[TEG]

Someone from TRD told me that they were having second thoughts about an IS300 Supercharger because "The typical Lexus owner is not willing to put up with added noise".

Well, here are some excerpts from a story in this week's Autoweek:

"Jaguar XJS Vanden Plas...
$83,045
4.0-liter supercharged V8,
370hp, 387lb-ft...
Jag couldn't (or wouldn't) prevent the supercharger whine from penetrating the cabin.
It's a magnificient accompaniment to the speed with which the 4.0-liter propels the car down the road."

Come on TRD - if it is good enough for a $83K Jaguar, it is good enough for us!

(Besides - the IS300 buyer is not a "typical" Lexus customer!!!)

 

[TEG]

Well, I drove my Supercharged MR2 daily for the past 6 years before getting the IS300. The supercharger "whine" didn't bother me at all even though it was right behind my head
(mid engined car).

I even put a different pulley on the increased boost (and whine).

Basically a supercharger is a belt driven "air squisher" the pumps air into the engine.

A turbo is an exhaust driven fan that blows air into the engine.

Superchargers make a uniform growl that changes pitch with engine speed.

Turbos make a whoosh/whistle noise that varies more with throttle position than with engine speed.

I would gladly trade a little more noise for 50-100 more HP...

 

[TEG]

Funny - that just happened to me too today (before reading this topic). I rolled my back windows down at 40MPH and felt like someone was boxing my ears from behind.

I got the same effect with some combo of part open sunroof, and front windows.