Daily Slideshow: Turbo or supercharger? How to Pick What's Right for You
Boost is a wonderful thing. Whether you’re looking to make 80 more horsepower or push it to the limit with big horsepower, there are benefits to both supercharging and turbocharging.
Air Pump
At the end of the day, an engine is nothing more than an air pump with some complicated pieces of engineering attached to it. Both forms of forced induction simply push more air. More air means more fuel which ultimately results in more horsepower. There’s nothing inherently superior about one or the other when it comes to the ability to move air.
Turbochargers
At 2.0 liters the S2000 is an engine that does much more than anyone ever expected. Having said that, turbocharging can net gains of 100 or even 200 horsepower without ever having to think about exotic fuels (bonus). Turbochargers are incredibly efficient while offering a wide range of tuning ability.
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Fast Spool or Peak Power (Turbo)
S2000s are linear in their power delivery. This is an important trait to build on as it gives the driver the ability to control and moderate the attitude of the car in corners. Turbochargers can upset this balance if outright power is pursued due to a more violent power delivery once the turbo spools up. If you choose to turbocharge your S2000, pick a turbo that allows the car to retain its innate response to throttle inputs.
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Ability to Upgrade (Turbo)
Many turbo kits have been created with the idea of upgrading in mind. As power levels become more familiar to a driver the need to increase boost may arise. This is where turbos are great as parts can be interchanged fairly simply as long as the machine is properly returned afterward. Turbos allow for the ability to increase with relative ease.
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Bells and Whistles (Turbo)
Aftermarket ECUs offer tuners to build in trick systems like anti-lag or launch control that gives major advantages in every form of motor racing. Even street drivers can benefit from these tricks that were once reserved for top-tier racing cars. Anti-lag has been used on supercharged cars, but you simply don’t see it as often which could make it harder to find someone familiar with this type of tuning.
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Superchargers (SC)
The biggest benefit of the supercharger is adding power while retaining the ultimate in linear throttle response. These forms of boost go hand in hand with the S2000 since they make it feel like a naturally aspirated car, albeit it much faster. This is the way to go if you want to take everything great about the S2000 and bump it up several notches.
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California Air Resource Board (SC)
Aka CARB, this fun organization is the source of many enthusiast woes. If your car isn’t CARB legal you risk tickets, inspections and heavy fines that will make you wish you had taken up baseball instead of car building. Many supercharger kits are CARB legal which means you can drive them around without being hassled by the police. For drivers that hit the canyons or own cars that double as streetcars, this is absolutely the way to go.
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High Technology (SC)
S2000s differ from other cars in that the supercharger kits offered are varied. You can find twin screw blowers or centrifugal blowers that tailor the driving experience to your exact needs. Within the supercharger world, there are many variations that can be had and all of these variations are offered for the S2000. This makes supercharging particularly interesting as you can often match the power levels of a lightly modified turbo car with more response.
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What to Buy
If money were no issue, it is safe to say driver ability and individual car setup are the first factors that should be considered. A big delay of power from a turbocharger might be uncontrollable to the average street driver, but no problem to an experienced club racer. Be honest about your skill set and consider what you use the car for. More often than not, your intended use will decide what is best. Hope you enjoyed reading.
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