What will a supercharger do to my fuel consumpumtion?

[Pints]

As per the title, if I bolted a supercharger to my 1.8 mk3, what impact would it have on MPG?

Currently getting 39mpg on my commute (includes 35 miles of motorway) and I'm very gentle on the loud pedal.

The extra power is mighty tempting but I don't want to get a nasty shock at the pumps.

Any real-world experience and examples from the assembled?

[matthewg]

Pints said:

As per the title, if I bolted a supercharger to my 1.8 mk3, what impact would it have on MPG?

I guess MPG will decrease.

HTH

[300bhp/ton]

Driving style will matter more than anything. Drive gentle and I suspect little difference. Driving briskly and it might even be better as you'll use less throttle to achieve the same speed. Hammer it and it'll be a lot worse.

BTW, as a cheaper option. If as you say "I'm very gentle on the loud pedal", wouldn't it be a lot easier to simply push the accelerator pedal a bit harder to promote greater performance

[GravelBen]

It depepnds mainly on a)driving style as said, and b)tuning. My Mk1 turbo (around the 280bhp mark) is more economical when cruising than a standard one - though I'm sure a Mk3 is much better tuned as standard than a Mk1.

Edited by GravelBen on Monday 31st January 09:09

[Pints]

300bhp/ton said:

BTW, as a cheaper option. If as you say "I'm very gentle on the loud pedal", wouldn't it be a lot easier to simply push the accelerator pedal a bit harder to promote greater performance

Oh aye. I'm not wanting/needing added performance when I'm pootling about to and from work, but would like the extra kick in the back of my neck (Chuck Norris style) when out on a hoon.

I tend to be less gentle with that pedal on the right when I'm at a PH meet.

[rob0971]

If your worried about fuel consumption, dont get FI,ed. The temptation to boot it is just too great. You may also need to run on super unleaded for greater knock protection. My mk1 is probably about stock mpg when driven very carefully, but thats no fun is it. Guessing, but probably down to about 20mpg or less when hooning.

[snotrag]

GravelBen said:

and b)tuning

I suspect is the answer here.

Cheap supercharger, Powercard, running 'Paris Hilton' as someone put it* probably wont be great.

But properly setup running safe but efficiently on quality management I believe they can be relatively efficient.

Remember that in a round about way power is the same as efficiency anyway - turning the fuel into motion as best as possible, it just depends at what angle your looking for.

• Rich and retarded

[Pints]

Cheers for the replies. Food for thought indeed.

[SplatSpeed]

30 i would guess

[MX-5 Lazza]

Economy will be worse, even driving gently. With a turbo, if you drive gently you avoid boost and then it's just like an na car but usually better tuned. With an sc you are always driving the charger which has parasitic losses that cause drag on the engine. With a Mk3 you are unlikely to gain anything with tuning too.
Is a charger available for Mk3 1.8?