D22 now intercooled

[2greedy]

Hi guy's

I have just fitted a forefront industries front mount inter cooler and i can't really tell any difference.

My question is...i have a 3" mandrel bent system straight through from the cat with a uni-chip fitted, do i have to get the chip re-tuned or should the intercooler work as it is? vehicle also has snorkel.

 

[Bad Juju]

Intercooler wont make ANY power, what it does do is reduce the heat load going into the engine by hopefully dropping the inlet temp so that your engine can have an easier time when it is loaded up with more fuel and a denser charge (cause the air should be cooler) so IT can make more power.
Driving like Ms Daisy you will see NO difference, even driving round with moderate acceleration will see virtually no difference, under sustained high load is where the difference will be found.

 

[Old.Tony]

^ As above. Power increase from a standard intercooler is marginal. Inlet temps of 200C-250C are generally dropped to the mid 50-100C range. This increases the number of air molecules (O2, N2 mostly) available in the combustion chamber but since the diesel engine runs lean most of the time the actual impact is not really noticeable.

A dyno will show the difference and then you'll wonder what the fuss was about.

For me, the intercooler is there for an entirely different reason.

I have a choice between having an intercooler or not. The difference is:

Intercooler cost + turbocharger replacement cost (say $1000 + $1500)

vs

Turbocharger replacement cost + engine replacement cost ($1500 + $10,000)

I know which one I'd prefer. Figures aren't accurate but they're a fair guide to the difference. Think of the intercooler more as insurance and not so much as a performance booster.

 

[camo.b]

Intercooler wont make ANY power, what it does do is reduce the heat load going into the engine by hopefully dropping the inlet temp so that your engine can have an easier time when it is loaded up with more fuel and a denser charge (cause the air should be cooler) so IT can make more power.
Driving like Ms Daisy you will see NO difference, even driving round with moderate acceleration will see virtually no difference, under sustained high load is where the difference will be found.

Dont suppose you have any stats on post cooler temps with a aftermarket cooler do you.? Is ambient air temp the best you can hope for without forced (water spray) intercooler cooling?
Im probably between ambient and +20 on a spirited run...
Running the stock cooler now.

 

[camo.b]

^Which i didnt think was too bad.considering my pre cooler temps @30psi are tipping over 200° with a inlet air temp of 33°

 

[Old.Tony]

Dont suppose you have any stats on post cooler temps with a aftermarket cooler do you.? Is ambient air temp the best you can hope for without forced (water spray) intercooler cooling?
Im probably between ambient and +20 on a spirited run...
Running the stock cooler now.

From a few different performance forums that I've been reading, stock intercoolers don't get temps down to ambient. Close, but W2A gets closer.

Not much use in the middle of summer with ambients > 45C. In Winter you'd have to put ethylene glycol in your W2A but it'd make a huge difference then!

 

[camo.b]

Im seeing a few degrees over ambient just running around town and mabee +20 when im ringing its neck...im reading the intake sensor over obd...i have a thermocouple just after the turbo (in the ally elbow) and one in the neck of the intake manifold..also a egt sensor pre turbo....high 30s today here and and the temp at the intake manifold got to 50 to 60ish..i was surprised...mind you egts will still get over 800° half way thru 4th gear

 

[Bad Juju]

I do know the best intercoolers on the planet have laminova cores and are water to air.
but bring your credit card they are not cheap.

 

[Old.Tony]

You have to wonder if they're giving you enough bang for your buck too. There are less expensive ways to get more power!

 

[camo.b]

You have to wonder if they're giving you enough bang for your buck too. There are less expensive ways to get more power!

Totally agree.but there come a point where you have the power but just too much heat also.im more about stabilizing what i have now before i move any further...and i really want to move further!

 

[Old.Tony]

Back when we were looking at increasing the output of my XJS (5.3L V12) we were tossing around the idea of refrigerating the inbound air stream, passing the air through a heat exchanger sitting at something like 4C (by utilising the existing air conditioning system). That could help, unless you kill the A/C to improve the power output.

 

[tweak'e]

Hi guy's

I have just fitted a forefront industries front mount inter cooler and i can't really tell any difference.

My question is...i have a 3" mandrel bent system straight through from the cat with a uni-chip fitted, do i have to get the chip re-tuned or should the intercooler work as it is? vehicle also has snorkel.

a little surprised theres no difference.
generally there is a minor difference simply due to denser air flow. more so with chipped engines due to the increase in fuel they can make use of the extra air.

did you leak test the system?
it only takes a small leak to loose any gain.

 

[Cometbreeze]

If you have a chip and a snorkel and now upgraded inter cooler you need to up your boost to a safe level to match the rest and you will see an improvement in power and toque. Like tweak says providing you have no leaks

 

[Forefront Industries]

like anything in life i guess it comes down to personal opinion and expectations

I have some people call me up saying they cant believe the difference the cooler makes in performance

then others say yeh little bit more pulling power up a hill but nothing special.

as for KW or HP gains from intercooler install only....i wouldnt expect to see much...but torque definitely and we've seen this on a dyno during testing and tuning ....and torque may be harder for some people to feel in general driving .

 

[camo.b]

....and torque may be harder for some people to feel in general driving .

Depends on your driving style too.if your babying it you might not notice much.as opposed to blowing out the cobwebs.

 

[charlie strayarc]

well mine made a little bit of differance, both top mount and front mount pretty much the same, but I wouldnt have known if I didnt do my little hill climb test thing, before and after. More info in my intercooler thread.