How Much Horsepower Does a Supercharger Add? (Explained)

A supercharger is an automotive device that helps the car to gain more power and speed by increasing the mixture of fuel and air inside the engine. Typically, they are mostly fitted to race cars. In this article, we will be discussing the functionalities of a supercharger. 

How much horsepower does a supercharger add? 

A supercharger, also known as a turbocharger works with the internal engine combustion or the exhaust system. It helps your car to gain a maximum of 80-150 extra horsepower along with the standard engine pickup. It is connected to the engine intake and supplies extra horsepower when activated.

 

In the cases of most of the racers, they want their cars to accelerate like a rocket and launch with great power. If you want your car to cruise better than the standard speed of it, you might need to install a supercharger to have greater efficiency and acceleration.

You have to be careful when conducting some type of performance upgrade for your car. Because excessive upgrades might cause your engine to break down when cruising at top speed.

Moreover, a supercharger is the most convenient option to drive your car faster than ever. Undoubtedly the output of installing a supercharger in your car will provide you with proper satisfaction.

The functionality of a supercharger is to mix the fuel with air inside the combust of the engine and create an extra 80-150 horsepower. Horsepower production varies on engine capacity.

A detailed discussion on how much horsepower is produced by the different engines is given below:  

To a 5.0:

In the case of a Mustang 5.0, it produces 750 horsepower when a supercharger kit is installed. It has modern cooling technology and goes both with auto and manual transmission.

To a 5.3:

A supercharger kit will be able to produce 500 horsepower as well as 500lb/ft of torque in a 5.3L engine. 

To a 5.7 Hemi:

Hemi supercharger kits are cost-efficient and function best on Hemi engines. A stock Hemi of 5.7L engine fitted with a supercharger kit will be able to produce 120-150 horsepower. 

To a 6.2 l v8:

In most cases, the v8 engine functions the best when superchargers are added. A supercharger upgrade to a 6.2L v8 engine will add 420 horsepower and 460 pound/ft torque.

To a v6 challenge:

V6 challenge or an engine installed in a 3.6 V6 dodge challenger fitted with a supercharger system will produce 400-450 horsepower. 

To a v8 mustang:

Mustangs with v8 engines are already capable enough to launch themselves like a rocket. Adding a supercharger will gain 700-800 horsepower very easily. 

To a 4 cylinder:

When you fit a supercharger to a 4-cylinder engine, it will provide performance like a naturally aspirated 6-cylinder engine and produce 50-100 horsepower.

How does supercharger work? 

Fundamentally, the supercharger compresses the airflow inside the engine before it enters the engine intake. After that, it passes the highly compressed air above the atmospheric pressure into the engine intake and forces them to produce a boost.

So, more air mixes up with the fuel and ends up creating more power. The supercharger helps the car to gain more power by generating the air and fuel mixture into a powerful boost and producing more speed.

The supercharger is used when using fuel. On the other hand, a turbocharger has the same functionality as the supercharger, but when using gas.

The biggest advantage of using a supercharger is, it doesn’t require external power to run or spin itself, it can use the engine’s power to function and avoid system loss. The functionality of a supercharger is discussed below: 

It pressurizes intake air:

A supercharger usually functions by taking the air inside the engine. Firstly, it intakes the air and compresses the air above the atmospheric pressure to make it denser. Making the air density is the key to producing more power and efficiency.

Sends the air inside the engine:

Once the air is compressed and ready, it will enter the engine intake directly through the engine compartments and be ready to produce the boost mixing along with the fuel.

Creates combustions inside:

Finally, after getting into the engine intake, the air is mixed with fuel and forced to produce a boost. As fuel needs air to burn, dense air will provide more fuel to burn, and create combustion inside the engine to execute more power and efficiency.

Will adding a supercharger hurt my engine? 

Superchargers won’t hurt your engine. Since it has been in use since the engine was built, it will not harm your engine.

Moreover, if the engine is properly maintained, such as using the right oil, maintaining the right amount of coolant, etc., using a supercharger will not affect or damage it.

However, when installing the supercharger, you must make sure that the vehicle is upgraded to the correct level. Excessive upgrades can cause the car to put on extra weight which might cause the loss of power.

Also, overpowering your engine will cause damage to it and even cause the engine to burn out. As you have to reengineer your engine to install the supercharger, the use of superchargers after a certain period can cause the engine to overheat.

So, an intercooler must be installed so that the car’s engine does not lose performance due to overheating.

Does a supercharger add more HP than a turbo? Which is better a turbo or a supercharger? 

Superchargers add more HP to an engine with a high-performance boost which will enhance the overall performance of the engine for a long time.

Whereas, the turbo provides the engine with a short time to power up the engine using gases in the exhaust when the gas pedal is pulled down.

So, the turbo is not able to maintain the higher horsepower for a long time like the superchargers where they can maintain the consistency to keep the engine running at its best speed. 

When comparing a turbo and a supercharger, the supercharger will be ahead. Because the functionality of a supercharger is to intake the air and create it dense using high atmospheric pressure which lets the engine produce more power.

On the other hand, turbopumps air into the engine and convert it into high-pressure-containing air. Then the compressed air is passed into the compressor housing and gives a shorter boost to the engine to accelerate the car faster.

How much horsepower does a stage 1 supercharger add?

Generally, a phase one supercharger can add 600 to 700 horsepower to engines. Phase one supercharger is compatible with both auto and manual transmission.

Moreover, they are designed to have a large intercooler, and radiator, that enables modern technology to prevent the engine from overheating.

It is very lightweight, so doesn’t put extra weight on the car to slow it down, and can be maintained very easily if it is properly tuned into the engine.

Its general functionalities include the air getting pressurized and converted into high-pressure dense air, which mixes with the fuel to execute more powerful engine combustions.

As a result, the phase supercharger enables your car engine to add an extra 250 horsepower to its engine and launch with great efficiency.

Also, unlike the traditional turbocharged engines, the phase 1 supercharger provides immediate throttle response and powers up the engine using the engine band connected to it.

How much does it cost to add a supercharger to your car? 

Superchargers aren’t that much expensive as a car upgrade device. They cost around 1500$ to $7000 depending on car type and tuning required. You can simply search for the best type of superchargers suitable for your engine at a local automobile store.

When installing a supercharger to your car, it is important to make sure that your car doesn’t get overpowered because that might blow up the engine of your car and cause expensive damage.

You need to install a supercharger that could provide the best output even if the engine is running at lower RPM. Installing superchargers to an engine like this will enhance the engine power without even damaging it.

Supercharges can be expensive due to their mechanisms and engineering. As you have to set it up with your car engine it might cause you some extra money to reengineer your engine.

Other than that, superchargers are worth every penny if they are fitted to the right type of engine. They will add extra horsepower to your car that will run your engine without causing any damage, increasing power, and lag-free boost.

Final Thoughts 

Superchargers can be a great upgrade to your engine if they are tuned properly. They can add 80-150 horsepower to your engine. The biggest advantage of using superchargers is they can run on engine power. But an intercooler must be installed to avoid engine overheating issues.