OB motorheads- will supercharging a 6.0L V8 gas engine

Dumb arse question. You work with diots, including yourself.

It will get 0mpg after it blows up, so no.

Will it? no

Can it? Yes

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It will get 0mpg after it blows up, so no.

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A Chevy small block can handle an insane amount of boost. If he's running low boost (which a street setup would) he won't be hurting the engine at all. Honestly, the extra airflow will increase engine efficiency immensely (not necessarily fuel efficiency).

Your fuel efficiency may not increase in city driving or anything but on the highway your engine will work less hard to get the same amount of air. The difference is pretty negligible though - maybe a modest 1-2 mpg on the optimistic end.

The reason a regular engine is "naturally aspirated" is because it can only take in as much air as nature provides. A turbo or a supercharger increases the engine efficiency immensely by forcing more in than nature can provide. The wise forced-induction guru Gale Banks explains that "air density" is more important than "air flow."

Here's an interview he did with Drive on why turbos are best (superchargers are less complex and don't require altering your exhaust system though): Gale Banks on Drive

But once you get the extra power, don't expect a huge boost in MPG. It may be like a 1-2 increase on the highway but you will get much better towing ability, not to mention gobs of horsepower and torque. The Chevy small block thrives on forced induction - it wakes it up like a beast. Your foot will get much heavier.

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Your foot will get much heavier

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For sure

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not at all, more air drawn into the motor requires more fuel in order to reach the correct air to fuel ratio. Even if you put put around a supercharger places an extra load on the motor since it is belt driven, therefore you can't escape the mpg hit even with conservative driving.

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Correct answer.

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It takes X horsepower to move said vehicle 60mph and the one with forced induction will do it with less fuel, all else being equal.

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Exactly. The one with FI can also run a bit leaner. Most naturally aspirated engines already run super rich. Combine that with direct injection (which lowers combustion chamber temperatures) and you've got a winner.

Downy has it much closer to the truth. Depending on the supercharger setup, parasitic losses can be pretty small compared to the decrease in pumping losses.

thanks for all the info. I ask b/c my employer is moving towards all gas engines in the 3/4 ton company trucks. this has caused some unhappy drivers who want to stay with diesel. company believes operating costs will be lower with the gas engines.
That aside, the debate over the decision degenerated (as most debates usually do) into a pissing contest amongst the group about superchargers and fuel econlmy. thus my inquiry.

Upfront cost and lifecycle operating costs will be lower with the gas with fuel prices as they stand today. Not debatable.

Adding super chargers wouldn't be cost effective either. You'll loose fuel mileage because people will drive them like company trucks. It costs a lot to install them. Youll break more driveline stuff. You might tear the engine up. It goes on and on