You’ve always seen superchargers on modified cars ripping up the tar at the drag strip. You’re thinking of fitting one yourself but then you discover that there’s quite a few different superchargers on the market. Which one to choose? Let me help you decide.
When it comes to superchargers, there are two different types of superchargers: positive-displacement superchargers, such as the ones fitted to hot rods and dragsters, and the newer centrifugal superchargers. Positive-displacement superchargers such the Roots supercharger have two or more counter rotating lobes or screws encased in an aluminum housing while centrifugal superchargers are more like turbochargers in design. To complicate matters even more, positive-displacement superchargers can be divided into Roots-type and screw-type superchargers. You also get vane-type superchargers but those are not used in automobile applications.
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