Intercoolers: Paint vs Performance
 

Just in case anyone was interested in these results, mishimoto did a test with painted vs nonpainted intercoolers.

http://lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/yhst-...ngineering.pdf

I know this discussion has come up before and I had not seen any hard data either way.

I'm not going to open the link to know paint makes zero difference. I have a brain.

I figured I would just post it up anyway because I have heard people express concerns about painting an intercooler black because of decrease in efficiency.

I always assumed since 99% of the surface area of the intercooler is in the fins it would not matter as long as you didn't clog the airflow with paint like a moron or something.

Congrats, you just made Brains ego even larger. Now he won't fit through even widened double doors

ftfy.

You're gonna have a field day with this thread aren't you?:giggle:

Next we should discuss Konis and 1.6 Miatas

*edit: actually, 1.6 miata's on konis rockin painted intercoolers

I had one of those. still have 2 out of 3.

Learned something new today, thanks!

I just got a hard on

brain learned everything he knows from y8s

and maybe his wife.

slso not opening link because duh.

Does that mean brain is going to sell out too?

I dont even own a miata. In fact, I never have.

My universe is being turned upside down.

Summary
The testing results show that both the painted and unpainted versions of the J-Line intercooler perform virtually identical to one another.

You gays are crayzay. It obviously spools sooner without paint. DUrrrhurr.



On a serious note, wish they tested it with a thermal dispersant coating. I'm confident that shit works, one of my friends that does R&D on LED light bulbs says its the difference between the whole assembly melting within 10 minutes of lighting it up on a test bench and being able to able to run constantly for 10 years. He really really loves it when china decides that they dont need the coating. :vash:

what would be the point? the paint covers .01% of the core and 20% of the endtanks.

maybe it would affect the efficiently if it was painted using brain.

how about this: paint is super thin. probably about as thin as the natural layer of aluminum oxide already insulating the intercooler...

Obviously any halfway decent coating shop doing a thermal disperent coating would make sure to get all the surface area of the core covered.