Supercharged!

Corky Bell, the author of the best selling Maximum Boost, has done it again with the publication of Supercharged! Design, Testing and Installation of Supercharger Systems. Superchargers have become one of the most popular performance bolt-on products for all engine sizes-from the diminutive, but powerful, Honda and other import four cylinder engines, to Porsche and BMW engines, and Detroit's V6s and V8s. However, bolting a system on that works to the enthusiast's expectations and at the same time is reliable has been a "mystic art." No longer!

Click here to view an excerpt from
Supercharged!:
Chapter 2: Acquiring a Supercharged Vehicle

As with turbochargers, Corky Bell provides clear and comprehensive information on how to select, size, and install a complete supercharger system that is both successful and reliable. This comprehensive book with numerous illustrations deals with all aspects of the supercharger system from the initial planning to the actual implementation. Corky begins at the beginning devoting chapters to the three basic types of superchargers, giving the reader a grounding in the pluses and minuses of the Roots type, centrifugal, and screw-type superchargers. From there he moves onto to the other elements of a supercharger system, devoting a chapter each to: intercooling, electronic fuel injection, secondary components, and drive mechanisms. There are also chapters devoted to engine preparation, mounting the supercharger, and testing procedures. Each chapter is complete with accurate information, such as formulas for calculating necessary elements of the system, like size of the supercharger, intercooler, drive mechanisms, etc.

But Supercharged! is not just theory. Corky gets down to the hands-on application of his information. In the chapter "Implementing the Design" he takes us step by step through the calculations, design, installation, and testing of an original supercharger system for a BMW Z3 that ends up producing 10 more horsepower than originally estimated to propel the car down the drag strip in the mid-14 second range. In the next chapter, "Installing a Supercharger Kit," he shows us how to install and dyno check a Toyota off-the-shelf factory system on a Toyota pick-up truck. A suppliers list and glossary are also included at the end of the book.

The supercharger has become the most powerful piece of bolt-on performance equipment. For anyone interested in installing a supercharger system, or just in learning about them, Supercharged! Designing, Testing, and Installing Supercharger Systems is a must have book!