Pumping air for acceleration?

My friend installed a thing he called "compressor". He said the compressor helps pump air into the engine, hence increasing the acceleration/speed of the car.

Is this true? How does it work exactly?

Are there any side effects of using this? I mean if the engine is performing beyond what it is initially made for, wouldnt the long term effects be bad? We both maintain 130-140 km/h for an hour twice a day. I'm afraid putting this thing into the car, while boosting the car's performance, will be bad in the long run.

It sounds like he's talking about a "supercharger" and based on your comments to his response, I suspect he's talking about an electric supercharger. Save your money.

For more details, try searching this forum for keywords "electric supercharger" as it's been discussed here before. Look at the subjects and read the electric ones as well as the "leaf blower" thread.

-Rod

Turbos and Superchargers pressurize air that goes in the engine. If you double the pressure, you double the amount of air molecules that you stuff in the engine, which means you can double the fuel. Double fuel + double air = about double the power.

But turbos and superchargers are large items that are belt driven or use the flow of exhaust create pressure. They borrow existing energy. Using a "compressor" (whatever that means) doesn't really make sense.

So it's basically not worth the money? I see... then when my friend said that he feels the car is accelerating faster, it must be in his head only haha..

Off topic but what improvements (nothing more than $1000 please..) that can boost my car's performance? My car is Suzuki X-OVER SX4 if it matters. I know there is a turbo kit but it isnt available in my country and it costs too much :(

A brake upgrade would be considered an improvement that will increase performance, and should come in under $1000. That will make you and other's on the road safer if done right. In my mind, braking improvements should come well before making any engine performance modifications as well.

-Rod