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Blower = Supercharger or Turbo? Vote ere

2K views 33 replies 21 participants last post by  MWF 
#1 ·
Ok, some people think a Blower is a Turbo and others think (Like me) Blower is a Supercharger.

Wot do U think?

Let Ure vote be known.

Carlos,
 
#4 ·
either! i think a supercharger can be called a turbo too, as thats all they are really, a belt driven turbo, johnA will probably set me straight on that one in a mo though:D :beer:
 
#9 ·
LOL! Hmmm...think about it. Is a turbo a exhaust-driven supercharger or is a supercharger a belt driven turbo? As it happens the supercharger came first. So it's the turbo that's a exhaust driven supercharger. And yes the "blower" is a supercharger. The "Yanks" still call it blower (and they also call an engine a "motor")...it's the British that stopped calling it that (remember the Bentley blowers of the 20s etc were British).
 
#12 ·
The supercharger dates back to 1896 less than 20 years after the internal combustion engine was successfully produced. The idea for a turbocharger came around 10 years later designed by Dr Alfred Buchi.

The first blowers were belt driven off the flywheel turning 5 times engine speed. By 1910 race cars were able to exceed 100mph on 200 mile round races.

Incomparison the first turbocharged race car wasnt used until 1952

So BLOWERS = Superchargers
Turbos=Turbos
 
#17 ·
blowers are superchargers.


the way i understand it mr Diesel invented the diesel engine and a about a week later his assisant wanted more power from it and invented the supercharger.

also the germans were the first to use superchargers competively on the mercs and they were two speed via a switch on the dash. year later the blower bentlys came along after being knocked up in a shed on some back street as bently didn't approve of the blower. these ones were either on or off again via a switch on the dash, made them more drivably apprently.

as far as i know the only cars that ever came with a super charger as standard were some lancia's (the volumex version), the G40 and G60 volkwagens and the kompressor mercs.

the big 'chargers you see poking up through the bonnets of the yanks are not really that effeicient running at around 50% efficieny. thses are the roots type using either 2 or 3 lobe rotors. another type is a sliding vane type but it never really took off for cars and is mainly used in some air compressors. the most efficient type are the wipple screw type. these are about the size of an alternator and due to better manufacture and casting processes. are very efficient at around 90%.

now i can answer a couple of myths as well.

yes a supercharger can be made to switch on and off like in mad max but why would you want to? when off the engine is a low compression unit (think turbo compression and no turbo on it) also it costs a hell of a lot and is prone to breaking down as more bits are there to go wrong.

a big roots type will not fit under your bonnet unless you have at least 16 inches betwen the top of your V8 and the bottom of your bonnet.

super chargers only run at one speed this is true but you can adjust the amount of boost it produces by changing either the pulley on the charger or the crank or both to underdrive or overdrive it.

super chargers take away power ffrom the engine, this is true but when it takes for arguements sake 10 bhp from a 110bhp engine, but then give back 55 are you really gonna complain?

superchargers don't make boost all the time, this is not true as the 'chargers runs off the crank it is always making boost and the power is there from idle up to a certain point before it drops away. that point is detremined largely by how much the charger is under/over driven.

just a fact to throw in for you lot. the average supercharger on a top fuel dragster takes around 100bhp to drive. the same as the majority of standard family cars
 
#19 ·
Actually, a lot more cars came stock with superchargers. The Japanese actually made quite a few of them. Toyota made the most. MR2, Corolla Levin/Trueno, Mark II/Tourer, Previa/Estima all had superchargers. Mazda also had a supercharger on (of all things) the 626 Diesel!
The Americans have superchargers as standard on the Ford F150 Lightning and Harley-Davidson Edition, and GM is the boss of it, with superchargers on everything from Buicks to Pontiacs.
The British have been pretty liberal too, Aston-Martin and Jaguar have always fancied them.
As for Mr Diesel, he designed an engine that was supposed to run on coal dust...similar principle of compressing air and injecting the fuel afterwards. His idea actually never incorporated any cooling system because theoretically it was supposed to be 100% efficient. Of course the Laws of Physics are not debatable so hence mods were made. He eventually shelved the coal-dust idea (after the engine he was working on exploded and almost killed him!) and went with oil instead. His idea was first for a "Compression Ignition Engine" so consequently all of them are now known by his name. However I have never actually found any mention of his name in the history of the supercharger though. Gottlieb Daimler, Louis Renault, and Francis Rootes, all turn up. But not good old Rudolf.
 
#20 ·
A 'blower' is definatley a Supercharger

a turbo is just a turbo

ive noticed , some people put big stickers on their cars saying
T U R B O

what is the fecking point? its only a 10Kg lump of metal.. I might as well have a f'ck off big sticker saying '12v Battery' on me rear 3/4 panel :confused:
 
#22 · (Edited)
Blower to me means anything that is forced induction, ie a compressor designed to blow air into the engine, wether its driven by a pulley off the crank or off exhaust gasses.

Ie the "blower" half of a turbo and supercharger are the same.


Chip
 
#24 ·
chip said:
Ie the "blower" half of a turbo and supercharger are the same.
Chip
Actually most superchargers today look nothing like a turbo's propelling side. The Turbo has a true turbine appearance, but most superchargers have a twin-screw design (Rootes-type) So in fact they don't look that much like turbos at all. Although they do the same thing.
 
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