4 Benefits of Adding a Supercharger to Your Vehicle

Even those who have little interest in driving will have heard about superchargers, but not many people know how they work or what benefits they can provide. That's a shame since adding a supercharger to your vehicle is one of the best modifications you can make, especially if you're interested in improving performance.

Essentially, a supercharger pressurizes your vehicle's air intake to bring it above atmospheric pressure. Unlike turbochargers, which perform the same role using exhaust gases to drive a turbine, superchargers are directly connected to the engine's crankshaft via a belt or chain drive.

Here are just four reasons you should consider adding one to your vehicle.

1. Added Power

The most compelling reason to add a supercharger to your vehicle is to boost its power output. Since superchargers force more air into your engine's combustion chamber, more fuel can also be added while maintaining a healthy fuel-air mixture. This provides more intense internal combustion, and that will give a significant boost to your vehicle's horsepower. This is especially beneficial for vehicles with small or low-powered engines since you can increase power without having to add much weight or go through the expense and inconvenience of replacing the entire engine.

2. Seamless Performance

You might have heard that superchargers produce a slight lag, but this is only an issue with turbochargers. With superchargers, there is no delay between pushing down on the accelerator and the engine reacting. This is because superchargers are directly connected to the engine's camshaft, which means RPMs increase in the supercharger just as they increase in the engine. As such, superchargers provide direct power with no lag. This makes them just as effective for low-speed driving as high-speed driving.

3. Increased Efficiency

Many people assume that superchargers will reduce fuel economy, but this isn't necessarily the case. In fact, superchargers can help vehicles run more efficiently. Since they increase the pressure of air fed to the engine, fuel and air can mix better. This allows the engine to run without needing to consume as much fuel.

4. Easy Installation

Many performance upgrades require major modifications, but superchargers are easy to install. They can simply be fitted to the top or side of your engine, which means there's no need to tamper with the engine itself. The majority will also not require an oil supply, and far less pipework is required than with turbochargers since they don't need to be connected to the exhaust system. As well as making superchargers simple to fit, these benefits also make them easy to maintain.

Talk to a local mechanic if you are interested in car modifications.

Share