• Turbos are fun but more challenging to drive than superchargers.engine image by goce risteski from Fotolia.com
  
  While most motors suck air and fuel in, supercharges and turbochargers force air into the motor, creating more power. A supercharged motor is easier to drive because it gives the motor a power gain throughout the rev range; it has similar power delivery to that of a normally aspirated motor---just more of it. A turbocharged motor won't add any low-end power or torque, and it can deliver a huge and sudden surge of power as the motor revs higher.
  
  

Superchargers

• The main difference in driving a supercharged car lies in the fact that it provides more power---perhaps a lot more power. In particular, beware of more low- and mid-range torque where you wouldn't expect it in a normally aspirated or turbocharged car. It can surprise you with wheel spin when you don't expect it---especially when exiting corners at lower revolutions per minute (rpm).
  
  

In a Straight Line (Drag Racing)

• Superchargers, or "blowers," are the choice of drag racers, who have to accelerate from a dead stop; superchargers deliver more power even at low rpm. Though drag racers can also use turbo, the trick involves staying "in the turbo"---in other words, never dropping below the rpm where the turbo is engaged. In a road race, driver spend a small portion of the race---just seconds at the beginning---getting up to speed. During the rest of the race, the driver can, in theory, stay in the turbo. To drag race a turbocharged car, the driver would have to accelerate with the clutch in first gear and feather it to prevent the revs from falling below the turbo. The supercharger has the advantage.
  
  

Dropping Out of The Turbo

• Dropping "out of the turbo" means you'll come back onto it; when you do, it's not a steady, linear transition. If you looked at a dynamometer graph of a turbocharged engine, you would see a steep spike in power as the engine enters the turbo. Driving (especially racing) is about smoothness. To drive a turbo, you must either stay in it or stay out of it; if you stay out of it, there's not much point in having it.
  
  

Coming Onto The Turbo

• Turbos have come a long way from the 930 Turbo Porsche Era that gave you "all or nothing," punishing novice drivers. Power delivery has become smoother over the years. Twin turbo systems can spread the power even more smoothly, with one lower-rpm turbo and one higher. They remain peaky, challenging (and fun) motors. The greatest challenge involves coming onto the turbo. In road racing, ideally, once you get up to speed, you get your revs into the turbo and keep them there, avoiding the power surge. If you do come onto the turbo when exiting a corner, you will likely slide (or spin) the car---especially if has rear-wheel drive.
  
  

Entering Corners

• With a supercharger, you can rely more on your brakes to slow down instead of downshifting and engine braking, so your revs don't fall too low as you reach the apex of the corner where you'll begin to accelerate. If you brake into a corner with a turbo but don't downshift, failing to keep your revs high enough to stay in the turbo, you will drop out of the turbo, then come back on it as you're exiting the corner, where you can least afford anything but smooth, tractable acceleration. Resulting slides can produce results ranging from wearing the tires more quickly to spinning ("looping") the car to losing control and crashing. Superchargers are more forgiving, but turbochargers or more likely to create the most peak horsepower.