If the IC was to small, what would be the real impact on performance ??

Assuming no slip, Im spinning my YSi, more than Vortech rate it.

Its making 20psi at 7000rpm, so I guess in theory, should be flowing in excess of 1600cfm ??


My intercooler is a bit crap, being a carry over, butchered and adapted from an old setup.

Effectively consists of 2 cores, welded end to end with a small gap inbetween.



Overall tube length approx 23.5"
no of rows/height approx 14"
Core thickness 3.5" ( 2 rows wide, tube and fin construction )

Intake temps with no other cooling assistance ( ie meth ) can quickly rise from circa ambient at 60-70degF, to as high as 140degF in a longish 3rd-4th gear pull.

I dont have a lot of room extra.

I can go as big as...

tube length max 24.5"
rows max 14"
core thickness max 4.5"

fore a side-side setup, excluding end tanks.

But this could be achieved with a single core unit, as opposed to the two crappy ones I welded together ( 11 + 11 + airgap to achieve 23.5" ) which Im sure is hurting airflow now.

Who makes the best cores ? Bell list one suitable for just over $600

The other option is top/bottom end tanks. But I dont believe I have sufficient room for this, and it would also block airflow to my radiator more than a side-side setup.
Overall rectangular space available I guess is

14" x 31" tight fit.

Looking at PWR's website, they list a "downflow" IC 7528287

7.5" tube length x 28" no of rows x 2.87" core thickness rated at 1800 CFM for $649

http://www.pwr-performance.com/intercooler.htm
near bottom of the page

I guess that would fit ok, depending on tank height. Would that be a good setup ?. If it did fit. I could extend that to a thicker core too...say 3.5" or 4" maybe

Another option is of course water. But Ive no idea of the physical dimensions of a unit capable of my demands to even guess if I could use one or not.

Can anyone help in that respect ? I could make a cardboard dummy if I knew what physical size would be required, and see if I could find room for A2W.

 

OK, lacklustre response, I'll simplify.

Which would be better ? design A

Bell core A450138240, 4.5" thick, 13.8" height, 24" tube length. Rated for 832CFM quoted at $634.
Obviously airflow rating doesnt sound ideal.




Or type B.

Bell core A450290060, 4.5" thick, 6.0" tube length, 29" wide. Rated for 2510cfm quoted at $627.
This type may block airflow to my rad more, clearly wont pose a restriction to boosted air.




Other options is core A450290080, 8.0" tube length. Rated for 2447cfm, quoted at $681.

This will reduce available height for end tanks slightly.
I had estimated a 7.5" tube length.


Would both designs cool as well ? Would the latter up/down type cool effectively despite short paths ?


And who would be cheapest for such cores ?

 

Bell makes great quality AtA cores.

I like Garrett AtW.

IMO if you're going to run +20psi you need an AtW IC. I've used twin 6x12x3 vertical flows, 12x24x4 vertical flow and a 12x24x6 horizontal flow ATA IC's. They were all fine at 15ish psi. Around 20psi end of 1/4 mile runs got up to 150Fish...which is too much for me.

Horizontal flow has slightly better thermal eff....but more pressure drop.

Vertical flow has much less pressure drop...doesn't cool quite as well.

AtW has less pressure drop and MUCH better thermal eff than both.

If you have to stay AtA...do the vertical flow and use great fuel and add a meth kit.

 

Ive been running 15+psi for a few years now. Due to limited space, either setup wont be ideal in terms of temperature control. I have meth for that when racing.

But clearly my current setup is inadequate, that is my primary concern, as no doubt it would also contribute to inflated temps.

If I can compare my 2 cores to anything Bells have to offer in terms of airflow....closest match would be circa 650cfm, and thats assuming a single core/pass
Chances are mine flow less.

Although oddly I did do some logging in each end tank last year, and there wasnt a huge pressure drop across the core.

I'll consider water as a last option unless the units are compact enough. A2A is totally maintentance free, and easier to install, and cheaper.


So would opting for the least restrictive setup be best ( I'm tending towards this idea ) or opt for the more restrcitve, but longer tubes, which should cool more ?

The fact a vertical flow can offer some 2500cfm of air paths, sounds good, and it should slow the air suffciently for decent cooling as it passes through ?

As for fuel...I'm still sticking with pump fuel.

 

With all that said, the vertical flow core and meth is your friend.

 

If you put some taper in the tanks you can minimize the impact to radiator flow:



This is a Bell with core size 23.5"W x 6"H x 4.5"Deep, flow is 2078cfm.

Also you shouldn't need the internal air routing vane on the output side of the core - with only one way out the air will come together nicely. With the tapered inlet tank I understand that helps with distribution over the entire core as well.

At ~13# I cannot detect any pressure drop, we'll see as I go higher.

I like the vertical tank/meth option as well and am setting up my FJO Racing meth kit to inject into the hat.

I also did a good job ducting air to the IC (via a sheetmetal duct formed behind the front bumper) and sealing the gap between the IC and the rad with foam, which helps lower the restriction of the IC to the rad.

Jim

 

Finally bought a core...should be big enough I hope.

its made up of a 60mm and 50mm core. Extruded tube design. Oddly the tubes dont appear to align, although light does easily shine through the fins of the core itself.

Tube length 23.6"
Rows/height 15"
Thickness 4.5"

And yes, I know my welding is ****, but it doesnt leak ! ( and the welding of the cores looks **** too, and I didnt do that ! ) The core itself looks great though.









So much better than what was in there. Havent had a chance to drive the car yet though. Hopefully I wont run into any overheating issues, as the radiator's airflow is bound to suffer.