Intercooler Comparo....Custom Garrett vs. VSRacing (E-Bay)
01-20-2014, 12:22 PM
#1
Intercooler Comparo....Custom Garrett vs. VSRacing (E-Bay) So, I recently swapped my intercooler. Originally I had the VS Racing 3 inch core that is also sold under many different names. It is your standard Chinese intercooler that can be bought from E-Bay. I replaced it with a custom Garrett 5 inch core unit that I bought here on LS1 Tech used.
They are approximately the same dimensions, but the Garrett is 5 inches thick:
Fitment was easy, because aside from the added depth, the dimensions were extremely close:
With the VS Racing, temps would rise over the duration of a pull. I had seen temps as high as 160 on the back of the 1/4 mile during the summer, starting at about 100 degrees IAT. Not bad.
I spray 12 gph of methanol as well. It starts spraying at 10 psi.
I put the car on the dyno in mid-December to get some baseline numbers. Here is the datalog of my best run, which was 805 RWHP at 16 psi. The yellow line on the top graph indicates IAT temps. There was a 40 degree rise on this pull. Air was being moved over the car by an industrial sized fan.
I had the car on the dyno again this weekend with the Garrett in place. Same dyno, same fan, same meth nozzles. Only difference was about a 20 degree cooler day. Not a huge difference, but a difference.
The results are quite interesting. The IATs dropped 5 degrees over the duration of the pull. This was also 18 psi.
What I think is happening here is that the new intercooler is more efficient and the meth is lowering the IATs over the pull, whereas with the old intercooler, the meth was trying to stop the hemorrhaging of heat. I can only imagine what the IATs would have looked like without the meth and the old intercooler.
So, while the E-Bay intercooler was not bad by any means, there clearly is a benefit from a quality core.
Mike
They are approximately the same dimensions, but the Garrett is 5 inches thick:
Fitment was easy, because aside from the added depth, the dimensions were extremely close:
With the VS Racing, temps would rise over the duration of a pull. I had seen temps as high as 160 on the back of the 1/4 mile during the summer, starting at about 100 degrees IAT. Not bad.
I spray 12 gph of methanol as well. It starts spraying at 10 psi.
I put the car on the dyno in mid-December to get some baseline numbers. Here is the datalog of my best run, which was 805 RWHP at 16 psi. The yellow line on the top graph indicates IAT temps. There was a 40 degree rise on this pull. Air was being moved over the car by an industrial sized fan.
I had the car on the dyno again this weekend with the Garrett in place. Same dyno, same fan, same meth nozzles. Only difference was about a 20 degree cooler day. Not a huge difference, but a difference.
The results are quite interesting. The IATs dropped 5 degrees over the duration of the pull. This was also 18 psi.
What I think is happening here is that the new intercooler is more efficient and the meth is lowering the IATs over the pull, whereas with the old intercooler, the meth was trying to stop the hemorrhaging of heat. I can only imagine what the IATs would have looked like without the meth and the old intercooler.
So, while the E-Bay intercooler was not bad by any means, there clearly is a benefit from a quality core.
Mike
01-20-2014, 01:06 PM
#3
Mike
01-20-2014, 03:50 PM
#6
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2 different core types not just thickness
*) 3" pic is a hi flow low psi drop across the core. Flows more air but overall cooling is decreased.
The othe one
*)5" pic is hi density core. More psi drop across the core, over all flow is decreased. (Compared to same size hi flow)
Cooling is greatly increased.
IF those cores were the same 3" size. Your hi density would have much great drop across the core. But since you went up in size the drop difference brtween these 2 might be very minimal.
*) 3" pic is a hi flow low psi drop across the core. Flows more air but overall cooling is decreased.
The othe one
*)5" pic is hi density core. More psi drop across the core, over all flow is decreased. (Compared to same size hi flow)
Cooling is greatly increased.
IF those cores were the same 3" size. Your hi density would have much great drop across the core. But since you went up in size the drop difference brtween these 2 might be very minimal.
01-20-2014, 03:57 PM
#7
9 Second Club
Whilst the above is true....even the Garrett core at 3" might still have adequate capacity not to restrict flow.
So whilst it may have the potential for more pressure loss across the core...in reality if it has adequate capacity that will not happen.
So whilst it may have the potential for more pressure loss across the core...in reality if it has adequate capacity that will not happen.
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01-20-2014, 03:58 PM
#8
9 Second Club
Whilst the above is true....even the Garrett core at 3" might still have adequate capacity not to restrict flow.
So whilst it may have the potential for more pressure loss across the core...in reality if it has adequate capacity that will not happen.
So whilst it may have the potential for more pressure loss across the core...in reality if it has adequate capacity that will not happen.
01-21-2014, 02:54 AM
#15
Great post, thanks for sharing. It would be interesting to see what no intercooler was like as a further comparison. I have a feeling that these 'high flow' intercoolers are actually doing VERY little!
01-21-2014, 05:34 AM
#16
9 Second Club
Although it has to be said, that "cheap" intercooler is not typical of the cheap Chinese units.
Which whilst still a very poor design, are very different to that extruded tube design in the photo.
Which whilst still a very poor design, are very different to that extruded tube design in the photo.
