Custom intercooler setups pros/cons

[Cknight199]

Okay so I was just thinking of maximizing an intercooler setup. The first intercooler is similar to stock, without the 90 degree bend on the intercooler, wouldn't it be more effective to have an intercooler like the two pictured below it? Rather than just using 40% of the center of the intercooler for 70% or so of the cooling.

Wouldn't the intercooler below it work more effectively to spread evenly between the whole intercooler face? Because it enters and exits trough the bottom I would think it would force the air throughout the intercooler rather than just go through the center portion.

Or the very bottom was just a thought to use 1 intercooler with two openings and exits so it works like two smaller intercoolers.

This could all be wrong, it's just a hunch, does anyone have any insight/opinions on the designs? Just a thought. I could be thinking wrong and it not sound the same to someone else.

Please excuse my chicken scratch design

 

[jmaz268]

Air wouldn't just flow through the middle of the intercooler, you have to think of the fact that it is pressurizing everything.

 

[Cknight199]

Air wouldn't just flow through the middle of the intercooler, you have to think of the fact that it is pressurizing everything.

But wouldn't more air flow through the center rather than taking the longer route to the exit?

 

[PureHybrid]

Dont some of the aftermarket cast coolers have flow dividers in the end tanks?

 

[MAXX IT OUT]

I was thinking more about the 6.4 inter-cooler design, Hot air in the top and cold air out of the bottom.

 

[Andrew]

subd very interesting I agree with cknight that more air should flow thru the center just natural physics there it goes thru the path of least resistance im not a scientist or nothing just stating my thoughts

 

[yellowchevy]

Having two discharge ends I think create more heat because you're making more bends for the air the to go causes friction & heat.

Jmaz is correct your pressurizing the system, but you may get more air flow in the center but I don't think enough to worry: I'm not an expert so I maybe wrong.

Fins inside the end caps would help direct it & potentially reduce the amount of vorticities. Spelling

Yellowchevy

 

[blk smoke lb7]

Cooling at the very top and cooling at the very bottom maynot be ideal but it still adds to the overall cooling of the charge.Larger cooling surface or more or larger volume.

 

[Cknight199]

Thanks for all the input so far I guess the true only way to answer the questions is to test it... Maybe someday I'll be able to test it by Monitoring hot side temp and boost and cold side temp and boost

 

[MAXX IT OUT]

This winter I am looking at building a inter-cooler, I just don't like the idea of the stock and aftermarket inter-coolers not being used to full potential. Hot air rises and cold air falls, so for a even cooling distribution a top in and a bottom out would works best. Then you have to get side to side distribution you could use fins to spread the air out. This way, you could cut out the length of your piping on the hot side as well as get better cooling.
Cknight199 if you want to test your theory, pull you inter-cooler out, chill it and run hot air through under pressure and see how the intercooler warms up.

 

[dmax711]

When I first mocked up the i.c. I built I squeezed in the thickest core I could possibly get in there and still retain the trans cooler. I was very surprised at how cool it runs, on the hot side after running for say a half hour without sitting still its very hot almost cant touch it, the cold side is very cold. a few friends that have seen it couldn't believe it ran that cool. I need to get some temp readings for sure..

 

[BLACKMAX1]

When I first mocked up the i.c. I built I squeezed in the thickest core I could possibly get in there and still retain the trans cooler. I was very surprised at how cool it runs, on the hot side after running for say a half hour without sitting still its very hot almost cant touch it, the cold side is very cold. a few friends that have seen it couldn't believe it ran that cool. I need to get some temp readings for sure..

Pics bro.

 

[dmax711]

here ya go

 

[Harbin_22]

Stick a few temp probes on the stock one at the top and bottom and see how much difference there is. That would probably tell you if it is worth messing with

 

[JoshH]

The factory intercooler in the van is exactly like the second one in your picture except the inlet and outlet are at the top instead of the bottom.

 

[joe@HSPDIESEL]

Here are a few pictures of a setup I build about a year and a half ago for my race truck, I wont be using the setup anymore, But I do think it would have worked well. Knowing what I know now I would be building my own end tanks with flow dividers in them to help direct the air evenly throughout the core.

 

[yellowchevy]

Here are a few pictures of a setup I build about a year and a half ago for my race truck, I wont be using the setup anymore, But I do think it would have worked well. Knowing what I know now I would be building my own end tanks with flow dividers in them to help direct the air evenly throughout the core.

Looks very nice. :thumb:
Also looks like it was fun to get everything to fit.

Yellowchevy

 

[BLACKMAX1]

here ya go

thanks that thing is sweet.

 

[MAXX IT OUT]

When I first mocked up the i.c. I built I squeezed in the thickest core I could possibly get in there and still retain the trans cooler. I was very surprised at how cool it runs, on the hot side after running for say a half hour without sitting still its very hot almost cant touch it, the cold side is very cold. a few friends that have seen it couldn't believe it ran that cool. I need to get some temp readings for sure..

Did you move your ac cooler core back to where the stock intercooler was?

 

[dmax711]

Did you move your ac cooler core back to where the stock intercooler was?

No, the only thing I moved a bit was the trans cooler.