Have you ever wondered where the sharp sound of muscle cars comes from? The noise sounds like someone is screaming or a cat is scratching the floor.
Well, the reason behind that sound is the supercharger. A supercharger is a function that works like a mini air compressor.
It works like a turbocharger, although there are some major differences. That difference is the noise it makes when you place your foot on the gas pedal. The noise is a highly pitched annoying screech that comes under the hood of the car.
Procharger vs Whipple is a popular argumentative topic among car enthusiasts. Prochargher and Whipple are two renowned USA companies that manufacture superchargers.
It’s common to have a rivalry like Real Madrid and Barcelona have when they are on the same field. But the most important question is which one is better than the other. Is it the Procharger or the Whipple?
To know the answer to this quarrelsome argument, stick with us till the end.
What is a supercharger?
A supercharger is now being used on almost every modern vehicle. What it generally does is that it capitalizes on the energy and engine generates and converts them into compressed air. With this, the oxygen’s amount increases and we can get better performance.
A supercharger is useful to increase your car’s horsepower. They don’t have any lag or delay on the power generation and have a lesser lag time when the operation occurs during the turbo-lag’s absence.
Procharger or Whipple: Which one is better?
The Procharger vs Whipple debate is as famous as the Supercharger vs Turbocharge debate. (1)
But let’s focus not on the earlier debate for now. It is a rather common confusion for people while getting a supercharger. Let’s clear that confusion, shall we?
Performance
You might be aware of the fact that an engine’s compressed air is much hotter than normal air and the supercharger can control the heat in the intake air.
In the case of performance, it depends on how cold the intake air is because the hotter the intake air, the lesser performance we’ll get.
The Procharger fans would be glad to know that they are making it 1-0 right at the beginning. The Procharger supercharger system has a colder intake air than a Whipple supercharger system. So, you’ll get better performance from a Procharger supercharger.
Durability
Time to get ahead by 2-0. We are breaking the score right front the start because it is no surprise that the durability of the Procharger is much better than a Whipple supercharger. The Whipple doesn’t even come near to Procharger regarding dependability and flexibility.
Turbine Housing
The components used for manufacturing the turbine housing of the Procharger are aluminium, whereas the Whipple uses an iron housing shell.
Of course, the aluminium shell is going to be more durable than the iron shell. So, Procharger wins again. 3-0!
Boost Pressure
The equations of boost pressure are more like mathematical terms. Why’s that?
The engine of your car generates power in a Procharger supercharger system. The power of the compressor is equivalent to the car’s RPMs (Revolutions Per Minute). It means how many turns the machine has taken in a minute.
So, the higher the engine RPM is the more boost a Procharger supercharger will get. On the contrary, the lower the engine RPM is the less boost it will get. That was how a Procharger works.
Now it’s time for the Whipples to boost their pressure. Its boost pressure isn’t dependent on the car’s RPM. It can push more compressed air than your engine can contain, meaning going beyond the capacity of the engine. This allows the engine to maintain a proper boost while not being dependent on an engine’s RPM.
The Whipple supercharger will make full use of a bigger engine because it might have a leveled boost curve or you can call it a torque curve.(2)
So, according to our justifications, the Whipple takes this one down. This means they are back in the game. The score is 3-1 in Procharger’s favor.
Maximum Boost
The Procharger and the Whipple both have similar power output when it sets at minimum boost options. But what happens at maximum boost options?
The Whipple can produce more power because it has a bigger impeller diameter which is 71.5mm. On the other hand, the Procharger has an impeller diameter of 65mm. So, the Whipple has a nearly 9-10% larger impeller diameter than the Procharger.
Alright, so the Whipple is making a comeback. 3-2 is the score and the Procharger is still in the lead.
Noise
Noise is a crucial factor because people often get annoyed with the sound a supercharger produces.
So, the Procharger is basically mounted in front of the engine. When you rev it up, you ought to hear a humming noise that isn’t harmful to your ears.
As for the Whipple, it is mounted on top of the engine. It has a twin screw that makes an annoying sound for the drivers. Although they use a noise cancellation technology to clear out the humming sound when you rev up the engine.
Here, the Procharger takes the lead again by 4-2.
Cost
The amount of money you would need to install a Procharger supercharger would be nearly 5,500 US dollars to 8,000 US dollars.
On the other hand, the Whipple has more components to work with and the brand value is also higher. The total cost of installation would be 5,700 US dollars to 10,000 US dollars.
Can’t say for sure that Procharger wins this round or not. But we think on average the Procharger is cheaper than the Whipple.
So, the final score stands at 5-2!
Conclusion
Seeing the results of our calculations, it’s clear that the Procharger has won by a large margin.
Still, we want to leave the decision of choosing your own winner to you. If you want the Whipple you can get it. Our motive was to make comparable specifications between these two companies’ superchargers. The rest is up to you.
