basiclly i wanna nknow whats better for a lt1.my engine will be set up for either one but wanna no whats better.ive been told that a supercharger lt1 aint a good idea but what bout turbo.

 

I am asking the same question for my upcoming engine build. A turbo is more efficient than a supercharger, but I don't think they build good lowend power such as a supercharger can. Cost is also a question. I think you can buy a supercharger kit complete cheaper than a turbo. I think with the proper setup for each one will net excellent results. Of course I am just starting my quest into the forced induction world. ANy imput form you people that know would be great.

 

I am assuming by supercharger you mean the typical centrifugal (vortec, powerdyne, procharger). The only advantage these have over a turbo is ease of installation and cost. A turbo will actually make peak boost sooner in the rev range.
That being said, cost and complexity can be a big deal, and it is much more involved to properly turbocharge and engine.

The low end boost is a positive displacement phenomenon, and this is had by either getting a roots or a screw type supercharger. I have seen one person adapt a lightning style roots to an lt1. This makes big block torque, but they are not very efficient, and at a dragstrip will get owned by a turbo all other things being equal (on most normal setups, no one needs to point out top fuel cars run roots blowers).

 

so whats netter for the lt1

 

It all depends on what you are planning to do. You dont just build a motor and throw a FI sytem at it and poof instant power.

You need to have a idea of what type of power you are looking to get. If your goal was say 500hp it would most likely be cheaper to go SC. If you are looking for a very high HP car then you may want to look into the turbos. Either one will be a drastic improvement over stock or head/cam.

Also if you are auto you can stall your car pretty high to pretty much be in your blowers power band very early on.

 

It is worth noting that a screw type postive displacement blower is much more efficient than a roots. I believe both screw and centrifugals build boost in the blower itself, whereas roots build boost in the intake manifold. Someone correct me if I am wrong, it has be a long time since I have been around blowers, let alone seen one apart. I recall hearing th screw type blowers share an efficiency close to that of a centrifugal, but are more prone to heat soak due to their location on the intake manifold.

Top Fuel cars setup their engines around using roots blowers because that is all they are allowed to run. Who is to say what they might adapt to work if the FI restriction was removed. Someone built a turboed 4000hp nitromethane 4 banger, so its seems like it could be possible to turbo a nitro motor, even with the violence that typically takes place in a nitro engines exhaust headers.

 

my goal is in the 650-700 hp range.and i dont need the lecture on how i need my motor built properly.heard it a million times.it will be built properly just want to no what a better choice.like most ppl in hear my pocket book isnt endless so i have my spending limits but am willing to spend for the best.i just want a bad *** car like we all do.im thinking with the engine built properly with out a blower/turbo i should be pushing 5-550 hp if all goes well.ive done my reaserch on parts and etc, just need to work out the specs and prices.

 

There are people on this forum making 1000 rwhp with blowers and some with turbos, your power goals are achievable with either. Both are easily streetable as neither produces boost until the engine is under load. There are many things that make me like a blower better for the street. First, if you are running regular street tires all the time, it's easier to smoothly apply the power with a blower since the amount of boost is directly related to engine rpm, the turbo's tend to have a more sudden application of boost which makes traction a little trickier (at the track this doesn't matter). Second, blowers are easier to install, everything is provided in a kit and there is not a lot of fabrication involved with installing a blower. Third is price, a complete blower set up will cost several thousand less than a complete turbo kit. Fourth, blowers are easier to tune for and the boost curve is very predictable. The main argument I see for turbos is that they make more power, and they are more efficient. I believe both statements to be true, however, the additional power and efficiency that a turbo may offer over a blower is not worth the trade off in the other catagories to me. The thing that affects the power output of your car the most is the size of your bank account, blower or turbo, the guy that can spend the most money on his car will be the fastest so just build what you like. I do have to admit, even though I personaly like superchargers, there are not many things that sound cooler than a big turbo at full boost .

 

More research. You'll be lucky to see 380 without a blower.

 

to b honest im slready past 380 with mild mods.got a excilent tone.proably over 400 to b honest

 

And what mods would that be?

 

Hopefully, you're wrenching is better than you're typing or you're car will be a mess. Excellent tone???

 

why are people so concerned with everyones typing on here.those type of comments are not needed.and my wrenching abilities are better than my typing b/c i dont spend every waking moment infront of a computer.if theres any one who wants to comment on someones typing or whatever else you got a problem with, make another thread in the appropriate forum and stop wasting peoples time in there threads.its really annoying to someone when they got to check there thread and get some answers to there questions and they have some one commenting on there typing.i think it would be alot easier and more respectable if you just helped the person out on what they are asking

 

Your typing skills and actual car and spending limits aside, basically you need to ask yourself which you want more.

With a blower set up, it will probably cost less, and you will have more power down low, when compared to the power band of a turbo.

The turbo, is a more expensive set up, and will have some turbo lag in the lower RPM's. This can be a good thing, because in drag racing, you don't necissarily want your power down low. It would be more benefitial to be at a 40 MPH roll before all the boost/power comes in, compared to power almost instantly made with the blower.

Both have the potential to make all the power you will ever want or need. The turbo idea is used less, mostly because of the cost. So that would also make you more rare than a blower car.

My vote would be to go turbo. Just my opinion. Again, either will work fine on a built LT1, and both have potential to make the same power.

 

Whats even more annoying is when your trying to help someone out but you first have to make sense of what there trying to say or ask in their post in the first place. I don't think people are ragging on you just to let you know your spelling is bad, but probably more so to try and give you the hint in a round about way to maybe proof read your post before you post it so it's easier for people to understand. Some people may throw in the towel before trying to answer a post because it's too hard to understand, therefore limiting your chance for more help. Not ******* on you dude. Just trying to clear the air a bit. Don't mean to rag you.
As for your non-power adder numbers, are you talking 500 to 550hp at the wheels or at the flywheel? Theres a big difference when your getting into higher numbers like that, especially on an LT1. It will take a lot of work to get 500+ numbers NA at the wheels with an LT1. It can be done, but will cost you a lot more then the cost of a power adder on top of that.

Ken R.