styles blowers like Paxton, Powerdyne, or Vortex do not seem to last as long. Powerdyne especially, had some major problems with internal belt failures in as little as 10k miles. Rebuild cost on superchargers tend to be a bit higher too, around $500-$600 with fewer shops doing the work.
Some of this might be due to the fact that turbos are much more popular and there are more options out there driving the prices down.

I think that it comes down to this. Superchargers make for easier custom installations on most NT cars. Roots blowers are probably most durable, but they are less efficient and more expensive than turbos or centrifugal blowers. And if you consider the rebuild cost, I would much rather take a chance with rebuilding a turbo twice than one rebuild of roots blower.

There is another way to look at it, roots style blowers have their origins in big trucks. Well, take a look at what they are using now… They have all switched to turbos. And those trucks rack on 500-1000k miles per year.

Leon
RR

 

[greathuskie]

drag racers are sticking to the SC route for the most part, well atleast with muscle cars

you go to a muscle car show and you will se alot of SC's, but not many if any turbos on those cars

 

[GRNDSM]

Could this be because NHRA does not allow turbos on Top Fuel and Funny Cars?

Those guys enforce a lot of old rules for the "old times sake". Besides, they need to slow them down (g's are getting too much to handle for drivers), so I doubt that they will ever get with the program and allow turbos .

Leon
RR

 

[greathuskie]

a turbo would probably slow them down

turbo lag DOES exist ya know, and those things dont have it

and also i didnt even mention NHRA i said muscle car shows

 

[jdmawd]

Originally posted by greathuskie
a turbo would probably slow them down

turbo lag DOES exist ya know, and those things dont have it

and also i didnt even mention NHRA i said muscle car shows

:laugh: