First of all yes, this was also a forced induction system just like the turbocharger does. It forces more air to go into the cylinder with the same objective: more power. How can we get more power by just more air? Its because of more air is equal to more fuel to be injected into the cylinder, then it burnt together with the compressed air, thus more power is produced. In a very logical thinking, an engine that comes with forced induction can produce quite a lot more power than an engine that is same, but without the system.

Okay, now lets get into the point. We mentioned about its function is same as the turbocharger. So, what is the difference? If you have read or know about the turbocharger, it has a compressor to compress the air into the cylinder. The difference between supercharger and turbocharger is their “supply of power”.

The turbocharger compressor is powered by the exhaust waste gas while the supercharger is powered by a belt connected to the engine directly. The theory was just like the belt powering an alternator. Physically, this was just the only different between turbocharger and supercharger. And of course, the layout of both systems are different due to its power supply differentiation.

Now, we continue with more about supercharger. Upon personal observation, there are more cars using turbocharger instead of supercharger, and its popularity is among some of the cars makers only. For an example, Toyota seems using supercharger more on their vehicle while Nissan was more to turbocharger. In my opinion, both systems have its tradeoffs and why do car makers focus more on certain system is still their own preferences.

Here are some of the advantages and disadvantages of supercharger compared to turbocharger:

Advantages:

• There is less lag or almost no lag compared to turbocharger because the compressor runs by following the belt connected to the engine.
• Immediate respond can be felt due to its all-rpm operation, while turbochargers only boost when the turbine spools up which normally starts from certain rpm only.
• Supercharger tends to run less hot compared to turbocharger.
• It is easier to install compared to turbocharger.
• Full range of low-end and medium range power.

Disadvantages:

• Supercharger is more expensive compared to turbocharger.
• It is inefficient if compared to turbocharger because turbocharger operates using exhaust wastage while supercharger was using ‘fresh’ energy from the engine.
• Since the energy is produced by the ‘fresh’ energy from the engine, it causes a direct load to the engine, thus this dragging lowers the engine performance.
• More physical space needed to bolt a supercharger compared to turbocharger.
• Usually does not have the top-end power.