SC vs Turbo (Altitude Adjustments)

atown117 · 09-10-2008

Ok so let me start off by saying im new here and that this is my first official post here so be nice. I was wondering If I was going to go the forced induction route on a 2008 mustang what would be the way to go if it was driven both at low and high altitudes which one would require ths least amount of changes or danger to the engine?

jsusisaliv · 09-15-2008

WELCOME!
I am unsure about altitude adjustments and would not think one would be any better then the other when it comes to that because they both are pretty much the same princable except one is driven off of the motor and the other off of the exhaust. I could be wrong because it is just a guess. If money is the issue id go with the SC because you normally get more boost for the money. If money is not an issue id go with a turbo because they normally perform better. I know I will get a bunch of people to tell me how wrong I am about that and it has been discussed on here many times but from my careful study turbos normaly out perform SC's. I have purchased a SC myself and will be running one soon but if I had the extra cash I would have went turbo just because I believe they outperform the sc's. Thats my 2 cents.

RufusWill · 09-15-2008

yeah turbos are usually better especially for top end, and they dont sap hp from the crank to make them boost, and you can turn your boost up by the twist of a nob

.boB · 09-15-2008

The turbo systems are generally much better at adjusting for altitude than a blower is. Any turbo diesel owner will tell you that.

A blower provides a fixed amount of compression, based on rpm and ambient. It will make ambient + 9psi, no matter what ambient is. If ambient drops, so does cylinder pressure. If you want to change that, you have to change the pulley to speed up compressor .

A turbo is spun by exhaust gases. The turbine spins at an extremly high speed. It produces boost according to the engine's need. Cruise along at part throttle and boost is fairly low. Whack the throttle and it jumps up. Maximum boost is controlled by a pop off valve.

The turbo will maintain the same pressure because it's controlled by the waste gate. It will open at 9psi, not matter what ambient is. A blower won't do that. It makes ambient + 9psi.

I used to have a turbocharged Harley. We often rode to 10K'. It was nice to have a boatload of torque pulling those mountain passes.