At 3:20 PM +0000 11/7/03, jmaher0343@bresnan.net wrote:
>What works better at altitude, a turbo or a supercharger?
They will accomplish the same thing, if all you wish to do is make up for
lower atmospheric pressure. There are strong and weak points for both
schemes when you consider the entire package.
For turbos, the compressor wheel size and inlet size determines how much
boost you get and when it comes on. Big turbos make a lot of boost all of a
sudden and tend to have more lag. Turbos in general don't offer much boost
at low RPM, compared to superchargers. The downfall of superchargers is the
energy required for compression comes from the crankshaft, even at low
boost pressures. Big boost saps some horsepower. Of course, from a
thermodynamics perspective, there is no free lunch with either system.
Phil Barnes (peb3@cornell.edu)
Cortland, NY (nowhere near New York City)
'71 TR6 CC61193L (26 year owner)
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