What is a turbocharger and how does it differ from a supercharger? As you may or may not know, a supercharger is simply a glorified air compressor that forces an extremely dense air/fuel mixture into the combustion chamber, thus producing a more powerful explosion. The horsepower figures of a supercharged (or "blown") engine are typically 30- to 50-percent higher than an identical engine without a supercharger. A turbocharger is similar in many respects, but it is still very different from a supercharger.