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between a turbocharger
and a supercharger on a
car engine?
Let's start with the similarities. Both turbochargers and superchargers are
called forced induction systems. They compress the air flowing into the
engine (see How Car Engines Work for a description of airflow in a normal
engine). The advantage of compressing the air is that it lets the engine stuff
more air into a cylinder. More air means that more fuel can be stuffed in, too,
so you get more power from each explosion in each cylinder. A
turbo/supercharged engine produces more power overall than the same
engine without the charging.
Twincharger
Twincharger refers to a compound forced induction system used on some piston-type internal
combustion engines. It is a combination of an exhaust-driven turbocharger and an engine-
driven supercharger, each mitigating the weaknesses of the other. A belt-driven or shaft-driven
supercharger offers exceptional response and low-rpm performance as it has no lag time
between the application of throttle and pressurization of the manifold (assuming that it is
a positive-displacement supercharger such as a Roots type or twin-screw and not a Centrifugal
compressor supercharger, which does not provide boost until the engine has reached higher
RPMs). When combined with a large turbocharger — if the "turbo" was used by itself, it would
offer unacceptable lag and poor response in the low-rpm range — the proper combination of the
two can offer a zero-lag powerband with high torque at lower engine speeds and increased
power at the higher end. Twincharging is therefore desirable for small-displacement motors (such
as VW's 1.4TSI), especially those with a large operating rpm, since they can take advantage of
an artificially broad torque band over a large speed range.
Traction
the action of drawing or pulling something over a surface, especially a road or track
Traction Control systems optimise grip and stability of the car on the road during
acceleration by measuring wheel rotation. It stops wheel spin by reducing engine
power or temporarily applying the brakes to that wheel, allowing the car to
accelerate smoothly, even on slippery surfaces.
While friction is a general physical expression, vehicle traction can be defined as the
friction between a drive wheel and the road surface.
“traction is the friction between a drive wheel and the road surface.
If you lose traction, you lose road grip.”
Now you know that it all comes down to friction. You also realize that traction as
such cannot be increased by way of electronic systems. To really increase traction,
you need to physically introduce something with a higher coefficient of friction under
the tyres. Actually, this is what you do when you sand an icy road or use snow
chains – you increase the coefficient of friction. At the end of the day it’s all about
friction in that small area of contact between the tyre and the road – and it’s all pure
physics.
If your vehicle loses traction, it's crucial to get it back. Have a look at some different
methods to increase traction.