Product Description

Corky Bell, the author of the best selling Maximum Boost, has done it again with the publication of Supercharged! Design, Testing and Installation of Supercharger Systems. Superchargers have become one of the most popular performance bolt-on products for all engine sizes-from the diminutive, but powerful, Honda and other import four cylinder engines, to Porsche and BMW engines, and Detroit's V6s and V8s. However, bolting a system on that works to the enthusiast's expectations and at the same time is reliable has been a "mystic art." No longer!

As with turbochargers, Corky Bell provides clear and comprehensive information on how to select, size, and install a complete supercharger system that is both successful and reliable. This comprehensive book with numerous illustrations deals with all aspects of the supercharger system from the initial planning stages-what performance do I want from my vehicle? to how do I go about the installation? Corky begins at the beginning devoting chapters to the three basic types of superchargers, giving the reader a grounding in the pluses and minuses of the Roots type, centrifugal, and screw-type superchargers. From there he moves onto to the other elements of a supercharger system, devoting a chapter each to: intercooling, electronic fuel injection, secondary components, and drive mechanisms. There are also chapters devoted to engine preparation, mounting the supercharger, and testing procedures. Each chapter is complete with Bentley Publishers accurate information, such as formulas for calculating necessary elements of the system, like size of the supercharger, intercooler, drive mechanisms, etc.

But Supercharged! is not just theory. Corky gets down to the hands-on application of his information. In the chapter "Implementing the Design" he takes us step by step through the calculations, design, installation, and testing of an original supercharger system for a BMW Z3 that ends up producing 10 more horsepower than originally estimated to propel the car down the drag strip in the mid-14 second range. In the next chapter, "Installing a Supercharger Kit," he shows us how to install and dyno check a Toyota off-the-shelf factory system on a Toyota pick-up truck. A suppliers list and glossary are also included at the end of the book.

The supercharger has become the most powerful piece of bolt-on performance equipment. For anyone interested in installing a supercharger system, or just in learning about them, Supercharged! Designing, Testing, and Installing Supercharger Systems is a must have book!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #185387 in Books
• Published on: 2001-11
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 334 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780837601687
• Condition: USED - VERY GOOD
• Notes:
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Customer Reviews

Supercharged!
This book gives a fair amount of coverage on the intended topic. It also has got lots of contents/parts which are common in Maximum Boost, both by the same author. Very suitable for someone trying to understand what is forced induction but not a good reference for experienced tuners. The contents do not cover carburator type forcefed engines in detail and do not encourage them as well. Fuel injected engines are more favoured here. The contents are also made up of a fair bit of the author's opinion rather than pure engineering facts. Got to be really careful in understanding and excepting certain facts which do not have engineering bearing at all. Considering the selection of books you have on this topic ie. Pat Ganahl, this one is a bit better. Lets see if someone can write a better one in time to come. Having read & own supercharged, maximum boost, street supercharging and A series tuning, only the last one covers a certain setup in great detail of what an experienced tuner should do. The worst is probably street supercharging which shows some pics and lots of words but no calculations to guide. Also, probably depends on the reader's area of interest as forcefeeding can be done for both FI and carby engines.

A Book for the Automotive Mathemagician!
This book reads like a textbook, beginning with theory and lots of math problems in support of the theory, and winding up with loads of practical application. In the end, the author describes in detail the planning and building (from scratch) an intercooled SC setup for a BMW engine.

With great deference given to EFI and computerized engine management, this should be considered THE textbook for the enthusiast who wants to self-build a supercharger setup.

A few caveats for the casual reader: Firstly, do the math; go through this book as if it were indeed a school textbook, and educate yourself on all of the theoretical aspects regarding superchargers in general, specific types of compressors, ignition knock, and intercooling. Secondly, the author is endeared to aftercooling (aka "intercooling"), and greatly eschews simpler methods such as water injection; not helpful if you're working with a draw-through carbed system for which intercooling is unwise. Thirdly, this book is nearly useless if you're working with a carbureted system, except for the excellent theory (especially where ignition knock is concerned).

In my own case, I'm ultimately interested in supercharging a Jeep 4.6L stroker engine with EFI. However, I'm presently building a turbocharged system to work with a carburetor on the original AMC 258 in my 1982 Wagoneer. The information in this book led me to purchase MacInnes' book on turbocharging, because I need "outdated" information to deal with an older system.

Covers all the bases.
If you had to choose just one book on supercharging to make an educated decision it would be this one. It starts out with basic engine thermodynamics and moves on to every aspect up to installation. All inclusive and very informative. The layout of the the books information reminds me of an older book "The Design and Tuning of Competition Engines" which most hardcore motor heads agree is a great book. From theory to application this book is written in plain language so you do not need an engineering degree to understand it, but it does delve very deeply in every chapter. It gives you the foresight and knowledge that will help you make informed desicions on what to buy and how to set up you supercharger. With so many books on the subject that are more photos than infomation I lucked out by stumbling on this one. I highly recommend it.