dizz81

Regardless of supercharger vs turbo.. There are less than a handfull of people that have actually managed to turbo a E46.. Da Motorsport has a turbo setup.. Active Autowerks has a supercharger for E46's but has also released info on a turbo setup that they are still finishing up.. Info here Active Autowerks
Preview vid http://www.projectsmc.com/home.html

Biggest problem is tuning when it comes to turbo's for E46's.. DA Motorsports Has accomplished this and now AA is in the race to finish a turbo car also..

I hope you have big pockets because pricing is a little high.. AA S/C kit runs $6500 but comes with a 2 yr warranty

Turbo kit I know will be a bit more considering the tuning that has to go into it..

Homemade WRX

what about exhaust flow restriction...everyone's seems to forget that loss...not as big as a superchargers static loss though

cleaner in what sense?...emissions and fuel economy can be much much better in a turbo set up...if you are talking about install cleanliness than that really depends on the quality for the kit you buy


as to which will be better for your wants and needs...well we would have to know what you want the car to do/be for...

blah

I would shy away from DA simply because they are based out of Turkey and if anything ever went wrong (which it will), you'll be shit up the creek without a paddle.

I personally wounldn't get a turbo on an E46 because you'll more or less be the test mule.

Get this and you'll be happy: http://www.aatuning.com/supercharger/e46330/main.php
And don't forget to upgrade your brakes/suspension!!!

daum08

Wow! Thanks to everyone that had something to say! I really have a lot of information now, and am more cabable of making the decision. When the "price" is right i'll post pictures. Thanks for the input!

double_dash-loc

like he said depends on how much you want to spend and how many ponies you want to put out.

blah

Your topic popped up on bimmerforums today:

http://bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=470929

JKim

When the "price" is right...youll do what?

If you post pictures of your running turbo e46, you'll be like the 4th in the country to do it and have proof. And it will be on drag. And that would be cool.

And i doubt it.

DomesticRice

I would suggest going to a site where people know what they are talking about.

sethmo

Turbocharger:
Advantages: Efficiency, Higher Final HP numbers, no parasitic drag, Lag (see below for explanation)
Disadvantages: Non-instant power, Heat buildup

Supercharger:
Adavantages: Instant power, less heat build up
Disadvantages: Less max hp, parasitic drag, less efficient.

My take on the matter is this:
Turbos are for small engined, low displacement, torque-less imports. The supercharger pulley takes a lot of energy to spin, and a small displacement motor lacks this torque that is required to spin the pulley. Upping the boost on a supercharger saps more power away, as switching to a smaller pulley that is even harder to turn is necessary. Turbos are much more efficient, as well...A supercharger is approx 40-50% efficient, while a turbo is 70% or more efficient. There is almost no parasitic loss, except in the form of lower exhaust gas velocities until the turbo is spooled, or close to being spooled. The off-the-line power presented by a supercharger is more than enough to spin the wheels like mad on a launch, because the weight transfer at launch takes traction off the drive wheels of a FWD car, and is more than enough to overpower almost anything but slicks. With a turbo, lag actually becomes your friend! Once you are moving, the weight transfer effect is almost negligible. You are unlikely to spin once the turbo kicks in, unless you are running massive boost. In import racing, you can play catch-up. You may not have the fastest 60' time, but you can still win the race. Muscle cars, however, just play kick-your-ass. There's no time to catch up if you don't have power off the line. Plus, they have more than enough torque to spin the supercharger, making the power losses insignificant in light of the incredible power put out by their motor.

In import racing, a turbo's: Lag, Efficiency, and Lack of Parasitic Drag outweigh the disadvantages of: Non-instant power and High-torque.

Lag allows you to get off the line without spinning.
Efficienct design allows you to gain more horsepower out of a motor.
Lack of Parasitic Drag: see above.

Non-instant power: Lag is a bad thing, however, once you get off the line and are moving. However, in most turbochargers, by the time you are off the line, you are already spooled and ready to go.
High-torque: no small displacement engine has "high torque." We live for tire-melting horsepower and 7k redlines, not 350ft lbs of torque at 4500 RPM's. Besides, we have time to play catch up

In domestic racing, a superchargers: Instant power and High torque
outweigh the disadvantages of: lower final hp numbers, Efficiency, Lag, and parasitic drag.
10 second quarters are all about the launch and subsequent acceleration. There is no catch up time. If you are not off the line instantly, you will lose to someone who is. How many NHRA dragsters have you seen get off the line slower and get moving, but still win the race? Not many. That's because a 10 second quarter is over so damn fast. There's no time to playt catch up. The domestic guys need power, and they need it instantly. There's no time to wait for the turbo to spool. In this case, the speed and torque off the launch outweighs the disadvantages of max final hp numbers and efficiency.

But nowadays, you can get a two-setup setup for almost any car which helps build boost off the line. So if traction under boost isnt a problem, then two-stepping a turbo to 8psi or so off the line can help tremendously.

As for your particular setup in an inline-6, I think it would come down to who makes a better kit for the price.

DomesticRice

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