kevs

What exactly do the Kompressor models of Mercedes entail? I'm guessing it has something to do with the engine, but I'm not quite sure. Any Mercedes experts out there?

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kevs

Apex

Supercharger.

bachviet

Kompressor is German word for supercharge I think.

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InfiniteNothing

They have a Compressor that blows into the engine. Aka Supercharger

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CornMonkey

i'm throwing in a wild guess here but it's probably a supercharger...

attgig

not much of a supercharger though~!


c230 Kompressor = 189 hp

not impressed....
am I missing something? should I be?

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Jihforce

What's the difference between a Turbocharger & a supercharger might i ask?

rasetsu

My sentiments exactly.

rasetsu

Turbocharger utilizes the exhaust gases to spin a turbine to pressurize and compress the incoming air forcing it into the motor. A supercharger contains two big screws that are driven by a belt connected to the crank of the motor to compress the air and force it into the motor.

kevs

Both of these are means of Forced Induction. In other words, these things put major stress on the engine, but (in some cars) enable it to "pull" a lot better.

A turbocharger is a type of FI that is not constantly on. Usually, if someone has a "single turbocharger", it starts to spool after a certain speed.

For example, some people hook up Supras with a Greddy T88 turbo. When going under 30 MPH, it sounds like a regular car. But, if you gun it, you will hear a whistling sound, which indicates that the turbo has been "turned on". There really is no switch, though, to turn on. It's automatic.

A supercharger is constant power. This always pulls the car.

Both have their pros and cons. But, both require much maintenance and close observation to make sure that it is tuned properly to the car. Rasetsu put it nicely, too!

I had a 1998 Toyota Supra Twin Turbo about 2 years ago with the stock turbo. Lemme tell ya....turbos sound REALLY nice.

Thanks for the info on the Kompressor.

ray

189hp? that's weak. the stock on my camry is more powerful.

InfiniteNothing

My understanding was the opposite. I know that the Jackson Racing roots style supercharger the supercharger engages when you put the gas in a certain distance and otherwise disengages and restores stockish airflow.

Here's a bit more information that might just be sterotypes. Superchargers are usually cheaper. Turbos usually have better midrange horsepower (read: Torque).

rasetsu

The traditional supercharger is always on as long as the engine is running because the crank drives the belt that spins the screws. The Jackson charger may be a little more high tech. Temperature isn't as big of a factor for superchargers, but like you said, turbos make more torque and that's why they're favored in semi trucks.

bachviet

Supercharger is always on so you always boosted. Turbocharger is only ON at certain RPM because it needs time to collect enough exhaust gas for boost. Supercharger helps on low end and is easier to maintain but it's less efficient.

irwin

What is the difference between a turbocharger and a supercharger on a car's engine?

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/question122.htm

brain

SL55 Kompressor = 497hp.

Apex

C230: 1796cc. 189hp, 192lb/ft torque.
105.2 hp per liter
106.9 lb/ft torque per liter

SL55: 5439cc. 493hp, 516lb/ft torque.
90.6 hp per liter
94.9 lb/ft torque per liter

M3 (normally aspirated): 3246cc. 333hp, 262lb/ft torque
102.7 hp per liter
80.7 lb/ft torque per liter

The mercedes do not have impressive specific output numbers given their forced induction. However, they do have reasonably nice powerbands.

attgig

1st... lilbigblue, you're talking about the camry 6 right? the 4 is more like 150 hp...the 230 kompressor is a 4


2nd... sl55
???
isn't the SL55 an AMG? all the amg's have sick output, but they're all hand built or something like that, no?

the c32 amg is like 350 hp on their 6...

and reading up, yes it is a supercharger, but they don't advertize it as a kompressor... (yeah yeah...they translate into the same thing...but still)

I don't feel like you can call any of the benz AMG's as a normal kompressor like the c230 is...

http://www.mbusa.com/amg/index.jsp -> about ->what is

key word on their website... modify

Apex

http://www.bankspower.com/mercedes-pro-mod.cfm

MB championship caliber race car.

>2500 hp
All-aluminum engine (526 cubic inches, multiple turbocharged, alcohol burning, electronic fuel injection)
28 lb body
0-100mph in under 1 second
Quarter mile at over 250mph

InfiniteNothing

I love google now
536 (cubic inches) = 8 783.4663 CC

I can't say I understand the lack of hood. That's got to present alot of air drag especially at 250 MPH. How fat must it's tires be to take on that kind of acceleration? How much is that car?

watanad

Hehe. Thats gotta be a prettied up PR shot with the hood off so you can see all the shiny bits on the engine. Are those matching sunglasses on top of the engine? Matching or no, I wouldn't get caught in sunglasses that color, even with 2500 ponies under the hood.

And yeah, that google thing is kinda cool...I haven't played around with it enough to know if I can delete Convert off of my desktop, tho.

Ladogaboy

Now that is an ugly ass car.

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psycho-

I think the "Kompressor" designation is used by MB for BOTH turbos and supers

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bachviet

I didn't recall any MB with turbocharger.

brain

Well, there were those turbo diesels back in the day... Coming up is the motor that will be put in the SL65 and CL65... V12 bi turbo.

Airencracken

I'd like to have one of those....It'd spank my hybrid...

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Maarchk

my boss has one, and we got him drunk for lunch one day and i got to drive it... and oh boy, that thing hauls a$$... Lots of fun... but yes
kompressor = fixed up engine + super charger
Super charger pros are always on, unless you have a specialized one that only comes on by some electronic system which is rare...
Supercharger con is always sucking more gas cause the engine is always powering it and it weights more then a turbocharger on average. and requires more horse power to use then a turbo.

Turbo charger pro is that it is lighter and is powered by exhaust so it doesn't take as much hp to drive it as a super charger.
Turbo charger cons is that it can lag if its a big turbo... it requires a fair amount of exhaust to power the average turbo charger. So you hammer the gas and you feel turbo lag, which is a hesitation while the exhaust builds up enough to make the turbo charger effective... then suddenly you hop forward.
a Solution is a small turbo that spools up faster but it doesn't help you as much..
i go for a turbo charger but thats just me.
oh and turbo chargers are put on semi's because they have such a huge exhaust release that they can power up decent sized turbos and gain a fair amound of hp for relatively low weight and cost additions.

sorry, its a bit much, but i am hunting a new car and turbos and super chargers just keep coming up

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psycho-

My friend's dad's V12 twinturbo S600 is one of them :p

Dave_7

I believe it's more correct to say that a supercharger's boost is always available... however, being "boosted" or not depends on throttle position.

And a turbocharge does, indeed, require the engine to be above a certain RPM for the boost to be available... but, again, being on-boost or not depends on throttle position.

When you're off the throttle, you're going forcing extra air in via the *chargers (but you are when you put the hammer down... i.e. floor it).



Dave.

Apex

One other thing. Because the supercharger basically runs off the crank (or other engine component), there's a parasitic loss, especially at lower RPM's. This means the low end punch difference between supercharger and turbocharger is not as big as you would generally think. They're also not as efficient as turbochargers.