• Superchargers really stand out in a crowd.motor - hotrod image by Jeffrey Zalesny from Fotolia.com
  
  Creating horsepower in an early-model hot rod, late-model muscle car or tuner import is as easy as installing a supercharger. A supercharger can double the horsepower of a stock engine, so it's clear to see why they have become very popular among automotive performance enthusiasts. There are several popular types of superchargers to choose from if you are interested in adding one to your automobile.
  
  

Roots Supercharger

• Roots superchargers, commonly known as blowers, are the original superchargers and are most commonly found on early-model hot rods like the 1957 Chevrolet. A roots supercharger replaces the intake manifold on the engine and forces large amounts of air into the engine via two lobes located inside of the supercharger casing. The casing of the supercharger is very large, and subsequently, most roots superchargers sit above the hood of an automobile. This makes for a very aggressive "in-your-face" look made popular by early model hot rods.
  
  

Centrifugal Supercharger

• The centrifugal supercharger is the most popular supercharger on the market and was the first supercharger to be used in automotive applications. These superchargers are very common additions to late-model vehicles where the over-aggressive look of a roots supercharger is not wanted. They work by pushing air into the engine like a fan but at 40,000 RPM (revolutions per minute.) The centrifugal supercharger is also more efficient then the roots supercharger because it creates "boost" or horsepower at higher RPM and not at lower RPM where it is not needed.
  
  

Turbocharger

• Many do not classify the turbocharger as a supercharger, but according to Supercharger Online.com, the turbocharger is actually a supercharger even though it creates boost from exhaust pressure. A turbocharger is a forced-induction system that compresses air and forces it into the engine. This makes the job of a turbocharger the same as a roots supercharger and a centrifugal supercharger the same. The advantage of a turbocharger is that it doesn't take horsepower to create horsepower since it runs off of exhaust pressure.