SUPERCHARGERS | How They Work

Superchargers are basically air compressors that scream like a banshee as they shove more oxygen in your engine so they can make more power. But wait, don’t turbos do that too? They do.

We already talked about turbos, and you can check that video out. Technically, turbos are really just another type of supercharger. They were originally known as turbosuperchargers, before everybody realized that was way too many syllables to say everything. Turbo, just sounds cooler.

These days, we use the name “turbo” as a standalone term, but technically it's still a supercharger. This is because both superchargers and turbos work in the same basic way: they compress air before it enters your engine.

WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enBeltocharger!Compressor!Blower!SuperchargerSuperchargers are basically air compressors that scream like a bansheeas they shove more oxygen in your engine so they can make more power.But wait, don't turbos do that too?They do.We already talked about turbos, and you can check that video out.Technically, turbos are really just another type of supercharger.They were originally known as turbosuperchargers,before everybody realized that was way too many syllables to say everything.Turbo, just sounds cooler.These days, we use the name "supercharger" for engine air compressors that aren't turbos.But if turbos and superchargers do the same thing, well what's the dang difference?Turbos are driven by an engine's own exhaust gasses,and superchargers are mechanically driven, by belts that are driven by the engine.Both of them are considered dynamic compressors,where air gets accelerated to high speeds, and then gets slowed down to increase the pressure.Air draws into an impeller, where centrifugal force flings it out in a compressor housing,where the speed gets compressed in a high pressure instead.More air, more gas, more boom.More air, more gas, more boom!-boom SFXCentrifugal superchargers are small, and relatively easy to bolt on.But the power delivery, well it's kind of peaky.Once they get spinning, the centrifugal force really takes off,and the supercharger can churn through air amazingly fast.*Supercharger noises*Since this kind of supercharger works like a turbo, it has the same concern.Most notably, it takes a little time to spool up,and they don't tend to work well at low RPM.and they don't tend to work well at low RPM.-Boo!-You suck!But guess what?-What?There's other kinds of superchargers!There's other kinds of superchargers!-Yay!I'm talking about positive displacement superchargers,and there's two main kinds of those.One, is the twin-screw supercharger.Sometimes called a Lysholm. And it, moves the same amount of air, per revolution, no matter how fast things get big.Sometimes called a Lysholm. And it, moves the same amount of air, per revolution, no matter how fast things get big.-ApplauseThat means, you get instantaneous and consistent boost at any RPM, even right off the line.Inside the twin-screw supercharger are...wait for it--TWO BIG SCREWS!They're slightly conical rotors. One is male and one is female, and they interlock as they rotate.Intriguing.Intriguing.-Eeeww!The action draws air from an inlet at the back of the supercharger.The air compresses as it moves through the female rotor,which tapers down toward the front, to get shot in into the intake.Once it gets to the intake, it's more dense air.More air, in the same space, can take more gas, and make more boom.The second kind of positive displacement supercharger, and by far the most popular,is the Roots-type supercharger.And they, can get pretty big. Think Mad Max.*supercharger spools*Roots was the absolute OG supercharger design,and it was first patented by Philander and Frances Roots in 1860.They created it to help ventilate blast furnaces and mineshafts.It turns out, Roots' superchargers make excellent fans.Then, Gottlieb Daimler of Daimler Benz patented it for use on internal combustion engines.The first supercharged vehicles were Mercedes Kompressor models, that went on sale in 1923.Yeah. Kompressor with a "K" is not some new age marketing scheme.It's a hundred year old marketing scheme.-We buy golf clubs!Inside the Roots supercharger,there's two spinning rotors with enmeshed lobes.But unlike the twin-screw, these are identical, symmetrical rotors.Air gets trapped in the spaces between the lobes as they rotate,moving it around the outside of the rotors from the inlet at the top,to the bottom of the supercharger.Besides rotor shape, the biggest difference between twin screw and Roots superchargers,is that the air doesn't get compressed inside the Roots charger.They get blown together by the rotor and into the engine.That, is why they're called blowers!That, is why they're called blowers!-Oh!Compressed air gets hot, remember? And that makes it want to spread out.Turbos usually send the compressed air out to an intercooler to cool it off.But superchargers are usually mounted right over the intake of an engine.So their intercooler is usually right there too.A liquid coolant passes through, to cool off the intercooler.And the compressed air cools off right before it enters the engine.I'm gonna go get it.This is a 2018 Roush Performance Phase 1 supercharger.Roush has been in the performance engineering business for over 4 decades, and this kit for the 2018 Mustang GT is their latest innovation, in superchargers.Where most roots blowers have three lobes and a sixty degree twist,this kit features twin, four-lobe rotors twisted to 170 degrees,providing a more efficient, more powerful system.The fourth lobe at a helix angle, that means twist, in these uniquely designed input and output ports,provide better thermal efficiency, more efficient airflow, and improved noise and vibration characteristicsNice thinking guys!Because the supercharger is driven off the crankshaft,air is constantly being moved, and a huge amount of air ends up stacking into the intake, no matter what speed you're going.Either a twin screw or a roots effectively makes an engine act like it's got bigger displacement,so throttle response is just like what you'd expect on a naturally aspirated car.That means no lag!(slowed down)No lag!We measure superchargers by how much air they can move with one rotation.The R2650 Roush Performance Phase One supercharger here gets its name,because it can move 2650cc of air into the engine each time it performs a full 360 degree rotationAt 2.65 liters,this is the biggest Roush Phase One kit ever.You guys want to see what 2.65 liters looks like?2nd Bart: Doing great, bud. Just a little bit more.That's a lot of-- it would be a lot of air.*bottle falls*Same matter can I could buy some space?This is how much air that blower can get into your engine with just one revolution.Since you can't just blow more air in and call it a day, automotive performance companies that make superchargersalso make them available with kits.A performance kit has the other things you need to help these blowers do their jobs without screwing everything up.This Roush kit is what's called a complete supercharger kit,because it comes with thesupercharger,*Bart holding supercharger like a guitar*custom aluminum upper, and lower manifolds,and air to water intercooler, and an ECU upgradeThat is a lot of stuff.But it's because you're changing a lot of variables.These components are designed, engineered, and tested to work seamlessly.And the best part is, it also gets you a ton of power.This blower, properly installed adds 240 horsepower and 180 ft/lb for a total of 700 horsepower and 610 lb/ft.Hot damn!And if you get it installed by a dealer or an ASD-approved technician,it's got a 3 year, 36,000 mile warrantyThat is nuts!SUPERCHARGERS!Subscribe to Donut. It means a lot to us, and the more of you that subscribed the more cool stuff we get to do with you.This was on blowers, you guys asked for that. What do you guys want to see?You like learning about superchargers? You'll love learning about turbochargers.You like things that go fast, check out this episode of WheelHouse, where Nolan talks about his buddy.We got merch. You know its new?Sick!Skateboard! Check it out, shop.donut.media. Follow me on Instagram at @BidsBardo, follow Donut @donutmedia.Don't tell my wife I still skateboard, she worries.