How Do Centrifugal Superchargers Work?

What are the pros and cons of centrifugal superchargers?

I bought a centrifugal supercharger for my Honda S2000! In this video we'll discuss the purpose of superchargers, how centrifugal superchargers work, and the advantages and disadvantages of centrifugal style superchargers.

Centrifugal superchargers act very similarly to turbochargers, however they are driven by the engine rather than the exhaust. The impeller spins as a result of an engine belt spinning a pulley which is connected to the supercharger transmission, which multiplies the gear ratio between the engine and the impeller, allowing for more boost at each engine RPM.

Engineering Explained is a participant in the Amazon Influencer Program.

Don't forget to check out my other pages below!

NEW VIDEO EVERY WEDNESDAY!

[swme]

I already knew all this, but I still sat and watched the whole thing, there's just something about your videos and how you present information.

[WarpedYT]

Centrifugal Supercharger always reminded me of a Jet starter, electric motor coupled with a turbo ....

[alpinaBcoupe]

"A turbo: Exhaust gasses go into the turbocharger and spin it, witchcraft happens, and you go faster." - Jeremy Clarkson

[ToxicMisfitsYt]

If this video gets 40k likes you have to put the supercharger on!

[richardsak]

I don't know if this comment will be seen months after video went live but just wanted to say love your channel. 2 months ago I installed a Procharger D1X on my 17 Mustang GT. The reason I went centrifugal was the benefit of what you actually highlight as a disadvantage. Namely the fact that the Boost comes on as the RPMs climb and you don't have that initial hit of a positive displacement. I had a few reasons for desiring that powerband. 1 it's a daily driver which means it sees rain and (living in NYC) cold. By short Shifting the car it maintains the drivability in adverse conditions as I can stay out of boost longer. The daily driving behavior of the car is phenomenal. 2 is longevity of the drivetrain. I'm by no means wealthy and able to pour money into my car. I'm sure you know, the easiest way to break something is apply a ton of torque to it while it's at rest. Trans, driveshaft, diff, and halfshafts take a lot more wear and tear if the car is standing still and you "floor it" than if these parts are already rotating. 3 I don't track my car. Most contests of speed are from a roll on a street. As such, I'm already at about 3k when I go so Im already starting to get into my boost. If I occasionally go from a dig, I'm launching it at higher RPM anyway. You can see this on the turbo McLarens which have a message on the dash. When u r stopped and bring the RPMs up for a launch, it says "Building Boost-Wait" Once RPMs climb, it says "Boost Ready". Obviously there's nothing wrong with positive displacement superchargers. They are great. Essentially centrifugal was just better for my situation.

[gabrielsabode]

Im more of a turbo guy myself, just for the fun factor, and a supercharged s2k sounds pretty sick! can't wait to see it complete!

[armourshooter]

How to trick a non-car guy to believe your car has a turbocharger but actually it's a supercharger!

[collincutler]

I've been lurking your channel for a while, but I just have to say how thankful I am for you and your efforts into this channel. You've greatly expanded my enthusiasm for cars and I owe you a great deal for that. As a pursuing engineer myself and car enthusiast, I can relate to you. Thank you for making me a better person, car guy, and an engineer at the same time.

[NishantDash]

Can't wait to see the S2k Supercharged!

[akiraallmendinger]

It's simple. Air goes in happiness comes out

[aaronwoodcock]

Turbos are cool but the torque, and power you get from superchargers are on a different level. Might not go as fast in the top speed, but the pull you get for short wide track circuits, or autocross is where they thrive.

[blockbertus]

I like how you put up a mirror on your shelfs to avoid further accidents. :D

[mickannickstraining]

BTW it is a gear overdrive NOT a reduction, usually around 1:5 or 1:6 OVERDRIVE! Cheers

[bravenej]

I've used the Procharger Psc1 and Vortech V3 kits on stock engines and loved them both.

[ExhaustedOfficial]

I already knew this however I like how you present your videos so enjoyed it as usual👍🏻 great work buddy!

[seanpittacora]

This was a great video Jason. I always new how turbos and root style superchargers worked but, I never really knew exactly how Centrifugal superchargers worked. I also remember in high school my AP Physics teacher telling us that centrifugal force was not actually real. This confused me cause I was like “but what about those supercharger thingys”. Lol 😂 great video man!!!

[ASpeedyPotato]

So in short, if you put this thing into your S2000, you are really going to feel THAT VTEC KICKED IN, yo

[AndrewFRC]

Also, unlike a turbocharger, boost depends directly upon engine RPM. This makes tuning and controlling a supercharger easier and safer than adding a turbo to a motor. No blowoff valves or added exhaust backpressure to worry about.

[patonbike]

I have a similar setup on my Subaru EJ253 (Raptor AU supercharger) - I love it. 200k miles and runs like a champ. Max boost @ max RPM makes it relatively easy power on the engine (high boost at low engine load). The low end torque is good-- very noticeable right off the line. My HP curve is very linear but torque is like a shallow mountain or inverted shallow V.

[Toast]

You've just taught me about something I didn't even know existed and will probably forgot about but thank you.