Challenger Superchargers: The Ultimate Bolt-On

Before you go spending hard-earned coin, let’s spend a minute understanding what a supercharger is and how it can help increase the horsepower of your Challenger. In simple terms, a supercharger is a forced induction system that is mechanically powered by your car’s engine through a belt/pulley system. Its purpose is to force more air into the engine than possible through natural aspiration.

Depending on the design of the supercharger, air is either compressed or forced in large volumes into the intake manifold by a set of ultra-fast spinning impellers, lobe rotors, or “screws.” By doing so, the car can be tuned to deliver more fuel to the cylinders while maintaining a proper air/fuel ratio. This creates a more power powerful, efficient combustion charge, which will lead to higher horsepower and torque figures—as much as 46% more.

Superchargers are worth a lot of power—and you want one. One thing though, you don’t know the difference between each of the three types and how that will suit your needs. No need to worry, we break down all of them in the section below.

Roots Supercharger: The Roots design is known as the original supercharger, and can be dated back to the late 1800s. Instead of acting like a compressor, the Roots design act like air pumps (also known as blowers), which use a lobe rotor to force air into the engine’s cylinders. 

This type is generally known for more effective than other designs at producing positive intake manifold pressure [read: more condensed air = more power] in the low rpm range, which makes them a must-have for drag racing. It’s important to note that, while not noticed during drags, Roots superchargers can make for a very abrupt throttle response.

Also known for their mean looks, Roots superchargers are popular among show cars. They are also very reliable and require hardly any maintenance. 

Pros

• Boost throughout the rpm range, even off idle
• Reliability is excellent
• Head-turning looks

Cons

• Harsh throttle response at low rpm
• High heat production

Centrifugal Supercharger: A centrifugal supercharger compresses air inside of its casing by means of a rotating impeller before pushing it out a scroll and into the engine. This process is similar to that of a turbocharger, but the supercharger is spun by means of a crank pulley instead of exhaust pressure. Known for their user friendliness, centrifugal superchargers have become incredibly popular for street use and “easy” racing. Why? With a centrifugal supercharger, you have the ability to change impeller sizes and speeds, which allows for flexibility in the power curve of your car.

Pros

• Great reliability
• Flexibility with the power curve
• Low heat production
• Ease of install

Cons

• Lower power production at low rpm in comparison to Roots and Screw type superchargers

Screw Type Supercharger: The design of a Screw type supercharger (also known as Twin-Screw) is similar to that of a Roots supercharger, but it uses “screw” rotors to compress the air before discharging it to the engine—rather than acting as an air pump. What this means for performance is more positive pressure without a high temperature discharge, like that of Roots supercharger. Like the Roots design, the Twin Screw develops power very early on in the RPM range, then tapers off as the engine nears redline.

Pros

• Increased power at low rpm while remaining smooth
• Lower heat production than a Root supercharger

Cons

• Laborious install

Glance around at superchargers available for your Challenger, and you’ll likely come across kits marked as Stage 1, Stage 2, or Stage 3. The obvious differences? The higher the stage, the more complex it appears and the more the price tag grows. Very true, but there’s more to it.

In fact, the different stages of a supercharger—or other power adders, for that matter—is an aftermarket company’s way of not only marketing their product, but also designating the different levels of performance and complexity between the offered kits. To help you further understand the various stages of supercharger kits and which might work best for your build, we dive into the general details of each.

Stage 1: A supercharger kit with the Stage 1 designation is designed to be as close to “bolt-on” as possible and meant for street use, meaning they will pass emission testing (varying by brand). That said, these kits will likely come included with standard tunes meant to be powered by 91 or 93-octane fuel. 

Stage 2: Bumping up from entry-level Stage 1 kits, Stage 2 gets all the same parts plus performance-extracting add-ons like cold air intakes, fuel injectors, fuel pumps, smaller pulleys and revised tunes. Stage 2 kits are built for off-road (track) use only, and will likely not pass emissions testing.

Stage 3: On the upper end of the spectrum are the Stage 3 kits, which are designed for professional tuners and completely custom builds. These kits will offer all the necessary components for racing competition, but offer flexibility in choice of parts like pulleys, cold air intakes, and more. A custom tune is required for Stage 3 kits to ensure proper performance.

Sure, there are few other power adder options for your Challenger, but here’s why we would stick to supercharging for a Challenger build. In comparison to turbocharging, a supercharger delivers a much more immediate boost when the throttle is applied. Because a turbo is spun via exhaust gases, its known for something called “turbo lag”, which is the time it takes the turbo to produce positive manifold pressure or the extra oomph you want to feel when you hit the gas pedal. Turbos are also often more laborious to install.

And what about nitrous? Well, nitrous does have its pluses, like not producing the heat output that superchargers are known for. Though, it’s advantages end about there. First and foremost, using nitrous is illegal in many areas. Secondly, each time it’s used (which only last a short period of time) it requires a refill. Superchargers, on the other hand, are readily available to provide power whenever they are asked to.

Adding some serious horsepower to your Challenger through the addition of a supercharger? You’re going to need a tune to take advantage of the added power and ensure your engine will run safely. With a tuner, you’ll be able to configure the fuel parameters to create a proper air/fuel ratio. Skip a tune and your car can run into detrimental issues, like running a lean air/fuel ratio and popping a piston. Save yourself from head ache later on and add a custom tune with your supercharger.