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Guidelines, Instration, Information & Articles...
Supercharger FAQ
What exactly does a supercharger do?
A supercharger forces additional air and fuel into the engine. This occurs when the engine is under full throttle or under load, not at normal cruise or most normal driving. A large displacement engine makes more power than a small displacement engine because it can convert larger amounts of fuel and air into energy. A supercharger allows a smaller engine to do the same thing but only when extra power is actually needed.
What is a Boost?
Boost is the amount of pressure (in pounds per square inch) that the supercharger provides. The air that goes into an unblown (unsupercharged) engine is drawn in by the vacuum created when the piston goes down in the cylinder bore. This air goes into the unsupercharged engine at atmospheric pressure which at sea level is 14.7 psi (pounds per square inch).
On a blown engine the boost is the amount of additional pressure the inlet charge has over atmospheric that goes into the engine. So if your blower makes ten pounds of boost that means your inlet charge is atmospheric pressure (14.7 psi) plus the ten psi of boost for a total of 24.7 psi.
How much Boost can you usually run?
Six to nine pounds (psi) is normally a safe level for most stock engines. Running more than this will usually require a reduction in compression ratio. Centrifugal superchargers, such as the Powerdyne, can typically safely run more boost than a roots type blower (GMC, B&M, Weiand, etc.) due to the fact that the pressure is created inside the blower instead of in the manifold. Every engine is different and some engines are more tolerant of boost than others.
What is an "Internal Compression Supercharger?"
An Internal Compression Supercharger actually compresses the air inside the supercharger. It functions like an air compressor. The Powerdyne Supercharger is an internal compression supercharger. External compression blowers, like the well known GMC, and the B&M, Weiand, and other roots type blowers, are just air pumps. They pump air into the manifold and cylinders and the actual air compression takes place there.
Does the supercharger put a drain on the battery?
No, the supercharger runs on a low current so when it's running the battery is able to compensate for the drain.
How much of a horsepower gain can I get from this installation?
On average you can expect about a 10% increase in horsepower.
Does the supercharger create any restriction on the stock intake?
No, the supercharger has a straight flow design that allows air to pass without restriction when powered off.
How much CFM will the supercharger produce?
The supercharger produces 250 CFM but when combined with a cold air intake it produces about 2 PSI of boost.
Will the supercharger create too much air and cause problems with the intake manifold?
No, the supercharger compensates for that event and slows does to put less stress on the intake manifold.
Doesn't running boost on an engine put more strain on the engine's parts?
Not necessarily. RPM is what kills engine parts. Typically, an unblown engine has to run up to 7,000 or 8,000 rpm to make any real power. At these high speeds you need a special crank, rods, pistons, rocker arms, valves, valve springs, and on and on. But a blower substantially increases power and torque at much lower rpm's. You usually don't have to run a blown engine over about 6,000 rpm to make maximum power. At these speeds stock engine components are usually more than adequate.
Additionally an engine sees maximum load on the components at the moment the piston changes speed from going up in the cylinder to going down. There is a commonly held theory, too complicated to go into here, that increasing the combustion pressure, which a supercharger does, actually reduces this maximum load when piston travel changes from up to down. Under this theory, at comparable rpm's a blown engine is easier on parts than an unblown engine.
In actuality, as long as detonation is controlled, you rarely have any engine failures with a blower.
Will I have to re-tune the engine after the super-charger is installed?
Yes, the addition of the super-charger requires the engine to be re-tuned accordingly. Each supercharger kit includes instructions that explain how to perform this.
Do the belts break often?
Typical belt life ranges from 3-4 months depending on the running environment. Drive belts are readily available and a low cost item to keep in your tool box.
Will the engine still run if the belt breaks?
Yes, the engine will continue to run. However, the engine performance will suffer because it will be out of tune.
Can I use my stock air filter with the super-charger system?
It depends on the application. If you have a tenth scale on-road or off-road engine, the stock air filter will not work with the RB Innovations supercharger. You will need to use your own eighth scale filter or purchase on of our high performance filter and intake systems. If you have an eighth scale on-road or off-road engine, the stock air filter is compatible with the RB Innovations supercharger. For all 1/8th scale off road engine applications the filters will work on the super-charger. For all 1/8th scale on road engine applications the filters will work on the super-charger.
What does it mean when the engine has great low end power but bogs at mid RPM and cannot rev any higher?
- Possible Root Cause: The engine may be running too lean on the high speed adjustment
- Possible Fix - Adjust high end screw to allow more fuel to the engine at high speed
- Possible Root Cause: The auxiliary pressure system is not be used or improperly connected.
- Possible Fix - Attach auxiliary pressure system and or verify the connections are made correctly.
- Possible Root Cause: The engine is getting too much air therefore flooding the engine with so much air pressure the fuel pressure cannot compensate.
- Possible Fixes - To compensate for the inadequate fuel delivery to the engine the following can be done.
1. Try a different exhaust pipe with smaller exit or multiple chambers that will create a higher back pressure thus more pumping pressure for the fuel system.
2. Create a restrictor plate for the back side of the intake for the supercharger. This works well on many engines such as the Traxxas 2.5 as well as the sirio 3.0 engines with the pipes that have been drilled or pipes that have a large exit port. This larger exit port helps the engine to breath but sometimes this can degrade the back pressure thus lowering the fuel pressure and delivery to the engine especially at Mid to high RPM.
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