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• How does an Eaton supercharger work? A supercharger is a positive displacement pump. Its purpose is to increase air pressure and density in the intake manifold. It does this by pumping more air than the engine would use without a supercharger. The supercharger is matched to the engine by its displacement and belt ratio, and can provide excess airflow at any engine speed. This concentrated charge of air provided by the supercharger results in a more powerful combustion stroke in the engine's cylinders, resulting in improved performance over non-supercharged vehicles.
   
• How did Eaton become involved in supercharging? In 1949, Eaton toyed with a helical rotor supercharger and even built a 75-cubic inch displacement prototype. This supercharger was "temporarily" set aside since improved performance was achieved through larger displacement engines. The late 70's spurred new interest in supercharging, since gasoline prices were driven up due to the energy crisis. Eaton continued to improve its design and addressed issues such as noise and durability. It was through these many design improvements, and an eye toward manufacturing, that allowed Eaton to begin working with Ford Motor Company on the 3.8L engine in 1984. Vehicle demonstrations, durability and noise concerns were refined, as well as a cost effective manufacturing process, which allowed the Eaton supercharger to be installed on the first production supercharged vehicle since 1957. The 1989 Ford Thunderbird SC was awarded the Motor Trend Car of the Year award. In addition, three engineers were also recognized for their work on the supercharger having been awarded the Society of Automotive Engineer's first Henry Ford II Award for Engineering Excellence.
   
• The roots supercharger has been around for a long time, how is the Eaton supercharger different? The Eaton supercharger is essentially a Roots blower pump, with one substantial design wrinkle; each rotor has been twisted 60 degrees to form a helix. The two counter rotating rotors have three lobes, which intermesh during operation. These twisted rotors, along with specially designed inlet and outlet port geometry, help to reduce pressure variations resulting in a smooth discharge of air and a low level of noise during operation. This arrangement also improves efficiency over traditional Roots superchargers. With helical rotors and an axial inlet the Eaton supercharger can be spun to up to 14,000 rpm, thereby reducing package size.
   
• How is an Eaton supercharger different from a turbocharger? A supercharger is connected directly to the crankshaft by a belt unlike a turbocharger which is driven by exhaust gases. An Eaton supercharger provides improved horsepower and torque, at lower engine rpm's, by pumping extra air into the engine in direct relationship to crankshaft speed. The positive connection yields instant response, in contrast to turbochargers, which must overcome inertia and spin up to speed as the flow of exhaust gas increases. The supercharger is a way to get around "turbo lag". The lubrication system also differs, in that, the supercharger is self-contained whereas the turbocharger requires engine oil.
   
• How long has Eaton been manufacturing superchargers? Production for Ford Motor Company began in 1989, and was soon followed in 1992 by General Motors first supercharged vehicles.
   
• What are the benefits of the Eaton supercharger? 1) Patented technology to reduce noise, 2) Proven manufacturing capability, 3) Packaging flexibility, i.e. reduced package size, 4) Self-contained lubrication, i.e. no external oil connections to the engine, 5) Bypass system used for unloading supercharger during idle and light load, resulting in better fuel economy and quiet operation, 6) Competitive pricing.
   
• Are Eaton superchargers noisy? The Eaton supercharger system incorporates a specially designed bypass valve, which is actuated by a vacuum motor near the throttle body, and re-circulates the supercharger air flow when boost is not required. During typical driving conditions, the engine is under boost around 5% of the time, which means the remaining 95% of the time the engine is under vacuum, allowing for better fuel economy and a quieter ride. In addition, the helix angled rotors, along with specially designed inlet and outlet port geometry, also reduce pressure variations resulting in a smooth discharge flow and a lower level of noise during operation. The associated ducting and mounting used in installing the supercharger can play a major role in reducing the noise emitted by the supercharger.
   
• Is an Eaton supercharger reliable? The reliability of the Eaton supercharger was the first criteria, which was addressed during early design development of the supercharger. Dedicated engineers with backgrounds in compressors, gearing, tribology and metallurgy, as well as thermal and structural analysis enabled Eaton to find solutions to many reliability concerns. In addition, strict customer durability test criteria have been achieved. Successful completion of numerous 500 hour durability tests established a firm grasp on achieving a reliable product. In addition, numerous vehicles have successfully completed 100,000 mile, OEM (original equipment manufacturer), vehicle durability tests. Improvements in bearing and seal designs also aided in a product which meets all OEM durability criteria.
   
• Is the performance benefit offset by the cost associated with an Eaton supercharger? In comparing a supercharged 3.8 liter, 2-valve/cylinder V6 engine with a non-supercharged 4.0 liter, 4-valve/cylinder V8, the supercharged vehicle will provide better power [torque], and at a lower overall cost, than the non-supercharged vehicle. This is due to complexity and tooling associated with the more complex 4-valve/cylinder engine.
   
• What about fuel economy and flexible fuels? Supercharging is compatible with all types of fuels including flexible fuels, i.e. CNG (compressed natural gas), propane, etc. Fuel economy is not compromised, as described above in item #7, when utilizing the bypass system in conjunction with the supercharger. EPA (environmental protection agency) figures support this claim. A typical domestic vehicle equipped with an Eaton supercharger shows no fuel economy penalty for highway driving, and only a one mile per gallon penalty for city driving.
   
• How does Eaton view supercharging for the future? With the continued interest in performance, and the desire to maintain fuel economy, supercharging could be the ideal product of the future. Using an Eaton supercharger to increase power on a smaller displacement engine, in turn achieving the performance of a larger engine, but not compromising fuel economy seems too good to be true--but that is what an Eaton supercharger provides. Current annual OEM usage is at 300,000 superchargers.
   
• Is the supercharger available for aftermarket applications? The majority of Eaton supercharger applications have been designed for specific OEM applications. This is due to the fact that each engine application has unique hardware installation requirements and the design criteria of the supercharger is matched to the specific engine. Recent interest has, however, been shown in this market and has resulted in aftermarket applications being sourced through Magnuson Products, Inc.