Difference Between Supercharger & Turbocharger

Firstly the driving power of the two units is considered. The compressors in Superchargers
are driven by the power taken directly from the engine whereas as mentioned above for driving a
turbocharger unit the exhaust gases are used. Since the supercharger draws mechanical energy
from the engine directly it is less efficient when compared to a turbocharger which uses the
waste gas energy.

With this advantage of turbochargers over superchargers, the former are used where fuel
economy is a concern i.e in many of the present cars, whereas the superchargers are employed
in sports cars which are meant for faster speeds and not better economy.

Secondly a supercharger is easier to control in terms of the power output while the
turbochargers are known for their dramatic rise in pressures and tremendously high working
temperatures making them inherently more difficult to control at the time when they deliver the
additional power.

Another important difference between the two is that since the supercharger is driven directly
by the engine through belts, the response of the same is pretty instantaneous and a sudden
increase in power is observed. On the other hand in turbochargers, exhaust gases control the
drive and hence the system takes a bit of time before it it reaches the operating speed after
opening the throttle which is also referred to as Turbo Lag.

Complexity in design is another factor and at this point turbocharger takes the lead with its
compactness and require significantly less space. In contrast a supercharger is more difficult to
adopt in a car and the modification is too time consuming as more space is needed for the same.

Expensiveness of the two is quite differentiating with the superchargers being more costly
than a conventional turbocharger. Now a days all vehicle having either supercharger or
turbocharger, are intercooled. Since the temperature of the compressed incoming air is high, an
intercooler is used to cool this air making it more efficient in terms of combustion.