Turbo or Supercharger??

[GEORGETOWN]

I am looking into a possible project. I am thinking about buying a 5.4 from a junk yard and rebuilding it with some mods (Dont know what mods yet) then adding either a turbo or supercharger. They both cost around the same but I would get less gas mileage from a supercharger then I would a turbo because with a supercharger it takes power to make power but with a turbo it just makes power. Just trying to learn the pros vs cons on turbo vs supercharger.
Any advice?

 

[Irwin]

Supercharger will have immediate power throughout powerband while the turbo will make more power as throttle increases. Either way you'll have to do some major work to make sure the 5.4 can take the increase in boost.


The turbo will also "take power" to turn the spool, while it may not be as noticeable as the power it takes for the supercharger. Think about it this way- the engine still has to push that air out and into the turbo wheel, rather than through exhaust pipes and mufflers.

 

[tallsville]

here is some info about turbo vs super,but it is coming from a turbo manufactures website.
Squires Turbo Systems - Turbo vs. Supercharger

 

[toms89]

If I were to build an all out drag race vehicle and money was not a concern... I would go with a large turbo setup. But for a street truck with everything considered I would go with a roots or screw blower.

Some obvious differences I can think of off hand are...

Superchargers are much less complex to install and tune.

Superchargers usually cost significantly less to install unless you can fabricate the system yourself.

Turbos are more efficient due to the use of exhaust to power it.

Superchargers are belt driven off of the crankshaft and have more parasistic drag but the use of a bypass valve reduces this greatly when not into boost which helps with fuel efficiency.

Both come in a variety of sizes to suit your needs.

Roots or screw blowers have instant boost at the hit of the throttle right off idle to redline where there is some lag with a turbo. The amount of lag depends on size and design of the system.

Turbos create far more underhood heat and it should be addressed in the build.



I chose the lightning roots blower setup for its cost and factory look and reliability. The throttle response is nothing short of amazing. It has full boost before the throttle can hit the floor.

 

[toms89]

here is some info about turbo vs super,but it is coming from a turbo manufactures website.
Squires Turbo Systems - Turbo vs. Supercharger

That is a highly biased review of the differences...lol.

 

[splintrcel]

One advantage of a super charger is they tend to fit in easier compared to turbos. A super charger just bolts on the top where turbos have to be placed correctly so the whole engine fits in the truck but then again, the expy is a large truck and the engine bay isnt that crowded so it may not make a difference. I believe that twin turbos out perform superchargers in the long run with power depending on the kit you get.

 

[Exia]

Supercharged HPE500 Ford Expedition
500 BHP 5.4L V8 Upgrade

Power:
• 500 bhp @ 5,100 rpm

HPE500 Supercharged Upgrade Includes:
• Twin Screw Supercharger System
• K&N Air Filter
• Fuel Injector Upgrade
• Stainless Steel Headers
• Stainless Steel Exhaust System
• Engine Management Calibration
• All Necessary Gaskets & Fluids
• Hennessey Exterior Badging
• Serial-Numbered Dash & Engine Plaque
• Professional Installation
• Chassis Dyno Tuning & Road Testing
• 1 Year / 12,000 Mile Warranty



Gotta love Hennessey Performance... Thats what I call "winning"

 

[tallsville]

Tom I did say it was from a turbo manufacture, so knew it would be biased. Lol Georgetown I would look for a super kit off of a lightning or Harley f150

 

[rvm1]

If its going to be a daily driver, I would go with a supercharger.
But it you are after an all out drag truck, I would suggest twin turbos. .

 

[qcksnake]

If I were to build an all out drag race vehicle and money was not a concern... I would go with a large turbo setup. But for a street truck with everything considered I would go with a roots or screw blower.

Some obvious differences I can think of off hand are...

Superchargers are much less complex to install and tune.

Superchargers usually cost significantly less to install unless you can fabricate the system yourself.

Turbos are more efficient due to the use of exhaust to power it.

Superchargers are belt driven off of the crankshaft and have more parasistic drag but the use of a bypass valve reduces this greatly when not into boost which helps with fuel efficiency.

Both come in a variety of sizes to suit your needs.

Roots or screw blowers have instant boost at the hit of the throttle right off idle to redline where there is some lag with a turbo. The amount of lag depends on size and design of the system.

Turbos create far more underhood heat and it should be addressed in the build.



I chose the lightning roots blower setup for its cost and factory look and reliability. The throttle response is nothing short of amazing. It has full boost before the throttle can hit the floor.

This is some pretty good advice. I have had turbos, superchargers, both roots and twinscrews in lightning and cobras. For simplicity and cost you will not beat a lightning roots setup.
A turbo will be more efficient and will net better gas mileage, but it certainly comes with a price tag. Although most still mention spool time and lag, this is not the case with a properly matched turbo/convertor combo. Most setups have lag due to mismatched components.
If you can fab it up it puts the turbo in the ballpark and you can reap the benifits,and I can assure you that a properly setup single turbo kit done correctly can be a great street/daily driver setup.
But pay heed to the advice given, A turbo setup is always more complex.

This thread makes it look easy but i can assure you there is a lot of work involved in this setup.

http://www.expeditionforum.com/f42/98-expedition-turbo-build-16129/