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Old Nov 6, 2004 | 09:44 AM
  #9  
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Kestrel
Push to shock!
 
Joined: Sep 2002
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From: Palo Alto, CA
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SC's make sense on large displacement engines, especially factory boosted ones. SC's have a more even power distribution than a turbo. They can boost from idle, where a turbo with similar boosting capabilities will still have a noticeable lag. For a car with a larger engine (like say a V8) the amount or torque needed to drive the supercharger is a smaller fraction of the total output, so you you still gain a net increase in power. Add that a SC is less finicky, so it makes sense for car makers to use it since it is more reliable than a turbo.

Case in point, the Mustang Cobra is (was) factory supercharged.
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