Intercoolers - How to choose the right one?

[Force Fed Mopar]

Copied over from 8valve I/C thread:

So essentially choosing a cooler is simply finding the right compromise between flow and cooling, correct? I think that is easy enough for us all to grasp. What isn't easy for most, is how do you tell how much compromise there is? Tube size, tube spacing, length, etc, we know they are factors, but how do you tell how much of a factor each one is?

Maybe we need a new thread to discuss

[roachjuice]

The biggest one you can fit with the best flow and cooling. While going cheap. Thats the best intercooler.

[8valves]

The biggest one you can fit with the best flow and cooling. While going cheap. Thats the best intercooler.

Isn't that like saying, "I want a hot a$$ wife who likes cars, sports and beer and sex, lets me do nothing, cooks and cleans, and pays me an allowance to hang out in the garage."

I take the easy way out and pick a quality Garrett core that is just slightly above the power level I intend for the vehicle it's going on, and make sure I make nice, flow directed end tanks. It's pretty hard to mess it up that way. But it's not the cheapest way always.

[turbovanman²]

What's the PSI drop that your looking for to tell you its time to upgrade? Everyone seems to have an opinion on that.

The biggest one you can fit with the best flow and cooling. While going cheap. Thats the best intercooler.

Not quite, there was a write up years ago about diesel IC's, they aren't as good as you think.

[8valves]

What's the PSI drop that your looking for to tell you its time to upgrade? Everyone seems to have an opinion on that.

I personally feel as though if it makes your turbo run outside of it's useable range because it's too high of a PR compared to what you're trying to run in the intake, then yes, it is time to upgrade.

[Khajjathefang]

Isn't that like saying, "I want a hot a$$ wife who likes cars, sports and beer and sex, lets me do nothing, cooks and cleans, and pays me an allowance to hang out in the garage."

Shes with me, gonna have to wait till I die :P

[roachjuice]

Not quite, there was a write up years ago about diesel IC's, they aren't as good as you think.

I'm not running a diesel intercooler. Im running an eBay fmic. I've ran the ---- out of my car and stopped and touched the hot side and cold side of the intercooler and it was not hot. Mine works. I didn't have to do any crazy math to figure out what the proper intercooler size should be for my car. Classic case of overthinking things always gets you in trouble. I'm a firm believer in the biggest intercooler I can stuff in there the better. I dont believe in spending money on a name brand intercooler. Friend of mine had a 500 dollar name brand intercooler on his 99 gsx. Cracked the end tanks twice and cracked one of the bar plates. My 100 dollar china man made intercooler hasn't given me one bit of trouble. I know the Volvo ones suck with the plastic end tanks. I know srt intercoolers suck. NPR seems to work well for people. Stock t2 sucks. You think I'm bad try arguing with impreza guys about going from top mount to front mount. Those dumb asses are saying that it's gonna make the turbo lag more because of the piping. Really? Its a small turbo. Lag isn't really an issue. They will swear up and down the top mount is better. Horse ----. Heat rises. Heat comes from exhaust and engine. Intercooler mounted underhood = bad idea.

[turbovanman²]

I'm not running a diesel intercooler. Im running an eBay fmic. I've ran the ---- out of my car and stopped and touched the hot side and cold side of the intercooler and it was not hot. Mine works. I didn't have to do any crazy math to figure out what the proper intercooler size should be for my car. Classic case of overthinking things always gets you in trouble. I'm a firm believer in the biggest intercooler I can stuff in there the better. I dont believe in spending money on a name brand intercooler. Friend of mine had a 500 dollar name brand intercooler on his 99 gsx. Cracked the end tanks twice and cracked one of the bar plates. My 100 dollar china man made intercooler hasn't given me one bit of trouble. I know the Volvo ones suck with the plastic end tanks. I know srt intercoolers suck. NPR seems to work well for people. Stock t2 sucks. You think I'm bad try arguing with impreza guys about going from top mount to front mount. Those dumb asses are saying that it's gonna make the turbo lag more because of the piping. Really? Its a small turbo. Lag isn't really an issue. They will swear up and down the top mount is better. Horse ----. Heat rises. Heat comes from exhaust and engine. Intercooler mounted underhood = bad idea.

I was merely pointing out an example.

[roachjuice]

I was merely pointing out an example.

i was too.

[8valves]

I'm not running a diesel intercooler. Im running an eBay fmic. I've ran the ---- out of my car and stopped and touched the hot side and cold side of the intercooler and it was not hot. Mine works. I didn't have to do any crazy math to figure out what the proper intercooler size should be for my car. Classic case of overthinking things always gets you in trouble. I'm a firm believer in the biggest intercooler I can stuff in there the better. I dont believe in spending money on a name brand intercooler. Friend of mine had a 500 dollar name brand intercooler on his 99 gsx. Cracked the end tanks twice and cracked one of the bar plates. My 100 dollar china man made intercooler hasn't given me one bit of trouble. I know the Volvo ones suck with the plastic end tanks. I know srt intercoolers suck. NPR seems to work well for people. Stock t2 sucks. You think I'm bad try arguing with impreza guys about going from top mount to front mount. Those dumb asses are saying that it's gonna make the turbo lag more because of the piping. Really? Its a small turbo. Lag isn't really an issue. They will swear up and down the top mount is better. Horse ----. Heat rises. Heat comes from exhaust and engine. Intercooler mounted underhood = bad idea.

Overthinking only gets you in trouble if you don't know how to think. Or if you're thinking wrong, I suppose.

Intercoolers are not all created equal, and if you see the gains from a real quality intercooler to a cheap unit is highly dependent upon how well your car is sorted out and how well it runs for it's respective modification level also.

[roachjuice]

Overthinking only gets you in trouble if you don't know how to think. Or if you're thinking wrong, I suppose.

Intercoolers are not all created equal, and if you see the gains from a real quality intercooler to a cheap unit is highly dependent upon how well your car is sorted out and how well it runs for it's respective modification level also.

i agree.

[johnl]

Short, fat, straight pipes.

After the core is sized, the pipes - the shorter the better, the fatter the better, the straighter the better.

[Force Fed Mopar]

The biggest one you can fit with the best flow and cooling. While going cheap. Thats the best intercooler.

Damn, why didn't I think of that?

I take the easy way out and pick a quality Garrett core that is just slightly above the power level I intend for the vehicle it's going on, and make sure I make nice, flow directed end tanks. It's pretty hard to mess it up that way. But it's not the cheapest way always.

What's the PSI drop that your looking for to tell you its time to upgrade? Everyone seems to have an opinion on that.

I personally feel as though if it makes your turbo run outside of it's useable range because it's too high of a PR compared to what you're trying to run in the intake, then yes, it is time to upgrade.

What is the PR, exactly? I know it stands for pressure ratio And how does it relate to the cooling ability of an intercooler?

---------- Post added at 05:38 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:37 PM ----------

Short, fat, straight pipes.

After the core is sized, the pipes - the shorter the better, the fatter the better, the straighter the better.

Seems like that will flow well, but not cool well, unless you oversize it. Which may be what he is saying.

---------- Post added at 05:41 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:38 PM ----------

I'm not running a diesel intercooler. Im running an eBay fmic. I've ran the ---- out of my car and stopped and touched the hot side and cold side of the intercooler and it was not hot. Mine works. I didn't have to do any crazy math to figure out what the proper intercooler size should be for my car. Classic case of overthinking things always gets you in trouble. I'm a firm believer in the biggest intercooler I can stuff in there the better. I dont believe in spending money on a name brand intercooler. Friend of mine had a 500 dollar name brand intercooler on his 99 gsx. Cracked the end tanks twice and cracked one of the bar plates. My 100 dollar china man made intercooler hasn't given me one bit of trouble. I know the Volvo ones suck with the plastic end tanks. I know srt intercoolers suck. NPR seems to work well for people. Stock t2 sucks. You think I'm bad try arguing with impreza guys about going from top mount to front mount. Those dumb asses are saying that it's gonna make the turbo lag more because of the piping. Really? Its a small turbo. Lag isn't really an issue. They will swear up and down the top mount is better. Horse ----. Heat rises. Heat comes from exhaust and engine. Intercooler mounted underhood = bad idea.

FTR, my SRT cooler worked good I was running like 20 psi on my 2.2 Daytona w/ it, on a Mitsu w/ the wga unhooked, I could run it hard and then feel the end tanks, and the engine side would always be cold. Turbo side would sometimes be almost hot enough to burn my hand. However, I was probably making no more than 200-215 whp.

[turbovanman²]

What is the PR, exactly? I know it stands for pressure ratio And how does it relate to the cooling ability of an intercooler?

What he said.

[8valves]

As in if your boost target is 30 in the intake, but your core is requiring 37 for instance at the compressor housing outlet to achieve it, but your compressor wheel is off of its efficiency range, then youve exceeded its ability to keep up with the system. Does that make sense?

[Force Fed Mopar]

As in if your boost target is 30 in the intake, but your core is requiring 37 for instance at the compressor housing outlet to achieve it, but your compressor wheel is off of its efficiency range, then youve exceeded its ability to keep up with the system. Does that make sense?

Yeah it does, thanks.

[turbovanman²]

As in if your boost target is 30 in the intake, but your core is requiring 37 for instance at the compressor housing outlet to achieve it, but your compressor wheel is off of its efficiency range, then youve exceeded its ability to keep up with the system. Does that make sense?

It does, so what would a good core do, 2-3 psi at that boost?

[tryingbe]

Nobody drives their car with a scanner that monitors the intake temperature like I do?

One of the few way you can put how good the intercooler cools the air into numbers.

[turbovanman²]

Nobody drives their car with a scanner that monitors the intake temperature like I do?

One of the few way you can put how good the intercooler cools the air into numbers.

I do the old touch test but I just got a new scanner with wicked datalogging, so next year, will be doing that as well as pressure tests.

[Force Fed Mopar]

I would, but the scanner I have only goes back to '89 and doesn't work on my Daytona However, come to think of it, this Lebaron I'm driving is an '89...