I've got an 89 GXL NA (for now) , and i was debating whether to get a Turbocharger or a Supercharger. Could i hear the pros and cons of each, and people's personal opinions? Thanks.

 

This has been discussed a lot - supercharging is pretty much a bolt on operation, but there aren't any kits currently made for a fuel injected second gen RX-7. You would have to piece together parts for a kit and have some parts custom made (e.g., mounting brackets). Of course, you could always get the carbeurated s/c kit from atkins.

Turbocharging requires a great deal of swapping out stock parts (e.g., gotta replace the engine wiring harness, etc). Boost with the turbocharger is not directly dependent on RPMs, supercharging is - you will get the greatest boost from a supercharger at your redline.

Dave

 

I would go with the supercharger just because of the ease of the instalation. A turbocharger is much more efficient but is also a much more of a pain in the *** to install.

 

After watching a friend convert his GXL in to a TII, I would do that!
He put in a J-Spec and still used his tranny and rear end from the GXL. He is planning on swapping those out later, but it seems to run fine without it.
I also have a friend that has a supercharger on his GXL. It's running around 200 RWHP. That's about all you can get out of them because of fuel concerns and other issues.
Turbos are the way to go on our cars.

 

I would personally strive away from the supercharger but thats because I spit on the day they were invented lol. But turbo i would think would be more efficient, I think that with the xtra time involved im sure you wont be disappointed.
Jeff

 

Everything said above is true. It really boils down to your personal preferences: how do you plan to drive the car? Racing or cruising? For me, I just wanted a more powerful version of my motor, the sc gives a relatively linear response to rpm. Also, I knew I'd be satisfied with ~200rwhp, which is about all the factory computers in an NA can take. (I've dyno'd 209.9rwhp)

 

I own two turbo charged cars and so therefore I will be partial to the turbo aspect. I have a great respect for superchargers and my friend has one on his car. I just like the turbos reliability, and instant boost, versus the sc and its direct relation with RPM's. Its up to you, and its what you need to do what you want.