Racing Turbochargers, Superchargers & Components

The more air and fuel an engine burns, the more power it makes. But, a naturally aspirated engine is limited to the amount of air that can be forced in by atmospheric pressure. A typical stock, unmodified engine has 80-85% Volumetric Efficiency (VE), which is the actual amount of air flowing through an engine compared to the theoretical maximum. And since pressure and air density are greatest at sea level, even this level of efficiency will decrease with elevation. There are modifications that can be made to increase a naturally aspirated engine’s airflow and efficiency, but they can be costly and require a lot of internal engine work. The easiest, and most cost-effective way to dramatically increase engine efficiency and horsepower is with forced induction using a supercharger or turbocharger.

You can get more air and oxygen into the cylinders of a naturally aspirated racing engine with a larger carburetor or throttle body, a high-flow aluminum intake, ported cylinder heads with bigger valves, a high-lift, long duration camshaft, and increasing displacement by boring and/or stroking, and this can raise VE to 90% or more. But in addition to the complexity and expense of this approach, there are other downsides. Most engines can only be made so much bigger with boring and stroking, the component combination may only make the best power within a narrow rpm range, and regardless of modifications you’re still limited by the amount of air that can be pushed into the cylinders by atmospheric pressure.

In contrast, power adders like superchargers and turbochargers bolt on with no need to get deep inside the engine. Both force more air into the cylinders, increasing cylinder pressure above atmospheric and effectively making the engine perform like a much larger powerplant. Forcing more air into the cylinders increases the supply of oxygen so more fuel can be burned, thereby increasing horsepower. Forced induction can also overcome intake system deficiencies that would impede airflow in a naturally aspirated engine. “Boost” is the term used for the amount that intake manifold pressure is raised above atmospheric pressure. With forced induction you can achieve 100% VE.

There are centrifugal, screw type, and Roots superchargers, but all are driven by the crankshaft via a belt. Air is drawn through the air filter, intake tube and throttle body into the supercharger, and is compressed by an impeller, lobe rotors or twin screws, depending on supercharger type, and forced into the intake manifold. A turbocharger consists of a turbine wheel and a compressor wheel that rotate on a common shaft in an aluminum housing. Exhaust flow spins the turbine blades, which in turn drives the compressor wheel. The compressor section of the turbo is part of the air intake system. Air is drawn through the air filter and intake tube, compressed by the compressor wheel and forced into the intake manifold. Because compression also heats the air, both systems are commonly used with an intercooler.

We offer complete, bolt-on supercharger and turbocharger kits for most popular engines and engine/vehicle combinations. Our supercharger kits include the supercharger, intake manifold, fuel injectors, intercooler, pulleys, belt and all other necessary components. Turbocharger kits for gas and diesel engines include the turbo, wastegate, pipes, air intake, injectors, and all necessary hoses, fittings and hardware. All our kits have been carefully engineered by brands that specialize in forced induction systems, to deliver the increased power you want. In addition to kits, we offer turbochargers and superchargers and a large selection of related components including wastegates, blow-off valves, pop-off plates, pipes, tubes, hoses, pulleys, belts, oil lines, and much more.

If you want more power from your factory boosted engine, we can help. If you don’t have an intercooler, adding one will cool the intake charge for a significant gain in horsepower. Swapping the supercharger pulley to one with a larger diameter spins the supercharger faster to increase airflow and power. Improving fuel flow with larger injectors and recalibrating the ECM can improve output, but doing so without increasing airflow can create problems, particularly on diesel engines. We offer performance turbochargers that can flow more air, spool up faster for quicker response, and better control exhaust gas temperatures.

As we’ve indicated, it usually isn’t necessary to get inside the engine when installing a turbocharger or supercharger. Most late model engines can handle substantial horsepower increases. But if you’re making considerably more power, especially when running the engine hard at full throttle at the race track, you’ll want to strengthen internal engine components to make sure they can handle the increased stress. Upgrades like a forged steel crankshaft, forged pistons, and forged steel H-beam connecting rods will help ensure your mill survives. And because more power equals more heat generated, upgrade your cooling system with a thicker core, increased fin count radiator, and high-flow water pump and cooling fan.