Once the limits of a naturally aspirated engine are achieved in terms of horsepower and reliability, there's only one more way to maximize horsepower potential: forced induction. There are two options for realistic forced induction, a turbocharger or a supercharger. While there is considerable debate over which is better, both offer exponential gains over any standard modification on a normally aspirated engine.
Street Supercharging, from industry veteran Pat Ganahl, has been the guidebook for supercharging fans for years. As time and technology march on, updates are required to keep things current (as of 2009) and that's what this revised edition of Street Supercharging does. It covers blower basics, blower background and history, a tutorial on how blowers work, information on used superchargers and their practicality, chapters on the different styles of superchargers, like the traditional roots style blowers vs. the emerging centrifugal styles, blower installation, how to build your engine to handle the demands of a blower application, and information on tweaking factory blower systems.
Chapter 1: Blower Basics
The Air Engine
Street Supercharging
What is a Supercharger?
What a Supercharger Does
Types of Superchargers
Chapter 2: Blower Background
A Short History of Supercharging
Blowers in Europe
Superchargers in the United States
Hot Rod Supercharging
Street Supercharging
Chapter 3: How Blowers Work
Density, Volume and Pressure
The Gas Law
The Problem of Heat
Blower Efficiency
The Air Density Ratio
The Limits of Supercharging
Expansion Ratio and Thermal Efficiency
Let’s Get Practical
Chapter 4: Vintage Superchargers
Early McCulloch Blowers
The Frenzel
The S.CO.T./Italmeccanica
Early GMC Kits
Other Roots Blowers
The Judson and Other Vane Types
Latham
Magna Charger
B&M Automotive
Chapter 5: The New Centrifugals
Centrifugal Superchargers vs. Turbochargers
Vortech and Paxton Superchargers
ATI ProCharger
Chapter 6: Modern Roots Blowers
GMC Blowers
GMC Blower Builders
New Old Roots
The New Roots
Chapter 7: Screw-Type Superchargers
Whipple
Kenne Bell
Vortech-Lysholm
Chapter 8: Building the Street-Supercharged Engine
Block, Crank, Rods
Pistons and Rings
Cylinder Heads
Camshaft and Valvetrain
Fuel System
Air Cleaners and Intercoolers
Ignition
Exhaust
Source Guide
Once the limits of a naturally aspirated engine are achieved in terms of horsepower and reliability, there's only one more way to maximize horsepower potential: forced induction. There are two options for realistic forced induction, a turbocharger or a supercharger. While there is considerable debate over which is better, both offer exponential gains over any standard modification on a normally aspirated engine.
Street Supercharging, from industry veteran Pat Ganahl, has been the guidebook for supercharging fans for years. As time and technology march on, updates are required to keep things current (as of 2009) and that's what this revised edition of Street Supercharging does. It covers blower basics, blower background and history, a tutorial on how blowers work, information on used superchargers and their practicality, chapters on the different styles of superchargers, like the traditional roots style blowers vs. the emerging centrifugal styles, blower installation, how to build your engine to handle the demands of a blower application, and information on tweaking factory blower systems.
Chapter 1: Blower Basics
The Air Engine
Street Supercharging
What is a Supercharger?
What a Supercharger Does
Types of Superchargers
Chapter 2: Blower Background
A Short History of Supercharging
Blowers in Europe
Superchargers in the United States
Hot Rod Supercharging
Street Supercharging
Chapter 3: How Blowers Work
Density, Volume and Pressure
The Gas Law
The Problem of Heat
Blower Efficiency
The Air Density Ratio
The Limits of Supercharging
Expansion Ratio and Thermal Efficiency
Let’s Get Practical
Chapter 4: Vintage Superchargers
Early McCulloch Blowers
The Frenzel
The S.CO.T./Italmeccanica
Early GMC Kits
Other Roots Blowers
The Judson and Other Vane Types
Latham
Magna Charger
B&M Automotive
Chapter 5: The New Centrifugals
Centrifugal Superchargers vs. Turbochargers
Vortech and Paxton Superchargers
ATI ProCharger
Chapter 6: Modern Roots Blowers
GMC Blowers
GMC Blower Builders
New Old Roots
The New Roots
Chapter 7: Screw-Type Superchargers
Whipple
Kenne Bell
Vortech-Lysholm
Chapter 8: Building the Street-Supercharged Engine
Block, Crank, Rods
Pistons and Rings
Cylinder Heads
Camshaft and Valvetrain
Fuel System
Air Cleaners and Intercoolers
Ignition
Exhaust
Source Guide