Air conditioned intake?
Air conditioned intake? Has anyone ever thought about using the air conditioner to lower the intake temprature? I am not entire sure if it would work but what if? What if you could use the cold air the ac is pumping out to give you more HP? Maybe I could be onto something? 
Staging Lane
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 86
Likes: 0
Its an interesting idea, but in reality it probably wouldn't proce to be very effective. Think about it this way:
The difference between running your car in winter (say at 20 degrees) compared to summer (say 80 degrees) is rather small, but still noticeable. The difference between running yoru car with or without the A/C is definitely noticeable.
Chances are the A/C compressor would draw more power from the motor than the cooler air would actually be making
The difference between running your car in winter (say at 20 degrees) compared to summer (say 80 degrees) is rather small, but still noticeable. The difference between running yoru car with or without the A/C is definitely noticeable.
Chances are the A/C compressor would draw more power from the motor than the cooler air would actually be making
Originally Posted by 98BanditWS6
Its an interesting idea, but in reality it probably wouldn't proce to be very effective. Think about it this way:
The difference between running your car in winter (say at 20 degrees) compared to summer (say 80 degrees) is rather small, but still noticeable. The difference between running yoru car with or without the A/C is definitely noticeable.
Chances are the A/C compressor would draw more power from the motor than the cooler air would actually be making
The difference between running your car in winter (say at 20 degrees) compared to summer (say 80 degrees) is rather small, but still noticeable. The difference between running yoru car with or without the A/C is definitely noticeable.
Chances are the A/C compressor would draw more power from the motor than the cooler air would actually be making
Staging Lane
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 86
Likes: 0
Originally Posted by camaroextra
Not so. The losses of an a/c compressor are static, while the gains from colder air are exponential. You could overcome the 12hp by cooling the intake charge, more. You would be suprised how much power is gained from the cooling effects of nitrous, its not all just the extra oxygen.
It would have to be a rather large gap in terms of incoming air/cooled air to make up that 12 Horsepower.
Originally Posted by 98BanditWS6
True, but the air coming out of the A/C compressor is nothing close to cold winter air or the cooling effect that nitrous can have.
It would have to be a rather large gap in terms of incoming air/cooled air to make up that 12 Horsepower.
It would have to be a rather large gap in terms of incoming air/cooled air to make up that 12 Horsepower.
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Originally Posted by 98BanditWS6
Its an interesting idea, but in reality it probably wouldn't proce to be very effective. Think about it this way:
The difference between running your car in winter (say at 20 degrees) compared to summer (say 80 degrees) is rather small, but still noticeable. The difference between running yoru car with or without the A/C is definitely noticeable.
Chances are the A/C compressor would draw more power from the motor than the cooler air would actually be making
The difference between running your car in winter (say at 20 degrees) compared to summer (say 80 degrees) is rather small, but still noticeable. The difference between running yoru car with or without the A/C is definitely noticeable.
Chances are the A/C compressor would draw more power from the motor than the cooler air would actually be making
98BanditWS6: I don't run my car in the snow in the winter. Even if I did, I would not need my ac on. Since I would not be using the ac, it wouldn't need to be engaged.
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The AC compressors in cars have nowhere enough BTU's of cooling capacity to constantly chill the amount of air that an engine requres to run. Ford did have a momentary "chiller" like you speak of for a blown engine (forgot what car), but it only was good for a very short time, like in terms of seconds.
The theory of A/C is to remove heat. You PERCEIVE it as a cooling effect when the warm air in the pass compartment is drawn over the cooling fins of the evaporator and is blown back out at a lower temp. Do you plan to put and evaporator in front of your air intake or run plumbing from your pass compartment evap? Big bucks are spent on intercoolers and such to do what you're planning. I've never heard of anyone trying this, but the idea of cooling your intake charge has merit whether you method does or not is another question.
Ford did this exact thing with that 2005 Lightning concept kinda. They used to A/C to store excesses cold coolant and at the push of a button it would give the supercharger a burst of cold coolant. Supposedly it works very well on S/C engines and they even patended it.
"Coletti’s team fit the SVT Lightning concept with an all-aluminum, 5.4-liter DOHC supercharged and intercooled V-8 engine conservatively rated at 500 horsepower and 500 foot pounds of torque (SAE net). And while they were at it, they invented and patented a speed secret for those times when even that much power just isn’t enough.
Ford’s patented SuperCooler technology cleverly provides a special burst of power for the SVT Lightning concept. Traditional intercoolers dissipate heat from the supercharged air by circulating coolant through a front-mounted, air-cooled radiator. With the SuperCooler system, the vehicle’s air conditioning system is used to chill a small storage tank of coolant to about 30 degrees Fahrenheit.
On demand, the SuperCooler system switches the intercooler flow from its normal circulation and dumps the chilled coolant into the engine’s intercooler. In turn, the intercooler dissipates up to 20 percent more heat from the charge air – resulting in a denser air charge.
A green light on the instrument panel indicates the system’s readiness. SuperCooler is activated automatically when the driver depresses the accelerator to a wide-open-throttle position."
"Coletti’s team fit the SVT Lightning concept with an all-aluminum, 5.4-liter DOHC supercharged and intercooled V-8 engine conservatively rated at 500 horsepower and 500 foot pounds of torque (SAE net). And while they were at it, they invented and patented a speed secret for those times when even that much power just isn’t enough.
Ford’s patented SuperCooler technology cleverly provides a special burst of power for the SVT Lightning concept. Traditional intercoolers dissipate heat from the supercharged air by circulating coolant through a front-mounted, air-cooled radiator. With the SuperCooler system, the vehicle’s air conditioning system is used to chill a small storage tank of coolant to about 30 degrees Fahrenheit.
On demand, the SuperCooler system switches the intercooler flow from its normal circulation and dumps the chilled coolant into the engine’s intercooler. In turn, the intercooler dissipates up to 20 percent more heat from the charge air – resulting in a denser air charge.
A green light on the instrument panel indicates the system’s readiness. SuperCooler is activated automatically when the driver depresses the accelerator to a wide-open-throttle position."
^^^pretty neat idea. That'd be about the only way to make it work, you couldn't run the a/c at WOT all the way up to redline....the compressor just can't take those rpms---which is why it cuts off at 4k rpm from the factory.
