Choosing the Right Supercharger Kit for More Power and Torque

At some point, every car enthusiast has to face the fact that a naturally aspirated build will only take them so far. Sure, installing intake manifolds, cold air intakes, headers, and other bolt-ons will improve power, but you'll quickly realize that you'll have a tough time adding more than 200 horsepower and torque without forced induction.

When you want to make more horsepower and torque it's a good idea to start with a good supercharger setup, and we show you exactly how to choose the right setup in this article.

What Is a Supercharger?

If you’re a car enthusiast you probably hear the term supercharger a lot, but what does that actually mean? The short answer is that your engine needs air to make power, so the more air you can force into the engine the more power it will make.

Superchargers function as air compressors that supply the engine with more air than is usually available at your current atmospheric pressure. The result is a massive power boost that you just can't quite achieve with a naturally aspirated engine.

Superchargers are usually belt-driven from the crank, which is how it generates power to force air into your engine. While similar, turbochargers use a turbine instead and turbos use gas to force more air into the engine via that turbine.

Choosing the Right Type of Supercharger Setup

There's a handful of supercharger options, so there's not just one type of supercharger to look for. While the most common variant is the roots supercharger there's also a twin-screw and roots supercharger. You also need to consider how much boost you want, when you want that boost, and what your engine can handle.

We compare the differences between each type below.

Roots Supercharger

If you want your muscle car to have that signature supercharger whine like those old Terminator Cobras, roots superchargers are what you need. Roots superchargers are known as positive displacement superchargers because they push in a specific volume of air. They mount right on top of the engine, so they're the first thing anyone will see when you pop the hood.

You can think of a roots supercharger as more of an air pump than a compressor. It sucks in air from the top and forces it into the intake manifold where it gets compressed. The benefit of this design is that the amount of air flowing into the engine isn't dependent on RPMs, so you get your boost the second you fire up your engine, which means no turbo lag.

The only downside to this type of supercharger is that you may need an intercooler to keep things cool. You may also have to upgrade your hood to make enough room, but who isn't looking for an excuse to install a hood scoop? For drag-racing applications, these superchargers are excellent because heat soaking isn't an issue and you get your torque right out of the gate.

Twin-Screw Supercharger

Twin-screw superchargers are similar to roots-style superchargers and are more of an innovation on the concept. Instead of letting the intake manifold compress the air as it flows in, twin-screw superchargers compress the air within its chambers. As air flows in a pair of screw-like rotors (hence the name) with meshed lobes spin to compress the air before funneling it into the intake manifold.

While a little fancier, these superchargers are still top-mount superchargers, so expect consistent performance across most RPM ranges. If you're looking for a balanced supercharger setup you can't go wrong with the twin-screw. It offers great low-end torque but also offers decent power at higher RPMs.

The cost is higher than roots superchargers due to the complexity, but they're more balanced and efficient. Still, there is a bit of a catch as they tend to produce more heat than your average roots-style supercharger, so you may not want to skip out on that intercooler.

Centrifugal Superchargers

A centrifugal supercharger is one of the latest innovations when it comes to these forced induction platforms. In fact, they're more similar to a turbocharger and even look like them.

This gives them a more compact design as well, so you can squeeze them into tight engine bays, which is helpful if you plan on adding a lot of mods or don't have a ton of room under the hood to begin with. The only thing that makes them a supercharger instead of a turbocharger is the fact that they're connected to the engine via a belt that spins the turbine instead of using exhaust gasses.

If you’re looking to make the most possible power, especially at higher RPMs, it's tough to beat a centrifugal supercharger. The only drawback is that, like turbo, there may be some lag at lower RPMs. On the bright side, they're cost-effective and dissipate heat well, so you get maximum top-end power with minimal risk. These superchargers are great for circuit racing where your goal is to keep RPMs high but they're not half-bad on the street either.

Get the Right Supercharger for Your Build with AmericanMuscle

Whether you’re after a brand-new Whipple Supercharger or you need a few replacement parts, you've come to the right place. Our sales techs will help you find the right supercharger for your build, and plenty of options are available.

That said, getting the right supercharger for your American muscle is only part of the battle. It's also important to make sure you have parts that can support your supercharger ranging from K&N cold air intakes to intake manifolds and much more.