Mustang Forced Induction Install - Feeling the Pressure

Author's Note: We are not trying to tell you whether one combination is better than the other. There are positive and negative sides to each system. The end-user's goals and budget for his or her Mustang are ultimately what determines which system is best for their application. Our goal is to highlight how each system fits on a S197 Mustang and how they operate.

The term "boost" has been thrown around quite a bit lately in one form or another, as in "supercharger" or "turbocharger." These are the kind of power adders that Mustang lovers have been turning to since the early '90s to kick brand-X and ricer butt.

Centrifugal supercharging was first to become a popular bolt-on item to the Fox-body generation of Mustangs. Turbocharged Mustangs, in the early years of the modern-day Mustang move-ment, were rare but still noticeable on the scene. From there, the hysteria over both power adders only grew bigger and bigger. Today, turbochargers have become more commonplace, along with the continuous growth in both the centrifugal and positive-displacement supercharger arena. An overwhelming amount of hopped-up Mustangs on the road feature a blower or turbo-while there are no solid stats, it's safe to say the popularity of boost makers is at an all-time high.

Boost can be defined simply as pressure, and it is always referenced in pounds per square inch (psi). PSI is commonly measured at the intake manifold, so when someone mentions a boost number, it means manifold pressure. The only two ways an engine will see positive pressure (negative pressure is often labeled as vacuum) is through the use of a supercharger or turbocharger system.

The turbo or blower forces the air into the intake, through the cylinder heads, and eventually cram the cylinders. The basics of internal combustion engines say it is nothing more than an air pump, so the more air crammed in, the more horsepower can be made-within reason, and with all things being equal like fuel, spark, and engine durability playing their part in the process.

For argument's sake, both types of boost-makers expel air at a rapid rate and fill the intake-manifold, creating boost. A turbo and blower differ in the process in which they create that extra flow-despite the end result being manifold pressure.