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>    I think i might have an idea, but I am not sure.  Could someone please 
> post a condensed explaination of the difference between turbochargers and
> superchargers?  What are the advantages of one over the other?

	The amount of fuel-air mixture which is introduced into an internal
combustion engine PER CYCLE is generally referring to as a ``charge''.  A
``supercharger'' by definition is any device  which increases the amount of
charge per cycle above that of a normally aspirated engine.
	While a supercharger can be anyone of several types of air compression
devices, the term ``supercharger'' seems only to be applied to application of
such devices to internal combustion engines; i.e., the same air compression
device used for another application may simply be called a turbocompressor,
rotary vane compressor, rotary blade compressor, etc.
	From what I can gather, a ``turbocharger'' is a turbocompressor applied
as a supercharger.
	A compressor used as a supercharger can be powered by three means:
(1) direct coupled to the engine, (2) powered by a close-coupled exhaust-driven
turbine, and (3) powered by an electric motor with speed control.  Compressors
used in (1) and (3) are low speed (i.e., << 5000 RPM), whereas devices used in
(2) are high speed (i.e., >> 5000 RPM).
	Since turbine technology results in the smallest possible size for a
compressor, it is the most common device used in passenger vehicles.  Since
turbines require higher RPM's than can be conveniently achieved by direct
coupling to the engine, and since a turbine MOTOR as powered by engine
exhaust gases can generate the required RPM's, the combination of an exhaust-
driven turbine motor close-coupled to a turbocompressor is most commonly used
in passenger vehicles.  I believe most people refer to this device when using
the term ``turbocharger''.
	However, while ``supercharger'' is a precise engineering term, this
may not be the case for ``turbocharger'' - even though the two terms are often
used synonymously.

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In article <2763@sunybcs.UUCP> ugzannin@sunybcs.UUCP (Adrian Zannin) writes:
>   I think i might have an idea, but I am not sure.  Could someone please 
>post a condensed explaination of the difference between turbochargers and
>superchargers?  What are the advantages of one over the other?  Thanks in
>advance...

The way I always heard it, the term "supercharger" applied to a mechanically-
driven device and "turbocharger" to one driven by exhaust pressure.

I have heard rumors that the forthcoming RX-7 "Turbo" will, in fact, use a
supercharger.

AWR