Which is better? Supercharger or Turbo??

[jacee74]

I have a 2.0 Jetta GLS Automatic. I want more power, so if you have any ideas or comments other then getting a new car, please let me know. I have been pricing turbo's ($2500) versus superchargers ($3500), which one is better and why?

[Igovert500]

Well, I can't say which is better for your car, as I don't have a Jetta, Personally, I would go with a turbo, but here's some things to consider when choosing.

Turbos essentially use the exhaust gases to spool the compressors. Advantages of this are: it doesn't drain power. Disadvantages: it's not instant power, it takes a fraction of a second, sometimes more depending on which gear you are in, to get the exhaust gas pressure high enough to spool the turbos thus giving you boost. People refer to this as turbo lag. Granted, with a smaller turbo, this lag isn't drastic, but it is noticeable.
Also, generally turbos are more tuneable and possible of higher hp numbers

Superchargers on the other hand are belt driven. Therefore, the power is always on hand the instant you hit the gas. They also offer alot more low and mid range torque. The disadvantage of this is that it drains hp from the engine as it produces hp. Granted, it produces more, thus making it effective, but it does put a significant drain on your engines crank.

[1994GLS]

You wannt put a turbo or a supercharger on an automatic ??? german automatic trannies suck. it's not gonna hold for too long, and then u gotta buy a transmission . i have a friend with the same car and his tranny dropped 4 times this year (2004) ! that's crazy, right ? and he doesnt have a turbo. all he has is an intake, muffler.. and some other crap.

Then you're gonna ask yourself "how about those 1.8Ts with automatic trannies ?" well.. if it wouldnt have that "1.8T" sing on the trunk lid, i wouldnt even know they're turbo. and that's because of tranny.

automatic tranny is good if you wanna put your make-up while driving...
manual tranny is good for motor upgrades

[redhawk14506]

Man, Automatics suck period, look on Ebay for a manual, Oh and as for Turbo or super? Well, I would go with the supercharger, personal preference. But the Turbos might be cheaper.
Here is a site with Supers :http://www.capa.com.au/kits_vw.htm

VW VR6 Golf3 / Jetta 3 / Passat / Vento / Syncro 2.8 Worldwide Models, Yr 1991 to 1999
Vortech 1 6 186 US $3,500.00
Vortech 2 8.5 208 US $4,500.00
Vortech 3 10.5 TBA US $6,000.00
I dont know how much turbos will run you, I think Stage 1 is 1500 dollars, but after that I am not sure. Good Luck with that auto!

[Smoknbarrels]

well buddy first off the jetta is a fuel ecomony car not a hi-perf street machine.. i've got a vr6 and it's still gutless compared to a camero or mustang,
but to answer your question about superchargers or turbos.. the answer is definately a supercharger, those other kids that commented earlier don't know what they are talking about.. they mostlikey have never turned a wrench in their life yet alone play with induction..

the reason being that superchargers are very simple and with a turbo there is lotsss of work to get all the exhaust plumbing correct and also you may have to cool the thing somehow if the boost is cranked. a super is way more reliable, sounds better, and is way easier to install.
they even make nice belt type supers, which incase it dies the car could still run without it, in order to get to a shop or home.

but personally i would buy a new car like a v8 car, then put a super on that... you would dust a lotta kids on the road with that combination.

[Smoknbarrels]

oh yea, and about the automatic thing everyone was chirpin about, they don't know anything about that either..

I've seen automatic tranny's that get rebuilt and can hold up to 1000hp
(it's a 700R4 from a V8 mind you) but the idea is if you rebuild them sweet, with big 10 vane pumps, heavier valve bodies, torque converters, then you will have a hard time trying to kill it as opposed to taking it to mr.speedy the tranny repair guy who only puts the cheapest smallest weak parts in it just to past it on the dyno test.

my 2 cents

[00 Blk Celica GT-S]

its all bout the gears and all that, but doesnt turbo force air induction, but ya my 03 jetta has a turbo and its a manual, it takes a fraction of the second to get the turbo to actually kick in but you can hear the boost difference from idle to 2000 rpm, its alot diff.

[00 Blk Celica GT-S]

i'd just get a manual 1.8T and upgrade performance parts, i already left a supercharged f-350 that had quad pipes and all that shit in the dust and the only thing that aint stock on my car is the tail lights. plus im only 15. does that say something. just my

[redhawk14506]

OK, I want to apologize to anyone who read this post BEFORE it was edited. I was just annoyed about smoknbarrels flagrant disregard for everyone but himself, and I am sick of his posts about the glory of V8's. And also a Manual is better than a rebuilt auto for a Jetta, because a rebuilt auto will cost to much and use HP, and with a car with a 4cyl youve gotta conserve as much power as possible. So I would suggest a stock manual, since that should work fine.

[redhawk14506]

But if you are doing heavy engine modding then dont forget about the body and the tranny. You are going to need to beef up the suspension and chassis a bit. Plus You are going to need to rebuild your tranny with some heavier parts, (Or buy a pre assembled sports, semi racing, or racing tranny.)
Oh and the brakes will have to be replaced with better pads. I would also install some racing buckets, 4 point seatbelt, and if your car is REALLY powerful or you plan on doing stupid things with it then install a Roll Cage. (The roll cage will prolly have to be custom made.)

[Smoknbarrels]

I would like to extend the apologie by saying redhawk is in need if some mechanic education. so stop making recomendations by simply name dropping from other guys using shop talk.

and about the tranny thing,, if you beef up an automatic really well and match your torque converter to the correct rpm of your camshaft grind it is super fast and efficient shifting. I have yet to see a human shift that well every time.
mind you a standard is more fun to shift, and now you can just drop in a 6 speed which is pretty advantagous. but since you already have an auto there's nothing wrong with that, just need to beef it a little.

you don't need new brakes, a roll cage or 4 point seat belts...redhawk is a rice fanatic.don't mind him. but a supercharger would be a big boost, but really it's not worth it because if you think about it's like you are trying to pimp out a moped..trying to get it to be a street bike.why not start with a better base car? if you are gonna do all this work?
just my opinion.

[Bunta]

Whatever you do jacee, don't put a big exhaust system on your car. The power leaching automatic that was installed on your particular car is a definate handicap when talking about performance.

The automatic needs torque to operate, and installing a low back pressure exhaust system shifts the powerband. This makes the bottom end grunt less potent and the automatic will have to work harder to get that porky little car moving. You really should have thought about all this before buying a brand new car with an outdated (though reliable) motor.

But yeah, the supercharger would be the best idea this side of selling that poor car.

[Smoknbarrels]

as a matter of fact Bunta is close but not right... the automatic has nothing to do with exhaust it actually uses engine vacuum pressure, if you put a cam in the engine that is not matched up or rpm is too low, there will not be enough vacuum to properly run the car..
but i think it's safe to say if you want you can run big straight pipe exhaust and still not have any problems, you'd actually gain power. free flowing exhaust is always good.

there will be a torque difference you will notice when changing the exhaust, it will all be in the top end, so when you are climbing hills, it won't drop down to the next gear as fast, and fuel economy will improve.

[redhawk14506]

Originally Posted by Smoknbarrels

you don't need new brakes, a roll cage or 4 point seat belts...redhawk is a rice fanatic.don't mind him. but a supercharger would be a big boost, but really it's not worth it because if you think about it's like you are trying to pimp out a moped..trying to get it to be a street bike.why not start with a better base car? if you are gonna do all this work?
just my opinion.

First off, yes, I do have a little rice blood in my viens, secondly, if you are going to increase the power by a large amount than better brakes wouldn't be a bad idea if you plan to be goin more than 60 in this thing. Plus he already has a car smoknbarrels, and maybe he cant afford a better base car. Although I dont like forced aspiration, on a car like a Jetta, its the only way to really increase power. So like I said before, a supercharger is the best way to go. A roll cage is very overkill since you probably wont be racing this car. 4 point seatbelts wouldnt hurt, but its your choice, cause its your car. (Jacee74)

[1994GLS]

man.. just get an R32, throw in a twin-turbo and you're set