CAN superchargers give you better gas mileage?

Question

i know they're meant for more power, but can you tune a supercharger to get better gas mileage? ad how's it compare to a turbocharger?

Answer 1

This is actually a very good question. It would appear that a supercharger could improve economy due to a more perfect delivery of air and fuel. The answer, unfortunately, is no. The reason is simple, superchargers ram more air AND fuel into the engine. There is not a good way to diminish this without losing the performance expected and in fact detuning the engine. Turbo's have created  some success due to the multiple burn of exhaust gasses. While turbos burn more fuel as you putt around town, on the highway at reasonable speed, turbos have been shown to slightly improve fuel economy. You have to drive very carefully, however. Most drivers would increase their fuel economy just by driving more carefully than installing a turbo.