A Supercharger is gear driven off the engine - it's usually called a 'blower' - it gives an instant boost of air on acceleration, whilst a turbocharger suffers from an inertia delay - 'turbo lag'. It does have a significant parasitic power consumption, unlike a turbo, which is driven by the departing exhaust gases. Blowers are usually suited to engines that are used at very variable revs ( like a street racing circuit ) or in short bursts, like drag racing, where instant acceleration is important. Only a few production road cars use a supercharger these days - one being the Mercedes-Benz 'Kompressor'
Dave
Dave
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