I am not here to ask which one is better or the same old stuff that every one asks. Just want to see what type of members are here and where they stand and there preference.

For me, there is nothing like the sound of a SC. I would take that over and turbo.

 

i wold go turbo, i have had a few turbo cars and i like them alot. Ive never driven in a SC car but turbos are like free power SC is blet driven so will steal some power back just to run it.

 

its all in what you want... with a supercharger its instant power and there all the time... zero lag. When I launch Im at fill boost in less than a second.


You need to look at the pros and cons and decide what best fits your budget and wants.

If you are looking at overall horsepower for a civic then the answer is simple... get the turbo and quit wasting time. BUT in exchange for the high horsepower you want you will need plenty of parts. Stronger internals, an upgraded fuel system and a serious tune. Downside is that it wont be as reliable as s/c will be. A supercharger kit is pretty close to a bolt on install and their parts arent as complicated as a turbo. With a turbo you are looking at a lot of piping and running oil lines which tend to leak. there is also alot more maintenance involved. Cant install it yourself? Plan on a few thousand dollars alone for most shops to install that thing and a few days at least.

With the supercharger for a civic they commonly come in a roots style which will replace the intake manifold and basicallyt bolt on pretty easily with the exception of possibly running a fuel line. Mine comes with a 5th injector to add fuel, some compensate by larger injectors or just dumping alot of fuel. Maintenance is... well, not really a thought. Other than your belt wearing a bit faster they are internally oiled and that gets changed about once every 100,000 miles. No piping, no iol lines to be tapped, no real worry of a boost leak. If there is its a simple line and a minor fix. Also, the while of a supercharger at wide open throttle is just music to my ears. Dont know what it sounds like?... search videos of Mustang Cobra for the best sounds. Install is alot more simple compared to a turbo and can be done in about 3 hours at best. The norm is alittle longer, but thats my record haha.

If you plan to stay under 250hp then its a toss up, well for me Id take a supercharger any day but for the sake of argument there really isnt too much of a difference. Low boost on both are great and pretty similar. If you plan to make it a monster and run alot of boost then go turbo and plan on spending cash for a few broken, weak parts.


When you get into centrifugal superchargers its a bit of a different story, especially on V8's. My above argument is with Civics and 4 cylinder cars in mind. Simply, a centrifugal s/c is a turbo, but the wastegate is replaced by a pulley. Fastest street legal S197 Mustang right now is supercharged with a centrifugal blower... not turbo charged.

 

^wow that was alot. I just asked for your preference and you gave me a whole essay lol. Still enjyed reading it and i am with you on the SC bandwagon. That whine is sexy!!!!!!!

 

Eh, I kinda miss my SC whine but the power was complete **** compared to what I'm making now.

 

yeah, power isnt as good overall with the smaller roots/twin-screw superchargers. Not sure of the JR chargers with the civic, but the TRD s/c I have is just a rebadged Eatom M45. Many are upgrading the internals themselves... swaping the impellers with larger ones from an Eaton M65. Average gain is 30-40hp at 8 psi and a smoother powerband.

Problem with the JR supercahrger and mine in stock form is the heat that is generated. The stock pulleys are made at near peak performance. You can go smaller on the pulley to gain boost pressure, but at the same time you are creating more heat. At a certain point you are just building boost with no added power. Intercoolers and water injection systems help to a point, but the small screws from a blower used in our cars can only move so much air. Roots/twin-screws basically just force air into the chamber, a turbo/centrifugal supercharger actually compress air.

 

if you like the constant sound of a whine just go with a smaller turbo like a td04 or a t25 and it will zing all day long for you [8D]to top it off you end up getting the added sound of a bov

smaller turbos will limit you to under 250whp to though so yea, its all up to your preferance

 

a supercharger and "small" turbo sound completely different.

And there are plenty of small turbos that will net you well over 250hp. I was referring to small/average boost levels.

 

I always wondered about that. hmmmmm. I have not heard too much promissing things about the centrifugal SC. Only really good a high rpm or thats where it make max boost something like that i heard and cost mucho $$$. I like the whole concept behind it... right now its a toss up between the two for me. Not looking to make mad power...not racing it... not a drag car... dont want 14mpg cause i cant keep my foot off the gas... I just like the tq feeling lol. Something that reminds me of the planes that i fly. Does it whine the same or sounds more like a turbo.

 

Centrifugal SCs are pretty boring really. They really don't make a lot of power and the expense of them is unreal for what you're getting. I have a friend with a full built B16 (like 10K+ in engine work) and he's making 303whp... lol.