If you love your weekend motoring, you may be the proud owner of a pony car. These vehicles were just built for the open road, and many of them come with a retractable roof for even better drives. Yet if you want to get that extra edge during your weekend adventures, you may want to increase the horsepower even more. In this case, why not add a supercharger to the mix? What does this do and is it relatively easy to fit?
Compressing the Air
As you may know, an internal combustion engine relies on a set mixture of air and fuel. As the piston in each chamber moves downward, this mixture is sucked into that space and then ignited to provide energy. It's relatively easy to increase the amount of fuel at that point, but it would make no difference unless you were to increase the amount of air as well. This is where the supercharger comes in to get the perfect ratio and to provide additional power.
Supercharger in Action
A supercharger is a relatively simple tool. Within the body is a turbine which is wound up by the engine when the vehicle is in motion. The supercharger is connected to the crankshaft pulley by a belt, and this allows the turbine to speed up exponentially at higher speeds. As the turbine rotates, the air is compressed, and it can be forced into the combustion chamber at the right moment.
Usually, a supercharger will need to be cooled as well so that it maintains its efficiency. You may need to add an intercooler to the process. This is similar to a radiator, but the air is first sent through narrow pipes to a unit at the front of the vehicle. Here, it is sufficiently cooled for best performance. Bear in mind that sometimes the intercooler includes a water radiator instead to achieve the same objective.
Performance Improvement
You will be amazed at the difference here, as you will not only increase your horsepower but gain some usable torque as well. In some cases, you may be able to achieve a 50% upgrade, depending on the make and model of the supercharger.
Looking at Your Options
Talk with your performance parts specialist to see what is available for your current model year and configuration. The kit is relatively easy to fit, but you may need to get some professional help if you're not sure how to do it.
Look for parts for a pony car like Ford Mustang parts.