Custom intercooler setups pros/cons
- Thread starter Cknight199
- Start date
I couldn't find cores were that wide to run the core vertical. Now I want to do it with the normal with one of the ends flipped, the input on top and the output on the bottom and mostly in the normal place.
Crazy talk.
The "hot air rises" philosophy has literally zero significance with uniformly compressed air in an established laminar flow. The defitition of a laminar flow is that each molecule follows the one in front of it wherever the path of least resistance is, with resistance caused by a volumetric expansion/contraction, surface imperfections increasing adhesion, or a sharp bend in the plumbing.
To the OP: what makes you think the stock end tanks direct more airflow through the center while the bottom feeding end tanks would spread the flow evenly? Have you recorded any sort of data with your stock intercooler yet? There may be no reason to change unless the stocker is cracked or something...
Just for posterity I'll throw an idea out there that I've kicked around. When I look at the stock intercooler on my LML, the first issue that pops into my head isn't the fluid mechanical optomization of the end tanks. The first thing I think when I pop the hood is d*** that's alot of tubing to push a highly compressible fluid through! Swapping one core for a bigger or better constructed core still leaves you blowing air into one end of a very long crazy twisty straw and waiting to see results at the far end. Not to mention all the big names charging $1500+ to provide a moderately improved version of the stock layout. They deserve sand ground in all their holes for pretending to engineer an improvement.
Since my first concern would be decreasing the volume between the turbo and intake valves, I'd probably rotate the compressor on my turbo to discharge to the passenger side (not even sure it's possible on a stock gt 37) and route the discharge into an efficient water to air core, then straight back into a custom 3" intake feeding the manifold. With a water/air core it's easy to feed the cooling water counter current to the air charge to maximize thermal transfer and minimize air inlet temps. Get a radiator to cool the water and mount it strategically so your engine coolant radiator is getting more clean air than before. Maybe get crazy and add an ice box so your intake air charge is the same temp every time you go to the track regardless of ambient air temp. The benefits far outweigh the downfalls and the biggest improvement is that your total intake tract turbo to engine is cut to maybe 36" of total flow path. I'd be shocked if throttle response didn't improve a crap load.
I've never done it because my LML in stock form has the power to hit the speed limiter pulling everything I own up the biggest hill in tennessee, and the people currently charging $2000 plus putting your VIN on some EPA hit list just to tune decent throttle response into an LML deserve sand in all their holes too. All I'm saying is I've taken alot of fluid mechanics courses at a really prestigious school for a degree I'll never actually use, and my brain says if you're not optimizing the overall intake tract flow there's probably not a $1500 gain in another front mount intercooler.
The "hot air rises" philosophy has literally zero significance with uniformly compressed air in an established laminar flow. The defitition of a laminar flow is that each molecule follows the one in front of it wherever the path of least resistance is, with resistance caused by a volumetric expansion/contraction, surface imperfections increasing adhesion, or a sharp bend in the plumbing.
To the OP: what makes you think the stock end tanks direct more airflow through the center while the bottom feeding end tanks would spread the flow evenly? Have you recorded any sort of data with your stock intercooler yet? There may be no reason to change unless the stocker is cracked or something...
Just for posterity I'll throw an idea out there that I've kicked around. When I look at the stock intercooler on my LML, the first issue that pops into my head isn't the fluid mechanical optomization of the end tanks. The first thing I think when I pop the hood is d*** that's alot of tubing to push a highly compressible fluid through! Swapping one core for a bigger or better constructed core still leaves you blowing air into one end of a very long crazy twisty straw and waiting to see results at the far end. Not to mention all the big names charging $1500+ to provide a moderately improved version of the stock layout. They deserve sand ground in all their holes for pretending to engineer an improvement.
Since my first concern would be decreasing the volume between the turbo and intake valves, I'd probably rotate the compressor on my turbo to discharge to the passenger side (not even sure it's possible on a stock gt 37) and route the discharge into an efficient water to air core, then straight back into a custom 3" intake feeding the manifold. With a water/air core it's easy to feed the cooling water counter current to the air charge to maximize thermal transfer and minimize air inlet temps. Get a radiator to cool the water and mount it strategically so your engine coolant radiator is getting more clean air than before. Maybe get crazy and add an ice box so your intake air charge is the same temp every time you go to the track regardless of ambient air temp. The benefits far outweigh the downfalls and the biggest improvement is that your total intake tract turbo to engine is cut to maybe 36" of total flow path. I'd be shocked if throttle response didn't improve a crap load.
I've never done it because my LML in stock form has the power to hit the speed limiter pulling everything I own up the biggest hill in tennessee, and the people currently charging $2000 plus putting your VIN on some EPA hit list just to tune decent throttle response into an LML deserve sand in all their holes too. All I'm saying is I've taken alot of fluid mechanics courses at a really prestigious school for a degree I'll never actually use, and my brain says if you're not optimizing the overall intake tract flow there's probably not a $1500 gain in another front mount intercooler.
Oh btw
Water/air setups are also WAY cheaper because for some reason people dont want to run them.
But look at every sled puller...
To the other guy posting above 6.4s run the front mounts with vertical flow and I know spearco makes cores for whatever setup you want.
Water/air setups are also WAY cheaper because for some reason people dont want to run them.
But look at every sled puller...
To the other guy posting above 6.4s run the front mounts with vertical flow and I know spearco makes cores for whatever setup you want.
Water/Air setups aren't as cheap as you think, they have a lot more parts and in the end you'd never save any money. If you're going to use it on the street, you'll need a extra heat exchanger, water pump, and preferably a tank. Of course you'll need the intercooler as well. Don't get me wrong, I love water/air setups.
You make a good point I shouldnt have pitched as dirt cheap, but I'd expect to pay less than $1500 if I were doing some of the install myself. I just think if you're serious about upgrading an intercooler system you need to start from scratch and address engineering shortfalls, not just spend $1500 for a slightly better version of stock.
At least the current IC's on the market appear to be bringing the price down quite a bit. I believe Mishimoto's is around 1K. I agree if you have the time and the expertise, you should try to improve the system as a whole.
I like that set up, I want to do something like that, but just a little taller. Do you know the size of the pro-charger intercooler. I found a treadstone TRV259 that is Overall Size 26.50" X 15.00" X 3.50" with a Core Size 25.00" X 9.00" X 3.50".
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What have you seen as far as performance with the procharger intercooler over the stock or stock style intercooler? How do you think it would fare daily driving and towing?
What does a smaller air to air intercooler, like the procharger setup, get us vs the stock setup? I would think less "core volume" would not sufficiently allow the air time to cool as much with the smaller intercoolers vs what we currently have.
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Just becauae the i.c. is smaller doeant mean its going to cool less air. It Depends on how air flows through it and how thick the core is. Mines alot smaller them Stock but actually has more area to cool.
So it is more efficient than stock? What do you have? What do you see for as far as performance and what do you do with the truck (tow, DD, race only)?
Theres a pic of my setup on first page of this thread. So far its been used on Stock fuel s475. New motor is almost ready to fire up so that will be ultimate test. I dd the truck
The ford 6.7s run air/water ic from the factory with good luck far as I can tell other then they lose pumps for the ic now and then
ill just be running a mishimoto ic mines cracked and I don't belive ill have a issue with volume with my 66/80 combo and im not going to go crazy and start adding a w/a kit
ill just be running a mishimoto ic mines cracked and I don't belive ill have a issue with volume with my 66/80 combo and im not going to go crazy and start adding a w/a kit
My new motor will be the ultimate test.. and ive looked into a.w.. to do it rite with good stuff its not cheap. Theres enough stuff that can already go wrong on our trucks why Add to it Lol.
I think you have it wrong, hot side enters the bottom driver's side of 6.4 intercooler and cold pipe comes out passenger top corner and routes underneath the core support to the intake elbow.
I know, that is why i am not using a 6.4 intercooler, I am probably going to use the treadstone intercooler i posted up before