Hi all,
I buy most of my performance parts from Hans Pedersen who manufactures the
supercharger for the MGB's, I asked him about the additional wear and this
was his response:
Engine wear with supercharger?
Engine wear is determined more by how the engine is treated (i.e.
maintenance and driving style). Assuming the engine is properly tuned,
properly maintained, (with regular oil and filter changes) and driven in a
similar fashion, supercharging will generally not shorten engine life - as
required by quite a few OEM installations.
It is engine revs. which kill engines, with conventional tuning the aim with
MG engines is to run them up to 7000 or 8000 rpm. to make any real
horsepower. To achieve this special cranks, rods, pistons, rocker arms,
valves, valve springs etc. etc. will usually be required.
It is an absolute "pig" to drive with very little "go" under 4500 - 5000
rpm.
You usually don't have to rev. a supercharged engine past 5500 rpm to make
max. horsepower.
An engine sees maximum component load the moment the piston changes
direction from going up to going down. There is a complicated (and commonly
held) theory that increasing the compression pressure , as the supercharger
does, actuallyt reduces this maximum load and hence is easier on engine
components.
However, in competition work under full throttle conditions the enormous
torque will place additional load on the transmission system particularly if
traction is improved (e.g. using slicks).
Hans J.Pedersen
HP High Performance Products
Victoria. Australia
Ph. +61 3 9874 1800
http://www.hi-flow.com/
hans@hi-flow.com
Cheers,
Neil.
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