dumb question
Race Director
Joined: Apr 1999
Posts: 10,866
Likes: 717
From: Beverly Hills/Pine Ridge Florida
Re: dumb question (ykp53)
The air going into your carb is at 1 ATM. pressure. A supercharger increases the pressure above atmospheric pressure, thus increasing the molecules of air and fuel which get to the engine...increasing horsepower. It's like putting twice as much fuel in each piston on each intake stroke. This is a very simple explanation. :) Chuck
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 341
Likes: 0
From: macon, ga
Re: dumb question (Chuck Gongloff)
Okay so the supercharger compresses the air before forcing it thru the carb. does a blower do the same thing? what exactly does ram air do? does it offer any performance advantages over a stock carb? sorry for all the questions.
Drifting
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 1,411
Likes: 2
From: St. Louis, Missouri
Re: dumb question (ykp53)
It's a little more involved than just adding air. You have to keep the air/fuel ratio constant. More air requires more fuel. A long time ago I read a story (Car Craft or Hot Rod Magazine) about a very old school hot rodder that used a can of freon under the hood as a poor man's nitrous oxide setup.
C6 the C5 of tomorrow
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 6,665
Likes: 2
From: Twin Cities Minnesota
Re: dumb question (ykp53)
A blower and supercharger are the same thing, a turbo only differes on where it gets it's power. An electric fan ( blower ) is feasable but it's more efficient to run the blower off the engine than it is to suffer the power conversion losses in the altenator and the electric motor.
Ram air used the motion of the car to stuff more air down the carbs throat.
Nitrous oxide forces more air and fuel into the clyinders in a liquid form. ( it also cools the charge making it possible to really increase the amount of fuel / air you can stuff in.
It's, you see. all about shoving more air ( and fuel ) into the same space...wether you do it with a fan, ram air, or spray it in in liquid form...
[Modified by 427V8, 1:38 PM 5/14/2002]
Ram air used the motion of the car to stuff more air down the carbs throat.
Nitrous oxide forces more air and fuel into the clyinders in a liquid form. ( it also cools the charge making it possible to really increase the amount of fuel / air you can stuff in.
It's, you see. all about shoving more air ( and fuel ) into the same space...wether you do it with a fan, ram air, or spray it in in liquid form...
[Modified by 427V8, 1:38 PM 5/14/2002]
Racer
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 271
Likes: 0
From: St Louis MO
Re: dumb question (ykp53)
I'll buy a hair blow drier and try it tonight.
If you want to get into details:
Most roots style superchargers mount the carb on top of the SC, so they suck more air through the carb.
I've seen centrigugal SCs setups that suck through, blow through, and many are mounted to fuel injection systems.
It takes A LOT of hp to generate 5-10psi, so it's easier to run it from an engine driven belt. You would need a very large electric motor to generate any significant boost. I heard about an electrical SC years ago, but I think it developed only about 1psi.
Ram air just uses an outside scoop to force mare air into the carb.
I've never seen any hp figures on ram air, but my opinion is that getting cold outside air probably increases hp more than any ram effect unless you have a huge scoop.
My $0.02
Gary
If you want to get into details:
Most roots style superchargers mount the carb on top of the SC, so they suck more air through the carb.
I've seen centrigugal SCs setups that suck through, blow through, and many are mounted to fuel injection systems.
It takes A LOT of hp to generate 5-10psi, so it's easier to run it from an engine driven belt. You would need a very large electric motor to generate any significant boost. I heard about an electrical SC years ago, but I think it developed only about 1psi.
Ram air just uses an outside scoop to force mare air into the carb.
I've never seen any hp figures on ram air, but my opinion is that getting cold outside air probably increases hp more than any ram effect unless you have a huge scoop.
My $0.02
Gary
Melting Slicks
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 2,826
Likes: 0
From: Why Drive When you can ride
Re: dumb question (ykp53)
Is there any pictures on scoope's some have used on their cars? I'd be interested in trying a homemade solution. Though I still have to get the results of the K&N I just stuck on. Curious if there will be any improvment.
Thanks
Dwayne
Thanks
Dwayne
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Racer
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 271
Likes: 0
From: St Louis MO
Re: dumb question (Dwayne 76)
There was a thread a few weeks back that documented the testing and design of the L88 hood. Short version: The highest pressure area that could be practically generated was at the base of windshield. So the L88s took their air from that location.
If you think about it, the drag caused by a scoop large enough to generate significant pressure at high speeds would probably cause more drag than the hp increase could make up for.
There must me some automotive or aerodynamic experts out there to comment on this.
Gary
If you think about it, the drag caused by a scoop large enough to generate significant pressure at high speeds would probably cause more drag than the hp increase could make up for.
There must me some automotive or aerodynamic experts out there to comment on this.
Gary