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Build your own electric supercharger

Building and installing a homemade electric supercharger in your car is not as crazy as it may sound. There are several sites on the web with information available on these types of projects. Some of the information is available for free, but expect to pay for more detailed plans and information. When deciding between a homemade electric supercharger and a ready-to-go one, it’s important to know what will actually work.

An electric or other type of supercharger is used to increase the amount of oxygen in the combustion chamber to burn fuel. The more oxygen is present, the more fuel can be burned. This produces a greater amount of power with each stroke of the piston. This results in better performance. This is a very simplified version of events, but it is accurate. The more oxygen is introduced into the combustion chamber, the more fuel is required to maintain the proper fuel-to-air ratio for combustion and the most efficient use of the energy generated by the combustion process.

An electric turbocharger that relies on CFM (cubic feet per minute) of air flow will not work. It can’t work because unless you compress the air to allow more oxygen to mix with more fuel, there is no change in performance. The correct reference variable when talking about supercharging is PSI (pounds per square inch). PSI is a measure of force, while CFM is a measure of volume. Obviously, CFM does nothing to increase the amount of oxygen in the combustion chamber. Only a compressor can reduce the volume of air entering the chamber. Without the compression of the air, prior to its introduction into the chamber, there will be no increase in oxygen available for burning the fuel. This means that if more fuel is added without the corresponding amount of air, the additional fuel is wasted. The absence of oxygen means that fuel is not burned. If there is no explosion, no power is generated.

So when looking for a kit or instructions on how to build your own electric supercharger, it’s important to remember a few basics. If the instructions continually use CFM as the primary measure, it is incorrect. If the instructions cite PSI as the main variable to change then it might work. Be sure to read all the information provided about the product, kit, or instructions. This can save you a lot of agony later on. Check the supplier’s references, the longer they have been in business and the better reputation they have, the higher the chances that your product will actually work. Be very careful when making your decision, there are many electric supercharger scams out there. When you finish your project, have fun!

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