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Boost Horsepower Calculator

Created by Dawid Siuda
Reviewed by Anna Szczepanek, PhD and Rijk de Wet
Last updated: Jun 12, 2023


If you've ever wondered how much hp a supercharger adds, wonder no more; this boost horsepower calculator will help you calculate it in seconds! If you know how much power your naturally aspirated engine produced, you can calculate how much hp a supercharger adds with various amounts of supercharger pressure.

Explore the rest of our boost hp calculator and this article to learn how a supercharger works and how much hp it adds.

How does a supercharger work?

A supercharger really is a horsepower gain cheat code for your machine. So how does it work? It compresses the air, allowing the engine to consume more fuel, which results in higher possible power output. The supercharger is connected to the engine by a belt. Some energy is required to run a supercharger, but it produces much more power than consumes. You can learn more about supercharge vs turbocharge differences below.

How to use this boost horsepower calculator?

Our boost horsepower calculator is extremely easy to use. You only need to know your naturally aspirated engine's current power output and the pressure you want a supercharger to create. That's it. The output is presented in the last field of the calculator.

Superchargers usually run at a boost pressure between 6 and 9 pounds per square inch (psi). The default value in our calculations is 6 psi, but you can adjust it to your preferences.

🙋 Remember that our boost hp calculator operates on a simplified model. Real-life results might be a bit different from those predicted by this tool, especially if your engine is very large or uses fuel different than petrol.

In case you wonder, our boost hp calculator uses the following formula to determine how much hp a supercharger adds:

boosted power=P+14.714.7×N\footnotesize \text{boosted\ power} = \frac{P + 14.7}{14.7} \times N

where:

  • boosted power\rm{boosted\ power} — Amount of power after adding the supercharger.
  • PP — Pressure produced by the supercharger.
  • NN — Amount of power before supercharging the engine.
  • 14.714.7 — Standard atmospheric pressure in pounds per square inch.

Supercharge vs turbocharge

If you're looking for a way to add a lot of power to your naturally aspirated engine, you have three options:

  • Stage 3 tune — The most expensive and typically the least effective way to add horsepower. This tune involves a complete engine rebuild by replacing most of its parts with their better, high-performance equivalent.
  • Turbocharger — The most common and typically the best way of adding a lot of horsepower to a naturally aspirated engine. Turbochargers are very popular in diesel engines, but are frequently used in sports cars petrol engines.
  • Supercharger — Another popular method for significant power increase. The power of a supercharger is usually comparable to that of a turbocharger. It might be a better option for many cars where instant throttle response and low-end torque are essential.

Both superchargers and turbochargers can yield similar results in adding a lot of power when properly installed and tuned. However, they work entirely differently.

  • A turbocharger uses the energy from exhaust gases to spin a turbine, compressing the incoming air before delivering it to the engine.
  • A supercharger is mechanically driven by the engine itself and directly compresses the air before sending it to the engine.

Both of them compress the air and inject it into the engine. The engine is fed with more air, so it can use more fuel. If it can use more fuel, it can produce more power.

Other tools that might be useful for you

  • Engine horsepower calculator — If you have already resolved your supercharge vs turbocharge dilemma, try this calculator to predict your quarter mile time results.
  • Race time improvement — Our boost horsepower calculator will help you calculate your tuned engine's power output, but it won't be any good at the race track. Here comes our other calculator, which will let you track your lap time improvements.
  • Fuel Consumption — More power usually means higher costs not only in terms of maintenance but also that of fuel costs. Keep your costs under control with our fuel consumption calculator.
Dawid Siuda
Horsepower boost
Current engine power
hp(l)
Boost added
psi
Boosted engine power
hp(l)
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