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intercooler lesson wanted
by
dieseldubber
on 23 Mar, 2009 20:15
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Can you guys please school me on intercooler setups? I know what they do and I know I want an air to air unit but it just seems there are so many shapes, some are expensive others cheap. I have small bumpers and although I want the added benefits I don't necessarily want a massive front mount intercooler hanging down there waiting for road debris to damage it. Ideally I'd like something to fit in front of the rad behind the grill like the snowcats at work have, but doesn't that restrict air flow to the rad? I'm dumb, please help me as it doesn't seem there is one best intercooler set up.
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#1
by
Baixo
on 23 Mar, 2009 20:38
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there isnt, i ran a ic in front of the rad on my old 8v turbo gasser, and the temps were steady, but on good long beating they would creep up unconfortabaly
i wouldnt run a ic in front of the rad on vw diesels......
small bumpers look good..but they dont let hide things....
i would say you could run one very low in front horizontaly so that its not visible but would still get the air it needs.....
ive seen this before and i think i may do that to my gtd as i have small bumpers as well....
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#2
by
arb
on 24 Mar, 2009 05:05
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Yes, if you put your IC behind the rad, you should call it an I.Heater. ;-)
There are some really low profile IC's out ther for about $150 that are long and could fit below the rad. You could make some form of steel cage to protect it from parking lot damage.
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#3
by
monomer
on 24 Mar, 2009 15:37
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topmount and vent the hood...
happens when you get an sti intercooler for free.
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#4
by
truckinwagen
on 24 Mar, 2009 16:52
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I put a big intercooler where my rad used to be, and the rad is going top mount with a louvered hood and a big fan.
make sure the intercooler has plenty of moving fresh air and is big enough to not be a restriction in the intake.
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#5
by
gldgti
on 25 Mar, 2009 01:06
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i have the intercooler infont of the radiator in my mk3 and i havnt noticed ANY difference in running temps, apart from taking longer to heat up on a long hill climb (intake temps lower make engine happy, use less pedal to get up the hill :-) )
i'm going to upize the IC on the mk3 soon (it will cover more frontal area) and i'll report results then...
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#6
by
Smokey Eddy
on 25 Mar, 2009 02:40
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I'd love to top mount mine. Subaru style.
but the paraphernalia necessary to make it easily removable and not rattle,rub it's self to death is very difficult. The only place it really fits with the oil breather there is in between the head and the exp tank/battery.
top mount looks cool, but would never give the same results or efficiency of a front mount.
I got a big volvo intercooler for 20$ (cad). I'm striffed with making it fit. I HAVE to put it in front of the rad because its almost as wide as the rad and even taller. OR cut most of my hood off and top mount it...
I have plans that will work with front mount but it requires moving the radiator backwards, changing the fan to slim fans and modifying how it rests.
The least amount of work/trouble is to get a ricer style IC like you always see in the movies. and put it in a big bumper.
I suppose i haven't really contributed anything to this thread. so im gonna say, do a TOP mount... for +100 cool points.
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#7
by
96jetta
on 25 Mar, 2009 09:20
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is it better to run a bigger intercooler or a smaller one? i know you will lose a little more boost if its a bigger intercooler but how much would be lost?
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#8
by
jtanguay
on 25 Mar, 2009 10:13
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is it better to run a bigger intercooler or a smaller one? i know you will lose a little more boost if its a bigger intercooler but how much would be lost?
the pressure lost equates to a denser charge. :wink:
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#9
by
96jetta
on 25 Mar, 2009 11:49
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even though pressure is lost its for the better
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#10
by
smoken u
on 25 Mar, 2009 12:59
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and the denser the intake charge the more power :twisted:
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#11
by
monomer
on 25 Mar, 2009 13:04
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I'd love to top mount mine. Subaru style.
but the paraphernalia necessary to make it easily removable and not rattle,rub it's self to death is very difficult. The only place it really fits with the oil breather there is in between the head and the exp tank/battery.
top mount looks cool, but would never give the same results or efficiency of a front mount.
Should be a bad install. I plan on relocating the battery to the hatch, and making a custom fiberglass hood w/ a nice low-profile scoop.
A couple brackets to hold the IC in place, it has mounting hardware on it already.
Use poly foam in the space between the hood and the IC, for an airtight fit. A motorcycle fan (shrouded, would be best) mounted under to pull air "through" the IC when the cars at a stop (to prevent heat-soak)
The STI intercooler is good for 350 HP, MORE than sufficiant for this application - and you wont find a front mount as big with the same flow that'll fit.
http://autospeed.com/A_109459/cms/article.htmlcovers it all.
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#12
by
gldgti
on 25 Mar, 2009 13:37
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I'd love to top mount mine. Subaru style.
but the paraphernalia necessary to make it easily removable and not rattle,rub it's self to death is very difficult. The only place it really fits with the oil breather there is in between the head and the exp tank/battery.
top mount looks cool, but would never give the same results or efficiency of a front mount.
Should be a bad install. I plan on relocating the battery to the hatch, and making a custom fiberglass hood w/ a nice low-profile scoop.
A couple brackets to hold the IC in place, it has mounting hardware on it already.
Use poly foam in the space between the hood and the IC, for an airtight fit. A motorcycle fan (shrouded, would be best) mounted under to pull air "through" the IC when the cars at a stop (to prevent heat-soak)
The STI intercooler is good for 350 HP, MORE than sufficiant for this application - and you wont find a front mount as big with the same flow that'll fit.
http://autospeed.com/A_109459/cms/article.html
covers it all.
the STI intercooler might be good for 350hp in a gasser, but certainly not in a diesel.
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#13
by
monomer
on 25 Mar, 2009 16:36
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the STI intercooler might be good for 350hp in a gasser, but certainly not in a diesel.
do go on.
why is this?
3 inlets, 3 inch deep core; crossflow design. It's around a foot by 10 inches...
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#14
by
AudiVWguy
on 25 Mar, 2009 21:14
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Didn't catch what model car its going in. In front of the radiator is a very good spot. You might have to move the radiator back a little. I used one from a mitsubishi Starion (2.6ltr), tight fit. I'm thinking about a different rad fan just to have a little more room in the engine bay.