SUPERCHARGER vs. TURBO for Drifting?

[Thai Juku]

You can shove the supercharger up the ying yang...It's all about the turbo...

[240CATION]

lol

Originally posted by TireFrier
there is still SOME lag tho if you're above 4K unless you're ballbearing and a small turbo... my girlfriend just picked up a supercharged cobra yesterday, holy *Censored**Censored**Censored**Censored* that thing is fun. its a centrifigal supercharger so it doesn't make good power till high rpms but damn it pulls hard. its a Vortech V-1 S-Trim. the cobra stock has 305 hp, the blower adds 137 according to vortech, so she's at 440 at the flywheel, then she's got exaust which should add in the ballpark of 10-15 hp (it really makes a difference on forced induction cars. so that means that my girlfriend has more HP than all of us hahahah

www.ka-t.org she doesnt have more than these guys at the wheel !!! 8 cylinders vs. 4 cylinders , a power to wieght ratio come into mind here. A blower is constantly making torque because it is belt drivin which sucks more horse power at the lower rpm's which explains why any good gains dont happen until higher rpms are reached ,on the other hand turbo's use exhaust gases as power not the engine . turbo is the way to go !!

[Xantos]

i'd say its all personal choice though, it really depends on your driving habits, and engine size and/or power.

[scirocco]

turbo doesn't just use the force of the engines pistons expelling gases to create compression but also uses the compression of the exhaust gases that is otherwise wasted so if the turbo is small enough, you will not lose power at ANY rpm... trust me this is what i know

[rakeron]

There isn't much I can say that hasn't already been said. Basicly you can't gain anything without giving up something. With superchargers you have engine drag but you get constant boost (from what I've seen the average supercharger puts out 9 psi wich isn't half bad). Like what was said, Roots style gives you alot of low end grunt, but what hasn't been said is that you can't use an intercooler with this setup because it mounts between your upper and lower intake which means the forced air is HOT (for most cars this also means a new hood is required for it to clear). With Centerfuge style an intercooler can be used because it ecentially is a turbo that runs off the belt and is mounted on the engine much like your alternator (this also means theres a little lag but not as much as basic turbos). With turbos you have the infamous turbo lag wich some people tend to enjoy when they get that kick of power. As was said they cause exuast restriction in order to function. Basicly you're looking at drag vs. lag. Wich can you deal with the most? Supers are great for new drifters imo because its a constant boost, no need to keep an eye on the boost guage or sudden bursts of speed when you're focusing on controling the drift. Turbos are good for those more advanced drifters who can adjust their style for those speed bursts. With the right size turbo there will be little lag, but less power. Your choice man so good luck and let us know the results.

[CrazyHawaiian]

I think a better debate would be N/A vs Supercharged vs Turbo. You dont need forced induction to drift. Tire selection is key, as proven by the many AE86 with stock motors (100+/-hp) that drift at the Drift Session here in Hawaii every month. Anyway, from my point of view a smooth power delivery is what you want when you drift. And I dont mean from idle to redline, I'm talking about the powerband that you use when you drift. It makes throttle control easier. If the powerband is peaky then it might cause you to spin out (if it catches you off guard). I prefer a very smooth powerband with a flat torque curve. All of the above can be tuned to deliver smooth power so I wouldnt say one is better than the other. It just depends on what you are capable of doing, or in some cases, how much you can afford. I prefer N/A because of my driving style, but if I had to choose one of the forced induction choices I would go with a Centrifugal Supercharger (because I already have one and it would be free).