Some intercooler questions...
 

I made a post a while back about an intercooler I picked up from a friend of mine...and I've been reading a lot about "does this one work better than this one" etc lately so I was just curious

It is a tube and fin, 24x6x3.5 no name intercooler that has either 2...or 2.25 inlet/outlet. I keep hearing about people talk about efficiency etc...and I'm wondering whats going on. Like, the difference between a bar/plate or tube/fin. I can't tell the difference by looking at a picture..maybe its just me..
Will it make a huge difference on size? I don't have a lot of money to play with...and the majority of my money is going to the BEGI mani/dp for my 25...so, yeah, I was just curious what you guys would recommend running so I can just have some form of intercooler...

I need to find a copy of IC for dummies.

Knock yourself out:
http://www.are.com.au/techtalk/intecoolersMR.htm

Read about 1/2way down the page where it talks about "is one type better than another": http://www.bellintercoolers.com/page...FAQ.html#FAQ_4

But to sum up:
Does one style core cool better than another?
No, almost no difference. With three decades of testing intercooler’s, we have found no appreciable difference between any core style or manufacturer. Keep in mind, that the merit of a core is it’s efficiency versus its internal drag characteristics. When sized for a tolerable flow loss, virtually all cores will produce essentially the same efficiency results. Perhaps a core with slightly less flow area per linear inch, or one with longer tubes, will need perhaps 5% more tubes to equal the best of intercooler’s with regard to flow loss and efficiency. Not a very important difference.

More fun:
http://www.are.com.au/techtalk/intec...e%20and%20Fin?
http://www.gnttype.org/techarea/turbo/intercooler.html
http://www.turbochargedpower.com/Int...r%20Theory.htm
http://www.turbomustangs.com/turbote...m#coolertheory

wow...where do you find all this shit at...lol, thanks man...happy reading for me :D

Bar and Plate is stronger and heavier...it produces less pressure drop though the core. The Tube/Fin is lighter and cools better, but flows worse. Neither is really better than the other, and they will both work. I like Bar and Plate because it looks baller.

Google is your friend. I just searched for:
intercooler theory
intercooler faq
intercooler design
intercooler type
etc...

I just got a shit ton of honda/nissan classifieds...hmph.

Appreciate it, I've read the first two...hehe.


Where did everybody (Or you samnavy) planning on getting your IC piping/couplers from?

I think I'm going to contact one of the companies on eBay that makes kits... and simply give them a list of the stuff I need and have them assemble a custom kit.. say for example this kit here as a baseline: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2-5-I...34746272QQrdZ1
Except I need it in all 2" stuff:
3x 45* pipes
1x 90* pipe
1x Straight pipe
3x 90* coupler
2x 45* coupler
1x 2"to2.5" coupler
That's 2 less pieces of pipe and 2 less couplers plus the reducer... Shouldn't be too hard. I think I can work out a deal for about $100 shipped.

If that doesn't work out, I'm going here: http://www.lsdmotorsports.com/
http://www.homemadeturbo.com/forum/i...6402.msg424634
They'll run me about $200, but it'll be all top quality pipe and silicone plus Tbolt clamps... we'll see.

I did that with my oil cooler lines. I told the eBay seller the lengths, size and ends. He delivered what I ordered at about 60% of what it would have cost me to put it together. The only compromise was that all my fittings on the car were PT and the hoses were AN. The seller just provided adapters. But it's worked great. A lot of the eBay sellers are more than just retailers without any product control. - rob

These guys let you mix and match and are a hair cheaper. Also, t-bolt clamps are standard.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Inter...ayphotohosting

Actually, there's a possibility it's the same vendor under a different name which happens on ebay.

Jon

nice...got a question on piping, what size should I go with? its going to be a 1.6 w/ a t25...the intercooler has what looks like 2" inlet/outlet. Is 2" fine...or is there a need to do larger?

I have no way to back this up, but I'd suspect 2" pipe would suffice. Especially the hotside pipe. For the I/C to T/B, I might go larger to match the T/B opening. Maybe a 2-2.5 coupler on the I/C, or whatever, but i'd want to expand the i/c pipe before it connects at the throttle body.

Maybe someone has a better answer.

hmmm, is there not a problem with going wider on one side of the intercooler vs the other?

Changing diameter is not a huge problem as long as it's a small change. You wouldn't want couple 2" to 4". We're running fairly low boost levels around here and 2" is probably fine for enything under 250hp from what I've read. I'm a firm believer in keeping it simple.

UofCats is right and his idea is what I'm doing: My IC has 2" ins/outs, and my turbo will have a 2" compressor out, so I'm running 2" pipe on the hot side. The cold side has a nice tight 90* bend where it turns up next to the rad. I'm going to run a 2"-2.5" coupler at the IC and run 2.5" pipe up to the 2.5" TB opening.

thats what I was thinking about doing, but I didn't know if it would help/hurt...when I get to that stage I will look into it more.

All right, just sent an email to the eBay company above re: my parts list. I'll let you know what I got a deal for when they reply. Although they didn't list my specific coupler needs in the ad, I'm sure they've got them:

All 2" Pipe:
2x45* bends
2x Straights

Couplers:
4x90*s
2x45*s
1x 2"-2.5" 90*

11x2" T-bolt clamps
1x2.5" T-bolt clamp

It's not the smoothest flowing solution, but it's simple, it's clean, and it's going to work perfectly.

I really want to see this once you get it completed...how did you get the measurements? Just install the intercooler and figure out what you need? (off to check your thread)...

My intercooler does NOT have any place to mount to...can I have something tackwelded to it to screw into...or what?

The IC is installed. The outlets come to exactly the edge of the radiator, so I don't need a 180* to go around it, just a 90* to point back.
Some IC's come with threaded bungs already welded to them... mine did. Do not puncture the IC!
You can have something brazed into it but I still think you'd just be better off buying one that's already set up for your needs and sell the one you've got. The one I bought was $100, a piece of cake to mount, easy to design the piping. I think the eBay company is probably going to come back with an offer of about $125. Even with that, the total cost of all my IC parts including the stock I used for mounting will be less that $250.

Where did you get your IC from? I can't seem to find any about the size I have...they are all...just massive, or way to thin.

Just go to eBay and search "miata intercooler". Most of the ones you'll see like this are generic and would work on any car. This one fits the Miata perfect, ie. the outlets come to the edge of the radiator, and it's more than enough for anything this side of 300hp.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/28X7X...spagenameZWDVW

hmmm, most of these are just so massive...lol, think I might have found one...post back up later on.