As a Hot
Rodder only one thing matters and that thing is power! Everyone wants more
Power, hot rodders, mob bosses, women, the Soup Nazi, and even Iron Maiden
became powerslaves (why did they have to die, why couldn’t they just live on)!
Anyway we know that more power means more speed and better performance.
In the Hot Rod world two of the
easiest ways to make power are Nitrous or Supercharging (theres turbo too but
we will get to that another time). Both have there advantages and disadvantages
and there are a few types of both.
Superchargers have been around for a
long time, since the beginning of cars themselves! There basic concept is
simple, be either an Air Pump or a Compressor for an engine. Normally Aspirated
engines taken air by atmospheric pressure, what a supercharger does to an
engine is either pumps or compresses even more air into an engine!
For Superchargers there are 3 different
types of them that are used. The first type is the Roots Supercharger. The
Roots Supercharger is as old as the automobile its self, maybe even older! It
was first invented by the Roots Brothers as an air conveyor for mine shafts
back in the 1880s, since then it has been used in all types of cars and racing.
Roots type Superchargers are easily identifiable, usually seen sticking out of
the hood of classic muscle cars or hot rods. They usually come in a 2 or 3 lobe
rotor design and are best for Low RPM power.
The 2nd type of
Supercharger is the screw supercharger, the screw blower in looks similar to
the roots but works differently. The roots works more like an air pump and
pumps burst of air into the engine working as where the screw works more like
an air compressor that steadily flows air into the engine. The screw
supercharger makes most of its power at low rpm and very high rpm.
The other type of Supercharger is
the Centrifugal Supercharger. The Centrifugal looks like a turbo and works
similar to one too. However instead of using exhaust to build pressure they are
belt driving buy the crankshaft, which spins the impeller, which then
dischargers air out into the motor. Centrifugal Blowers work the best in mid
and high RPM ranges (similar to turbos).
Nitrous
Nitrous has a similar concept to a
supercharger, which is getting more air into an engine but it works in a
different way. The chemical formula for Nitrous is N20 (Two Nitrogen Atoms and
one oxygen atom), what the one oxygen atom will do is oxidize additional fuel
in the engine. Nitrous is usually stored around 900 psi in a pressurized bottle
and it is stored as a liquid, when the liquid gets in the engine it cools way
down which increases the air and fuel mixtures density allowing it to burn
faster and make more power! Also despite the common myth that nitrous is
flammable and explodes its not! It actually makes an engine less likely to
detonate!
The 3
different types of Nitrous are Dry, Wet and Direct Port.
How Dry
works is only nitrous is injected into the intake manifold. No fuel or air is
added. This is good for low horsepower increase for about 30-50 HP. Wet Nitrous
works by injecting nitrous with fuel, this is the most common for carb engines
(since a nitrous plate has to be placed beneath the carb aka the plate system).
Last is Direct Port Nitrous (aka Fogger) which nitrous is directly inject
through each intake port in an engine this system is usually used for all out
race cars.
Now which is
better for your engine? Well both will give power right away and both have
there Pros and Cons.
The Pros for
Supercharging are:
Instant
Power when you hit the throttle
Minimal
Maintenance Cost
Easy to
Install Bolt on Kits
Works great
with Carb, TBI or EFI
Extremely
Durable
The Pros for
Nitrous are
Low Start up
Cost
Instant
Power
Easy to tune
Easy to hide
The Cons for
Supercharging are
High Start
Up Cost
More Violent
Throttle Response
Adds Weight
Takes up
more engine room
Nitrous Cons
Bottle
Refills will get expensive
More
Maintenance
Limited use
for each bottle
So both are
great for making more power, really what it all comes down to is preference.
Whether you want to install a supercharger or go the nitrous route it all
depends on your engine building skills and style.
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