supercharger or turbo?

[78 olds-trans am]

so i have a 5.3 truck motor & a vortech t-trim w pulleys for 20-22 psi. ima go carb. on the 5.3 (easier/cheaper & my wire harness is trash), i just dont know what to do put on, the blower or just go w a turbo. ive seen a cammed turbo 5.3 w 18psi pushing 600 to the wheels(besides the cam bone stock). im looking for 500 to the wheels. which would be better for the street turbo 15psi or blower 10-14psi? id like to see this motor in the low 10s

thanx

[Injuneer]

Are you going to a "blow-through" carb setup? Why?

I'd leave it EFI, and put a Magnacharger on it..... huge low end torque.

[Joe 1320]

I would have to say supercharger vs turbo depends on the transmission. turbo is better suited for automatics. Supercharger for stick shift.

[FTA1995]

I'd leave it EFI, and put a Magnacharger on it..... huge low end torque.

For the win^^

The response of a blower in the low rpm range can't be beat by any exhaust driven turbine, BUT turbos manifest a great deal less parasitic draw on the motor(not to mention most turbo setups are too much $$$$$ imho)

[Trash man]

STS rear twin turbo set-up id say

[Wild Willy]

What are you looking to do with it? DD, strip monster, ultimate high-performance? Where you want to get with it will probably help decide which route to go-

Both increase cost, complexity, and heat/loading on all parts- that said, a supercharger is always ready, great low-end response- makes the engine feel twice as large- a turbo, if you stay out of the gas, can actually make your car a little more efficient, might not hurt your gas mileage- and, when under load, can also produce lots of extra power-

Tough call- both are $$ and fun-

[Joe 1320]

so i have a 5.3 truck motor & a vortech t-trim w pulleys for 20-22 psi. ima go carb. on the 5.3 (easier/cheaper & my wire harness is trash), i just dont know what to do put on, the blower or just go w a turbo. ive seen a cammed turbo 5.3 w 18psi pushing 600 to the wheels(besides the cam bone stock). im looking for 500 to the wheels. which would be better for the street turbo 15psi or blower 10-14psi? id like to see this motor in the low 10s

thanx

forgot to mention, doubtful that 500 Hp will get you low 10s without some weight reduction. 500 HP may get you high 10s and 120 mph with the right suspension. That dip to low 10s is going to take shedding about 600+ lbs.

[78 olds-trans am]

well i just want a cool 10 second street car something i can drive to the track & back home. i wanna/ gonna go blow thru cuz i know my way arnd a carb. never worked on an EFI. as far as the motor it will be a stock 5.3 vortec w/ LS6 cam & springs. the car will be a 78 trans am, abt 3450 w/ me in it, 3500 stall w/ trans brake th350 w/ a 8.5 rearend w/ 3.42 gears. well thats the plan

the car right now has a stock 403 olds w 350 7a heads & mild cam running 11.40s @ 114 MPH, pushing 325hp & 390tq w a 150 shot. stock tranny w shift kit & stock 8.5 w 3.42 gears. on 275x60x15 nittos its just time to go in the 10s

w this said which would be better turbo or supercharger.

this is where the idea came frm http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qk9uU_3VHT0

[Joe 1320]

w this said which would be better turbo or supercharger.

I still say Turbo. Why? With an automatic, you will be able to just plant that right foot and engine can remain at load though the gearshifts.... that keeps the turbo at full boost rather than loading and unloading the compressor bearings every time you shift. Not to mention that too low of an rpm range with a stick shift won't allow the turbo to build boost quickly.... the dreaded turbo lag. With a Turbo, an adjustable boost range is a simple twist of a dial or wastegate actuator. The versatility is great.

Superchargers are great too, but being driven on the crankshaft will always create a load against the engine even when you aren't building boost. You get instant power, decrease in fuel mileage and changing boost levels is not simple.

I firmly believe superchargers are best suited for stick shift cars, turbos are fantastic with automatics. Just look at how many turbo buicks out there with a v6, automatic and a turbo that run sub 10 second quarter mile passes.


In the end, it's whatever you choose. They both accomplish the same thing. If I were doing that project, it would be a turbo. If I were planning on using a stick shift, then I would likely go with a supercharger.