Intake Temp Cooling Options.

[Techo]

Hey Fellow Wagoneers,

I am interested in knowing what people think of different styles of intercoolers. I only recently found out that PWR have bought out a "barrel" style, duel pass, water to air intercooler that you can fit between your standard intercooler & the T/B. The full setup (intercooler, pump, radiator, & plumbing) costs about the same as a decent sized Air to Air installed, but has a lot more stelth & from what I've read, alot more efficiant.

Before everyone directs me to the search button & gives me instructions on it's use, I have used it.

What i'm after is your opinion &/or ideas on how we can further cool intake temps.

Regards,

Jeff

[Terminal]

the only reason you'd go for a water-air intercooler is when there's no room for an air-air. they're more efficient as the energy only has to transfer one medium, not two (water to air still has a radiator making it from air - water - air)

[oxford1327]

i am also looking at fitting a water to air cooler and have looked at several options but the water to air option seems to be the way i will go as it is more discreet as well as being a bit more efficient, i will however watch this thread for updates and also opinions

[AlexCim]

Value for money an air-air cooling will be best.

I mean, youll get a bit less response, but if you can feel it when driving, you are not driving hard enough, or high enough in the rev range.

Went for a drive last night and after stopping to let everything cool down, my GTR cooler was hot to touch on one side and very cold on the other. I mean, how much more cooling could you possibly want.

To the best of my knowledge, apart from times when air-air's dont fit, the use of a air-water-air cooler is for drag racing when you want to have instant cold intake temps off the line.

Mate, if you want to go all out, get a big box of dry ice, run about a metre of pipe through that box, and theres your cooler. Air will be ice cold when it exists.

[oxford1327]

only reason other than being discreet for fitting a water to air type is that you wont have to butcher the front of the car to fit it in there! and you also have less pipework to stuff in the bay.

[wolverine]

i'm just investigating getting a 600x240x75(80) IC made up that should sneak under the front bar support and therefore less hassle installing but still provide ample cooling for a quick shopping trolley.

it'll be a few weeks...

[Sydneykid]

It's all about your power target and what you use the car for. What is good intercooling for a 200 4wkw daily driver is not good intercooling for a 600 4wkw drag car.

Until I have some idea of the power target and the intended usage pattern I don't think I can respond to the question.

cheers

PS, I don't believe a W2A intercooler system (water pump, controller, stainless steel barrel, water pipes, modified inlet pipe work and a heat exchanger in front of the radiator) is any more stealth than a return style, A2A FMIC painted black.

[oxford1327]

in alot of ways i agree with you sydneykid but i am yet to find any one that has fitted an A2A to a series2 without butchering it? if i were to fit an A2A it would be painted matt black but am still looking at the W2A options too.

if you know of anyone who has done a series2 fit out i would be keen to see pics or get details of which kit? as all the ones i have seen in the forums have beeen on series1 stags

[wolverine]

oxford if you wait a few weeks i will have a series II done.

[AMS]

Quick Question Guys!

In regards to the Standard panel filter - is it ok to drive the car day to day without the airbox lid on? Is there any real downsides?

[AlexCim]

Uhh, as long as the filter is there, filtering, i dont see any issues with it.

[AMS]

Cheers Alex. Let me know how you go with yours

[Techo]

Well, I'm going to fit an intercooler water spray this weekend that i'm making from a corrolla wash bottle($10 from wreakers, a couple of garden watering system mist nozzles $2 each & a switch i had in the garage, about $5).

I'll get some pics & a how to incase anyone else wants to have a go.

Should be interesting to see how it goes.

[66yostagea]

Well, I'm going to fit an intercooler water spray this weekend that i'm making from a corrolla wash bottle($10 from wreakers, a couple of garden watering system mist nozzles $2 each & a switch i had in the garage, about $5).

I'll get some pics & a how to incase anyone else wants to have a go.

Should be interesting to see how it goes.

How did it go?

[munchstagea]

How did it go?

Haha 6 months down the track, dig it up, I like it, nice work Hugh!

How did it go, you could hook up some type of thermal switch that was also linked to rpm that would switch it on when required too... If it was effective?

Luke

[AlexCim]

I dont see any real benefit to lower intake temps beyond the std air boxs affect.

If I was serious about it, id get a hole saw, cut a hole where the stock SMIC pipe goes and run a pod to where the stock SMIC sits, otherwise I wouldnt really bother.

I personally cant see a water spray kit being that effective... unless, you sprayed liquid nitrogen or submerged the intercooler in a box of dry ice.

Infact, I think its 1hp for each 1 degree centigrade or something and a water spray kit wont bring the temperature down beyond ambient either. So lets say a decent FMIC which is probaly 10 degrees above ambient... so much effort, so little return.

[Techo]

How did it go?

I couldn't get a good enough one way valve for the right price so the water in the resovour would just siphon out after it was activated. I tried to move the tank lower, but still could not get it low enough for the standard smic

I dont see any real benefit to lower intake temps beyond the std air boxs affect.

If I was serious about it, id get a hole saw, cut a hole where the stock SMIC pipe goes and run a pod to where the stock SMIC sits, otherwise I wouldnt really bother.

I personally cant see a water spray kit being that effective... unless, you sprayed liquid nitrogen or submerged the intercooler in a box of dry ice.

Infact, I think its 1hp for each 1 degree centigrade or something and a water spray kit wont bring the temperature down beyond ambient either. So lets say a decent FMIC which is probaly 10 degrees above ambient... so much effort, so little return.

So what other cooling effect is it, when you see a water bag hanging off the bullbar of some old cockies ute? The water is always suprisingly cold, & all from evaporation. You think that the subie wrx sti had a IC water spray as just a gimick?

Sorry, just a bit of rambling.....

Just my opinion.

Regards,

Jeff

[Sydneykid]

One way antisiphon valve, buy one from your local aquarium retailer.

Mix 70/30 water and metho. Guaranteed to lower the intercooler fins to 15 degrees BELOW ambient at anything over 60 kph.

Don’t believe me?

Try it on your hand

Blow on a dry hand

Then wet it with water and blow again

Notice the temperature drop?

Try it with 70/30, notice even more temperature drop?

cheers

PS; EVO’s have intercooler sprays standard

Edited October 4, 2006 by Sydneykid

[munchstagea]

Nice,

I have felt that cooling metho effect before (cleaning windows) takes me back...

So it could drop the temp below ambient, very much worth it on a 30ºC + day, I thought there was something in this, just wasn't sure! Thanks SK.

Cheers

Luke

[AlexCim]

As most people, ive felt the cooling effect of metho/acetone/paint stripper before but can someone shed some lights on this from a physics point of view.

Ive got an understanding of the idea of boiling temps, latent heats etc, but someone explain to me why water has a higher latent heat of vaporization (therefore should "suck" more energy) but metho feels colder?

Substance Specific latent heat of fusion

kJ.kg-1 ºC Specific latent heat of vaporization

kJ.kg-1 ºC

Water 334 0 2258 100

Ethanol 109 -114 838 78

Ethanoic acid 192 17 395 118

Chloroform 74 -64 254 62

Mercury 11 -39 294 357

Sulphur 54 115 1406 445

Hydrogen 60 -259 449 -253

Oxygen 14 -219 213 -183

Nitrogen 25 -210 199 -196

Do you want to be using something that has a low latent heat and low boiling temperature, so it is more effective in evaporating and drawing energy out. I guess, ideally, something that has a good ratio of latent heat and boiling temp, hence being able to "suck" the most "heat" out with the least temperature change?

As far as WRX's and waterspray, well, the cooler sits on top of a hot engine block, so i am sure they wanted to do as much as they could to help the cooling without going FMIC (lag)

BTW, ARE make a kick ass dry ice to air intercooler, but obviously you need to refill that. Also on mythbusters they made this awesome copper coil in a bucket of dry ice that froze beer before it got down to teh bottom of the coil.

Anyway, cheers