Generally speaking, which is better for reliability turbos or supercharger?
Neither are really "good" for the engine if you want long-term reliability. If you don't accelerate harshly enough to kick in the turbocharger's boost, the turbocharger is better.
@justin-shepherd I suspect the supercharger itself might be more reliable since it is not exposed to the hot exhaust gases a turbo is subject to, but I haven't seen any data to confirm this.
Good point, I didn't think of that one.
@chucktobias If it were designed from the start with a supercharger, and not an add-on, you're probably right. You can reinforce the cylinder walls, piston rings etc. to be made more heavy-duty, like a diesel. Run-of-the-mill turbochargers aren't made to be gotten on all the time, and people tend to drive the heck out of them, thus they wear out A LOT faster.