GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

Does anyone know how a supercharger would react to super cold weather like at -20F to -30F? Would it be something you would not want to use in extreme cold temps?

You can't turn off a supercharger...it's bolted onto the engine, and always "on"...My guess is it works as well as any other engine component in cold weather...let the engine warm up before driving, and you should be fine.

http://www.paxtonauto.com/pdf/...l.pdfis basicaully says they have some tight tolerances so use an engine warmer. I wouldnt think there were and major issues maybe running a little lean due to the increased air denisty but i dont know thats just a guesse

I don't think that it would be a problem. There are tight tolerances, but as you get colder, the metal contracts, so it might be a bit noisier. As for the cold air, the computer should compensate for the colder air. If you are that concerned, you could always take off the belt and replace it with the original belt and leave the S/C off. I am not sure if the Vibe S/C has one or two belts....my Rivi has 2, and I hear about people who have ruined a S/C driving with the S/C belt off until they get the cash for a new one.

if you took the belt off how would the engine get air ? becuase everthing is still plummed through the sc isnt it

"You can't turn off a supercharger...it's bolted onto the engine, and always "on"..."That's obvious. It is just a matter of if I installed one, would I want to drive it in extreme cold conditions or put it in storage for the winter.

There is lots of cars made with SC and Turbos and I have never heard about not using your car in cold weather so I would imagine it would be perfectly fine.

Quote, originally posted by BlueCrush »"You can't turn off a supercharger...it's bolted onto the engine, and always "on"..."That's obvious. It is just a matter of if I installed one, would I want to drive it in extreme cold conditions or put it in storage for the winter.My bad, I wasn't quite sure what you were asking...We have people with all different levels of expertise here, thought you might be a novice. That being said, I'm sure it's fine -- no one would buy a s/c if it was only good for 8 months...

It's all good!I was planning on installing a supercharger this month but have decided to wait until next spring. I am going to work on more of the appearance mods this winter instead. Such as: Rear Spoilers, Wheels and tires, window tint and some graphics. That should keep the pocket book drained for the winter.

Quote, originally posted by russ257 »if you took the belt off how would the engine get air ? becuase everthing is still plummed through the sc isnt itIt is, but the only difference is that the SC won't force air into the intake. There is a little more restriction, but you can still run it.

maybe a change to synthetic motoroil for the cold climates like Mobil1 0w-30.