I've owned a car with a turbo charger before, but never one with a supercharger. There several things that are key to preserving turbo life which I practiced regularly. I've seen several products out there (Alta Oil Catch Can for example) to improve supercharger performance/life. Not being very knowledgeable about supercharger maintenance and care, are such products necessary for non-racing driving?

Spike

 

Good question....

 

Unlike a turbo, which sees high heat levels and very high speeds, a supercharger is belt-driven and sees only heat levels of the intake tract. Where you would have a cooldown period for a turbo to allow some of the heat to be dissipated by the oil (and many cases water) flowing through the bearing housing, a supercharger does not need this.

The rotors of a stock MCS will never spin much above 15,000 rpm, compared with the 75-100,000+ of a typical turbo. A supercharger's rotors stop spinning when the engine stops, unlike that of a turbo which can spin for a considerable time after shutdown (with no oil flow from the engine oil pump.

The MCS supercharger, like most others in cars these days, have a small gearbox filled with oil which is responsible for driving the rotors and preventing them from contacting each other. This also keeps the bearings lubed. This oil has a long lifespan and does not need regular changes, in fact, MINI says the oil "lasts the lifetime of the supercharger".

Take that last bit of info for what you will.

In short, a supercharger does not need the same precautions as a turbo, but some things still apply, like good intake air filtering and proper maintenance all over.

 

Yes- you can drive the speed limit!

Ok at least until you break in your new car. Then drive like you stole it.

You can ask RandyBMC or helix13 guys (Eric and Chris)- see what they say.
I don't think there is much routine maintenance to do. I know that Randy has mounted the oil catch can but I don't know that it is doing much.

 

>>The MCS supercharger, like most others in cars these days, have a small gearbox filled with oil which is responsible for driving the rotors and preventing them from contacting each other. This also keeps the bearings lubed. This oil has a long lifespan and does not need regular changes, in fact, MINI says the oil "lasts the lifetime of the supercharger".
>>

Actually, the SC oil lubricates the gears and front bearings, while the rear bearings are just lubricated by a high temp grease. My Eaton experience is limited to Miatas, and I tend to change out the oil every 30k, though Eaton does claim this is not necessary. It's not like engine oil in that it resides in a closed system relatively free from contaminates. Then again, the SC in the miata is quite accessible - I probably wouldn't touch the MINIs for 100k.
I've never heard of a Catch Can before, and I have not witnessed any 'sludge buildup' in my miata. I stick to regular oil changes and a watchful eye. The idea of 15k between oil changes makes me wince.

 

Greatbear wrote:
Stock, schmock. I have seen a maximum of 18,668 rpm on the blower with no ill effects. Here's a compressor map from my old car, a chipped VW GTI 1.8T:

 

>>Stock, schmock. I have seen a maximum of 18,668 rpm on the blower with no ill effects. Here's a compressor map from my old car, a chipped VW GTI 1.8T:
>>
>>http://www.ross-tech.net/andy/vwfiles/chipmap.gif
>>
>>That's 160,000 rpm to you and me.

What were you getting track-wise with that little terror?

And agreed, I think the little blowers on the MINIs have quite a bit more in them, all the pulley bullies (and I intend to be one soon) have yet to complain about shredded rotors and housings.

I was under the impression that the MINI blower was a bit backwards. The pulley end doesnt contain the gears (there are just the two sealed ball bearings there) unlike most setups, instead the gears or on the opposite end with a reduction gear output for the water pump. That end has the oil. Agreed, I would not be concerned with changing the oil there unless I had the blower out for some reason. It's synthetic oil in a more or less contaminate-free zone.

 

My GTI with a slightly more efficient turbo then what Andy's had made 176whp with a chip and 196wlb-ft of torque. That was on a Mustang dyno and no other mods at the time, it was also the weakest chip I ever ran. The later ones were dyno'ing in the 180whp range...I ran a 14.3@94.95 with the backseats and spare removed. The turbo's that come on VW's are ridiculously small
Mike