Government policies and environmental issues have brought a paradigm shift in the automobile industry. The fuel-consuming naturally aspirated engines have been replaced with the thrifter versions. Also, automobile professionals are manufacturing superchargers that would induce more power by taking small amounts of fuel. Let us know about the superchargers in detail and the answer to ‘How to Buy the Supercharger?’.
In the general sense, superchargers, also known as air compressors in the general sense, help to surge the pressure or density of air entering within the engine and supply oxygen to burn the fuel. Superchargers in the past used to derive power from the crankshaft via gear, belt, or chain. Let us dive deeper into the basics of a supercharger and continue reading the article to get details on “How to Buy the Supercharger?” to get the best aftermarket supercharger for your car.
Basics of the Supercharger
A supercharger is a four-stroke engine in which one store is dedicated to the process of air intake. The following process is undertaken by the four-stroke process:
- The piston moves downwards.
- The above-mentioned step creates a vacuum inside the cylinder.
- The vacuum sucks the air at the atmospheric pressure into the combustion chamber.
Once the air gets within the engine, it must amalgamate with the fuel to form a charge. During the process, the potential energy is converted into kinetic energy, and the process is termed combustion. The spark plug performs this chemical reaction by igniting the charge. During the process of oxidation, a lot of energy is emancipated. The force applied by the explosion is what brings the piston down. The motion initiated from the movement of the pistons is generally transferred to the wheels of the vehicle.
The higher the quantity of fuel, the robust the explosion will be. Apart from fuel, the engine needs an adequate amount of oxygen to burn the fuel. It is vital to add 14.7 parts of fuel to one part of air during an idle or cruising state. If you need more power, for instance, during the acceleration process, the air to fuel ratio is 12:1. Driving the vehicle at high altitude places deteriorates the engine’s performance because it receives low density and pressure. The supercharger takes responsibility for giving high-pressure air to the engine to give optimum performance.
Types of Superchargers
Positive displacement Superchargers:
Root and twin types of superchargers fall under the category of positive displacement superchargers. Let us go through each of them:
Root Superchargers
Root superchargers are located at the top of the engine. They are bigger than the twin screw and the centrifugal type. Root superchargers have two lobes that spin in the opposite direction to compress air delivered to the engine’s intake manifold. Root superchargers are quite efficient and generate extensive heat; this is why the need for an intercooler installation arises.
Twin Screw Superchargers
Twin-screw superchargers work in the same way as root superchargers. It is clear from their name that the dual superchargers rotate in the opposite direction. Twin-screw superchargers produce less heat than root superchargers and offer a better power boost than centrifugal counterparts.
Dynamic Superchargers
Centrifugal Superchargers
These kinds of superchargers are commonly installed and have become a significant part of automobiles. They are mounted on the front of the engine. Their functionality is similar to turbochargers. These superchargers come with an impeller and a diffuser combination that compresses the air and sends it to the intake manifold.
Ways To Identify A Bad Supercharger
Over time a supercharger becomes bad due to several reasons. Some among them are decreased levels of supercharging oil, broken pulley, overheating, or troubles with seals and gaskets. You can detect these issues by having a look at the engine light present on the dashboard. The moment you suspect a bad supercharger, it’s time to purchase a new supercharger on sale. Identifying a bad supercharger isn’t difficult as we have compiled symptoms of the bad supercharger as follows:
- A problematic supercharger delivers less air to the engine, thereby making it difficult to accelerate.
- A leaky supercharger seal or gasket allows the oil entry into the engine, ultimately resulting in blue smoke in the exhaust.
- If you suspect a clacking sound from the supercharger’s front, it means that the supercharger levels have been reduced.
Get the bad supercharger inspected and replace it with the best aftermarket supercharger.
Reasons Behind Supercharger Failure
- Growling: Debris accumulating within the supercharger makes the rotor hit the housing.
- Clacking: Clacking is another prominent reason behind the supercharger failure. This condition prevails at idle and goes away under load is basically an idle issue. If the issue persists while reversing the engine, know that the coupler is damaged.
- Whistling: As the air moves through the unit, the supercharger creates whistling sounds. A loud sound clearly indicates a vacuum leak in the vehicle.
- Gear Whine: An aging vehicle commonly experiences gear whine. This issue commonly takes place when the vehicle becomes oil deficient.
- Noise: A small pulley creates more noise as the movement of the air surges in the vehicle.
- Noisy Supercharger: The supercharger is blamed for being noisy and must be inspected to determine the cause of the noise.
- Vibration: This issue doesn’t take place due to the supercharger, which is balanced. The vibrations generally take place due to the engine.
It’s time to detect the possible causes of supercharger failure and replace it with a full supercharger kit if the condition is severe.
Benefits Offered by the Superchargers
- Increased horsepower is the biggest advantage offered by superchargers. You can connect it with a heavy-duty vehicle and notice it behaving like an automobile with a robust engine.
- The superchargers hardly undergo lag ,which is the time taken by the driver is depressing the gas pedal to the engine’s response to it.
- Certain superchargers offer more efficiency at low RPM, while others give optimum efficiency at high RPM.
- One can insert the supercharger from the top or side of the engine, making its installation cheaper and maintenance hassle-free. Sometimes you need to replace a particular part or complete a product using a full supercharger kit.
How to Buy a Supercharger?
Sometimes, it is difficult to get the desired part by entering the vehicle’s make, year, and model. In that case, enter the Original Equipment Manufacturing number(OEM), and the part you’ve been searching for comes in front of you. Alternatively, if you don’t have the OEM call the dealer and share your VIN number to know about the same.
Always associate with a reputed store to get long-lasting and cost-effective superchargers on sale, such as ‘The Auto Parts Shop.’Every part manufactured by us is uniquely designed and tested before delivering it to you.
Wrapping Up
Follow the guidelines to make the buying process smooth and enhance the functionality of your vehicle.