Turbo Vs Supercharger..which Is Better?
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retfr8flyr
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- Jun 24, 2006
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This debate has gone on forever and will never be resolved. For your car I would go with the Paxton setup. It is reasonably priced, is a proven combination and is easy to install. There aren't any good single turbo kits for the new 5.0. There are a couple of twin kits, but I don't think it's worth the cost over the Paxton for a street driven car.
The TS positive displacement type blowers, I don't think work as well on the 5.0 as the Paxton does and are a much more involved install. Just my $.02 and I am a turbo guy.
Earl
The TS positive displacement type blowers, I don't think work as well on the 5.0 as the Paxton does and are a much more involved install. Just my $.02 and I am a turbo guy.
Earl
I didn't mention I have a Boss Manifold and an aftermarket throttle body just bc they would have to be removed with some the superchargers. I was originally gonna go with the Paxton or Vortech but some people recommend the Roush or other TVS Supercharger systems because of the instant power. Is there that big of a delay with the Paxton? I also read that Vortech/Paxton doesn't support Automatics yet for the 2013 mustangs :/
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retfr8flyr
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There isn't much delay with the Paxton, just makes it easier to drive on a daily basis. The auto tune for the 13's is not available yet but I would never use the stock tune with a kit anyway. Always get a good dyno tune, for your individual setup, when you start adding boost to the equation.
It depends how you define "better"
For ultimate power, the turbo will take the cake. They have next to no parasitic loss.
The being said, for drivability, cost, ease of installation and under hood temp control, consistency, legality, etc....the blower is going to be your best bet.
The Paxton noted above is a great choice. I'm also quite fond of the new Vortech V3 self contained units. Much like the 2200SL Paxton head unit, there are no oil lines to plumb. No fuss, no muss. Another cool part is that you can buy them in powdercoated black finish, that makes them look nearly like a factory install.
For ultimate power, the turbo will take the cake. They have next to no parasitic loss.
The being said, for drivability, cost, ease of installation and under hood temp control, consistency, legality, etc....the blower is going to be your best bet.
The Paxton noted above is a great choice. I'm also quite fond of the new Vortech V3 self contained units. Much like the 2200SL Paxton head unit, there are no oil lines to plumb. No fuss, no muss. Another cool part is that you can buy them in powdercoated black finish, that makes them look nearly like a factory install.
I used to get as good and in many cases better than stock mileage out of my last blower car. Once that bypass valve is open, these things are practically free wheeling and run just fine under vacuum. The horsepower consumed spinning the blower when it's not pressurizing the intake manifold is next to nothing.
The secret to good mileage (as I'm sure you know) with a blower car...or turbo for that matter is to invest in a boost gauge and keep your foot out of it when accelerating. Acceleration should gradual and linear. Try keeping the manifold pressure between 15-20 In/Hg's. Push it past that and you start getting the kind of mileage you would driving a N/A car aggressively. Push it to the point where you start seeing positive manifold pressure and expect to start feeding the beast.
They utilize a version of the Eaton TVS (Twin Vortices Supercharger) deign if I'm not mistaken? Great blower, very efficient, but it too is of the Positive Displacement variety....which means you'll have to ditch your Boss intake.
P/D blowers are great for producing a lot of bottom end/mid-range horsepower and torque if that's what you're after. It'll make your car seem a lot nimbler corner to corner.
Yes they do..I know I have the boss intake, aftermarket throttle body, and an airaid CAI. I realize I would have to remove it but I want to be happy with my initial purchase and get what I want and make the numbers Id like without having to upgrade again down the line. It is a daily driver but I love the feeling of instant power when I touch the peddle. I just wish I had looked into superchargers more before I put money into the manifold etc
No centrifugal blower, or turbo for that matter is going to be able to match the instant off throttle torque figures of a Positive Displacement blower. To describe it best, I'd have to say a Positive Displacement blower doesn't feel like you've got a power adder at all. It essentially feels like you've pulled the 5.0L and shoe horned a big block in it's place. There's no lag, no surge, just instant punch that starts off idle and carries to red line.
As blower RPM rises, heat becomes a factor for these blowers. Positive Displacement blower arguably produce the most amount of heat at higher blower RPM. The blower also requires more horsepower to turn at higher speeds. As such, the power up high, will fade and won't hit quite as hard as it does down low. That's not to say it drops off the edge of a cliff as some might have you believe. It's still making power....just not at the rate it was down lower when ACT's were cooler and the blower was consuming less horsepower.
If it were my car, a Positive Displacement blower would be my only choice. That being said, you have to ask yourself if the financial loss by removing and taking the hit on resale of your used parts is worth it to you. From a financial standpoint, the centrifugal blower might be the better route.
It won't come on nearly as hard as the PD blower does in the lower regions, but they tend to produce less heat and consume less horsepower at the top of the tach than the PD blowers do, which will shift your power curve upwards. Gears can get you there faster, but then you take the hit again the mileage dept.
Turbo's will make the most power hands down and if your car was going to be built more for track duty, I'd say a turbo set up would be a great compliment to your automatic trans....but as a daily driver they can be finicky and for the most part expensive. Heat soak can make them inconsistent. Low end torque will be far lesser than that of a PD blower, but depending on how the unit is sized, the hit down low can be minimized. This will allow for an earlier, smoother power band. That being said. Most systems that size the turbo and rest of the system accordingly in order to come on quickly, are also limited to their top end potential. If you go with a set up with the potential to pull big power levels, and you generally sacrifice low end and drivability. Anyone whose driving a car with a small displacement engine and higher horsepower capable turbo can attest to how violent the power can come on once it does ..so you've again got the catch-22. Small, efficient and stock like drivability, or big, peaky, violent, yet inconsistent power levels.
Decisions, decision.
SpartaPerformance
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TurdstangGT
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I agree with everybody. One isn't better than the other. It's all relative really. It's like trying answer which came first, the chicken or the egg? Nobody will ever know. Haha. It all comes down to what you want.
Then you don't want a centri or a turbo. Get a positive displacement supercharger.
retfr8flyr
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- Jun 24, 2006
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The biggest problem with a PD blower, on the 5.0, is traction. The way the trans are geared all the low end torque, from a PD blower, just blows the tires off. That's why I said a centrifugal supercharger is a much better DD setup. Now to me the best of both worlds is a turbo setup. A properly sized turbo setup gives you almost as much low end as a PD with less IAT problems on the street.
My car is a 3v and not the new 5.0 but I have my twin setup tuned for 600 rwhp on 15 lbs of boost and pump gas for the street. I have twin Comp 6062 oil less BB turbo's and I hit 15# by 2800- 3000 rpm. I have driven this combination, with different turbos at times, for 5 years without any real problems. With some M/T DR's, which I run in the warm months, I can actually hook this combination up on the street and that's where all the fun of a DD is. It's no fun when you can't get on it because it just goes up in smoke, at least for me.
I run normal street tires in the colder months and back the boost down so that it is still fun to drive. It's very easy to change the power levels with a turbo and an electronic boost controller.
If you want to keep your Boss manifold and have a great setup then get a twin turbo kit for your 5.0. It will cost you more initially but you will be ahead in the long run. You will be able to turn it up to whatever you want, if you decide to build a new engine at some time in the future.
My car is a 3v and not the new 5.0 but I have my twin setup tuned for 600 rwhp on 15 lbs of boost and pump gas for the street. I have twin Comp 6062 oil less BB turbo's and I hit 15# by 2800- 3000 rpm. I have driven this combination, with different turbos at times, for 5 years without any real problems. With some M/T DR's, which I run in the warm months, I can actually hook this combination up on the street and that's where all the fun of a DD is. It's no fun when you can't get on it because it just goes up in smoke, at least for me.
I run normal street tires in the colder months and back the boost down so that it is still fun to drive. It's very easy to change the power levels with a turbo and an electronic boost controller.
If you want to keep your Boss manifold and have a great setup then get a twin turbo kit for your 5.0. It will cost you more initially but you will be ahead in the long run. You will be able to turn it up to whatever you want, if you decide to build a new engine at some time in the future.
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