What the hell's a SuperCharger?



1. How does a supercharger work? A supercharger is a positive displace-
   ment pump. Its purpose is to supply an excess volume of intake air to 
   the engine by increasing air pressure and density in the intake 
   manifold. The supercharger is matched to the engine by its displacement
   and belt ratio, and can provide excess airflow at any engine speed. 
  This concentrated charge of air provided by the supercharger results 
  in a more powerful combustion stroke in the engine's cylinders. 

2. How is a supercharger different from a turbocharger? A supercharger
   is connected directly to the crankshaft by a belt unlike a turbocharger 
   which is driven by exhaust gases. The improved horsepower and torque, 
   at lower engine rpm's, is obtained by pumping extra air into the engine 
   in direct relationship to crankshaft speed. The positive connection 
   yields instant response, in contrast to turbochargers, which must 
   overcome inertia and spin up to speed as the flow of exhaust gas 
   increases. The supercharger is a way to get around 'Turbo lag". The 
   lubrication system also differs in that, the supercharger is self-
   contained whereas the turbocharger requires engine oil. 
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3. How did Eaton become involved in supercharging? In 1949, toyed with
   a helical rotor supercharger and even built a 75-cubic inch displacement
   prototype. This supercharger was 'Temporarily" et aside since improved
   performance was achieved through larger displacement engines. The late 
   70's spurred new interest in supercharging since gasoline prices were 
   driven up due to the energy crisis. Eaton continued to improve its   
   design and addressed issues such as noise and durability. It was 
   through these many design improvements and an eye toward manufacturing
   that allowed Eaton to begin working with Ford on the 3.8L engine in 
   1994. Vehicle demonstrations, durability and noise were refined as 
   well as a cost effective manufacturing process which allow the Eaton 
   supercharger to be installed on the first production supercharged 
   vehicle since 1957 The 1989 Ford Thunderbird SC was awarded the Motor 
   Trend Car of the Year award. In addition, three engineers were also 
   recognized for their work on the supercharger having been awarded the 
   Society of Automotive Engineer's first Henry Ford 11 Award for 
   Engineering Excellence. 

4. The roots supercharger has been around for a long time. How is the
   Eaton supercharger different? The Eaton supercharger is essentially a 
   Roots blower pump, with one substantial design wrinkle: Each rotor has 
   been twisted 60 degrees to form a helix. The two counter rotating
   rotors have three lobes, which intermesh during operation. These twisted 
   rotors, along with specially designed inlet and outlet port geometry, 
   help to reduce pressure variations resulting in a smooth discharge of 
   air and a low level of noise during operation. 

5. How long has Eaton been manufacturing superchargers? Production for 
   Ford Motor Company began in 1989 with General Motors production 
   beginning in 1992. 

6. Are there other supercharger manufacturers? Other than the aftermarket
   there are currently no other supercharger manufacturers in the United 
   States. 

7. What are the benefits of the Eaton supercharger? 1) Patented technology
   to reduce noise,2) Proven manufacturing capability, 3) Packaging flexibility,
   i.e. reduced package size, 4) Self-contained lubrication, 'i.e., no external 
   oil connections to the engine, 5) Bypass system used for controlling
   non-boosted conditions resulting in better fuel economy, 6) Competitive pricing. 

8. How much power does the supercharger add? This is dependent on the 
   size of the supercharger and also the size of the engine. 
   Typical power improvements in the range of 25% to 50% are not uncommon. 

9. How efficient is the Eaton Supercharger? Typically, the volumetric 
   efficiencies are around 90%. (Performance curves, including Volumetric
   efficiency, are available upon request.) 

10. Can all engines be supercharged? Yes, supercharging is very 
    compatible with all engines whether the engine be two or four valves/
    cylinder, gasoline, diesel or 2 stroke. 

11. Are special engine modifications required for installing the super
    charger? This is dependent on the level of power increase desired and 
    the given engine design. 

12. Are superchargers noisy? The Eaton supercharger system incorporates
    a specially designed bypass valve, which is actuated by a vacuum motor
    near the throttle body and recalculates the supercharger air flow when
    boost is not required. During typical driving conditions, the engine 
    is under boost around 5% of the time, which means the remaining 95% of 
    the time the engine is under vacuum, allowing for better fuel economy 
    and a quieter ride. In addition, the helix angled rotors, along with 
    specially designed inlet and outlet port geometry, also reduce pressure
    variations resulting in a smooth discharge flow and a lower level of 
    noise during operation. Careful attention to the techniques used in 
    installing the supercharger also plays a major role in reducing the 
    noise emitted by the supercharger. 

13. Is the product durable, safe? The durability of the Eaton 
    Supercharger was the first criteria which was addressed during the 
    designing of the supercharger. Dedicated engineers with backgrounds 
    in compressors, gearing, tribology and metallurgy, as well as thermal 
    and structural analysis enabled Eaton to find solutions to many 
    durability concerns. In addition, customer durability testing employed 
    strict criteria increments of torque and speed. Successful completion 
    of numerous 500 hour durability tests established a firm grasp on 
    achieving a durable product. In addition, numerous vehicles have 
    successfully completed 100,000 mile, OEM, vehicle durability. 
    Improvements in bearing and seal designs also aided in a product
    which meets all OEM durability criteria. Safety, in turn, follows suit
    once durability is achieved. The OEM criteria for safety must be 
    designed into the product prior to supplying any manufactured component. 

14. Is the Eaton Supercharger easy to service? The supercharger is 
    serviced as two units, the nose drive and the supercharger itself. 
    The rotors are supported by ball bearings in front and needle bearings 
    at the rear The drive gears are pressed into place and require precise
    timing to achieve proper rotor to rotor clearances. Therefore, the 
    supercharger is replaced as a unit, and is not serviceable. The
    supercharger also has a self-contained oiling system that does not 
    require a fluid change for the life of the vehicle. 

15. What type of fuel is required? What about fuel economy and 
    flexible fuels? Supercharging is compatible with all types of fuels 
    including flexible fuels. Fuel economy is not compromised, as 
    described above in item #12, when utilizing the bypass system in 
    conjunction with the supercharger. 

16. Is the supercharger recyclable? How does supercharging affect the 
    environment? All supercharger components are recyclable. 

17. What is the cost of a supercharger? This is dependent on the size 
    of the supercharger required and annual volumes. 

18. Does Eaton see supercharging in the future? With the continued 
    interest in performance and the desire to maintain fuel economy, 
    supercharging could be the ideal product of the future. Using a 
    supercharger to increase power on a smaller displacement engine,in 
    turn achieving the performance of a larger engine, but not 
    compromising fuel economy seems too good to be true - but that is what
    the Eaton supercharger provides. 

19. Is the supercharger available for aftermarket applications? To 
    date the Eaton supercharger has been designed for specific OEM 
    applications. This is due to the fact that each engine application
    has unique hardware installation requirements and the design criteria 
    of the supercharger is matched to the specific engine. Recent interest
    has been shown in this market and has resulted in four sizes
    of Eaton Superchargers being offered by Magnuson Products. 








  

    

        

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