14 replies to this topic

[mini mad adam]

hi all,

just wanted to get our opinions on which is better, a turbo or supercharger in a mini?

Adam

[Bungle]

better for performance ?

easy installation ?

cost ?

fuel consumption ?

[biggav]

... If you want extra banana's buy "tuning the A-series Engine" by David Vizard from Amazon or ebay..... he'll tell you exactly what you want to know.

[Turbo Phil]

This has been discussed before on several ocassions, do a search mate. There's no right or wrong answer, but the subject's well covered.

Phil.

[jameswildcooper]

i say supercharge but maybe im biased although i have a T2 if your after a turbo or i can get you a eaton 45

[Richspec]

Having built and driven one and driven and helped mend the other! I would say i like the all out performance of the turbo but hated its undriveable nature (well anything apart from full attack mode), as for the supercharger kit it was mega when it ran well, but that wasn't often enough to let it stay on the car..

So go figure!

I think my ideal 'boosted' motors is a supercharged 8 port, with a reliable kit, or a 'medium' spec turbo, say 150bhp

Rich

[the_original_mini-man]

hi all,

just wanted to get our opinions on which is better, a turbo or supercharger in a mini?

Adam

personally i would choose the supercharger because the "boost" is there all of the time whereas the turbos "boost" isnt, so it depends what you want plus with a supercharger you get an awesome sound

[lemmingzappa]

Which is easier to fit ?

[day101]

well thats another story again i believe, turbo you prob have to change the engine over and with a supercharger you dont, i would say supercharger is easyer to fit. as you should know nothing on a mini is normally easy to do

[minidude59]

SUPERCHARGER ALL THE WAY

KEWL NOISE

AND YOU GET THE POWER WHEN YOU NEED IT



YES I WROTE IM CAPS !!!!

[MiniGT5]

Supercharger can be fitted to your existing engine very easy without removing it from from the car.

Turbo requires bulk head cutting or expensive custom manifolds

N.

[Ethel]

In the 3 years since the question was asked they've had time to try both.

Turbos are more efficient.

Superchargers aren't as inherently prone to lag, but turbo lag can be reduced a lot.

Turbos offer more installation options (including ones that don't involve chopping lumps out of the shell), superchargers have to go where you can drive their pulleys. Better installation options make it easier to plumb in a cooler.

Supercharger kits are "suck through" systems but turbos can be rigged the same way: less complicated but also less efficient and harder to cool.

[Calum_Ward]

I would say if you want to cover more of the rev range and have instant power get a supercharger. but a mini doesn't rev a lot and the supercharger takes bhp just to run it. I would personally go for a turbo because they are usually fitted to lower revving cars so they get better boost and top speed, something the mini doesn't really have as standard. I am also thinking wouldn't it be absolute bonkers if you Superturbo'd a mini... as in get a supercharger to cover the low rev range for instant power and then have a turbo kick in to give it a final boost?

[andrewmini67]

Never owned either of these conversions but I had plans to fit a supercharger to my previous mini rather than sell it for a "non A series car". At many shows I asked some owners how good the conversion was and not one of them seemed excited enough, leaving me feeling dissapointed to be honest. 

Have owned a Renault 5 GT Turbo and that was a hoot, never stopped smiling. Most turbo'd minis I have seen on DVD's seem to be a hoot to drive too.

Would be nice if you could get a drive in both conversions to give you a better idea and the biggest   wins...... I guess.  

Edited by andrewmini67, 10 April 2016 - 08:05 PM.

[Steve220]

I had this mental battle for some time. Supercharger kits can be bought off the shelf to fit to pretty much any A series, however, turbos need a little bit more thought. The torque graphs for both are slightly different, mainly as the supercharger brings almost full boost past idle but they provide parasitic drag.

If I'm going through the twisties, my rpm doesn't drop below 2k which is usually when small turbos (GT17s etc) are making good boost and providing more efficient power. With the torque being so low down on a supercharger, I'd be worried about the mechanical strain on the gearbox at low rpm. This pretty much sold the turbo set up for me! Can't wait to have an MPi Turbo!