alphanumeric said:supercharger = takes power to make power. and more strain on the motor. driven by a pulley connected to the crank or other periphery. piping is simpler. set boost through the drive pulley. boost is usually proportional to engine speed. makes cool pulley noise
bold text in the quote is technically false. with both turbo and super, you're adding more strain to the motor. the amount of PSI, and the accuracy of your engine management make the difference as to which individual kit "strains" your engine more. It all boils down to your individual engine management... if you tune either setup wrong, it can blow up bad.
Also, lots of people run intercoolers w/superchargers, due to charged air being hotter. Some supercharger designs prevent this, but those designs usually run lower amounts of boost, as overly hot charged air will not offer more performance... it may actually rob horsepower, and lead to detonation, which is BAD.
Basically, supercharged power generally offers a "smoother" power curve, and "instant on" power; a moderately boosted engine will feel like it just has more displacement. Usually turbo setups lack in the lower end, and produce a lot more power up high in the RPMs.
Also, even though theoretically they say superchargers cost more power... you bolt it on, and have more power everywhere throughout the power curve... so its still "free" power. And, I've read a few arguments that turbo's also have parasitic power loss due to the fact that the exhaust gasses DO have to spin the turbine, thus some elevated backpressure (afterall, the turbo itself deadens a lot of the sound of the exhaust, thus requiring less muffler to silence it.)
but thats an argument i've seen create massive flame waras and arguments in many forums...
my own take on it, is it depends on what you're trying to get out of the car. (and on what pieces are available for your car)
By general mechanical-theory, i like the idea of the supercharger best. it gives more power everywhere, and (generally) is consistant. Also, none of the need for a "timer" to keep from coking your bearings.
However, that being said... with my particular car and it's engine, and the available pieces, a turbo setup is the most practical. The best supercharger i've seen for the mx-5 is the roots style jackson racing piece, and even the most insane setup based on that unit (that i've seen) has maxxed at around 190 rwhp.
There are ready-to-bolt-on turbo kits available for my car that start in that HP range, and spool up to full boost by 2500RPM, and with the way the miata engine is designed... its kinda rare for me to drop below that, even while putt-putting around the city. theres a couple bolt-on-ish turbo kits that boast 270-350+ rwhp, as well (however those are a bit price prohibative, hehe)
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