What is the difference between turbocharged and supercharged engines?
There are several different types of each. Both operate by driving a compressor to push pressurised air into the cylinders. Pushing pressurised air in means that more air is being taken into the cylinder than a naturally aspirated engine. That means more fuel can be injected, and the resulting bang is bigger. Simple result: much more power out of the engine. Superchargers are usually comprised of a centrifugal compressor, or some form of helical (screw type) compressor. A centrifugal compressor is the same as the compressor on a turbo: it is a specially shaped disc with angled vanes on it that, as it rotates, it draws in air and pumps it out at higher pressure. The helical type is usually a pair of long, angled gears that mesh together, and as the air moves through them the space between them gets smaller, which compresses the air. Turbochargers are all centrifugal. I haven’t seen one that is not. Turbos and Superchargers are very different in their operation, and their application. Su
