Best Gtr intercoolers

[LaurelPWR]

Inside of an old HKS 100mm Type R intercooler

[LaurelPWR]

So it's a shitty 20yr old design that was compromised even back then but has a huge price tag just cause fan boys will still buy them 

From what I've seen from plasmaman the ARC is a superior intercooler for both flow and cooling efficiency. They are both tube and fin which is great for 400kw and above but the ARC not only has altogether larger charge entry windows, but has smooth funnel shape entry faces around the edges of all its tubes on the charge entry side.

compared to the poorly flowing entry of the plazmaman with its (dare I say) outdated 3-4mm protruding tube area in the intake charge end tank area that creates eddies and vortexes around these raised edges making the air do a 180° away from the entry and then another 180° back to the entry again.

The ARC appears to have louvred, serrated and wavy fins in its core which all vary slightly in flow and pressure drop but are all very efficient at absorbing heat and creating chaotic flow which mixes the charge air around in each tube as it passes from hot side to cold side furthering heat absorption efficiency but again at a ever so slightly higher pressure drop. This minute pressure drop would more than likely be offset by the gain in denser cooler charge which in turn will obviously make more power.

The fins inside the ARC also have a larger surface area on their "apex" where they contact the tube wall surface which gives a drastically better chance of all fins being fully fused to the tube wall which in turn guarantees the whole core will do its job absorbing heat and passing it onto the outer tube walls.
The ARC also has delta fin or apexed ambient side tube faces which are proven to scrub heat more effectively than plain "bull nose" radius tube faces.

The plazmaman core inside looks practically identical to my brothers HDI Gt2 $350 core inside but definitely has better end tanks than the HDI...

The Nismo items are very similar in design to the ARC, so you may find that these apparently "outdated design" coolers might actually be a little ahead of thier time lol

[TXSquirrel]

So Plazmaman's protruding tube and fin is actually worse than bar and plate (or plate and shell)? 

[Piggaz]

Entry into a Nismo core. 

[Piggaz]

Hypertune 680x325x100 core.

[LaurelPWR]

Ok...so that nismo looks like an older model and very similar to the older HKS and trust/GReddy cores I've seen, which are still a great design for big turbo, high kw applications and regardless of the protruding tube into the tank area, are the best flowing and strongest design by far having only three actual components to their construction. The charge air entry windows are larger and less restrictive on these types and additionally, the fully extruded tube/fin type core you see in these HKS, Trust, Nismo type cores fins have 100% cooling efficiency in that the fins are actually part of the tube structure and so are joined to the tube wall 100% everywhere which guarantees all the fins will absorb and disperse heat to the outside of the core.

The nismo is absolutely overpriced though...If I was spending the big dollars, I would either go hypertune or ARC for sure.

The hypertune runs a euro type core and are clearly excellent quality with a good design charge entry plate area, the apexes would promote flow and the large height of the entry windows would also further this.
Plate and fin are more prone to failure though, as they have many more components to their construction which also makes them heavier but even without knowing where their cores come from, one would assume the hypertune is of all round top level quality.
One compromise with the hypertune is the ambient air faces have straight flat fronts being bar and plate
which don't cut through incoming air as well as the rounded bull nose face of the tube and fin types which flow better and get more air to that radiator

Or even better again is the ARC with its delta or apex type ambient tube face that cuts air better while getting more cold air scrub across the angled face giving more cooling and great flow all in one
My other and biggest complaint with the hypertune is the charge entry and exit being at the same height and direction on both ends...

the ARC, plazmaman, Nismo, HKS, Trust, HPI and oem types all get the end tanks right with the slightly uneven entry to exit height and tank angle shape
The uneven entry/exit helps mix charge air and fill the whole core more evenly thus preventing a certain percentage of pressure drop and getting a more efficient level of heat soak inside the core resulting in much more cooling.
Like the above brand coolers, the hypertune does have an ok shaped end tank in that it has a straight merge from inlet pipe to core face
This prevents flow eddies that like to form inside corners and promotes faster flow which is a good thing inside the larger 100mm+ and long coolers because by nature, the bigger the core, the bigger the surface area and the bigger the restriction/pressure drop can be.

Intercoolers are like everything in the turbo game, it's all a compromise and about what suits your goals best.

[Piggaz]

Nismo cooler was purchased May 2011 so it’s not “that old”.

I believe Hypertune were looking into a cast end tank. Not sure if it has happened, I haven’t seen one to date.

The pics of that 33 look familiar ??

[LaurelPWR]

Nismo cooler was purchased May 2011 so it’s not “that old”.
I believe Hypertune were looking into a cast end tank. Not sure if it has happened, I haven’t seen one to date.

I would love to see their cooler with cast end tanks!

[baicai]

New Nismo intercooler has different design compared to old one.

[LaurelPWR]

New Nismo intercooler has different design compared to old one.

 

 

Not necessarily, it's still extruded tube design like the old one but the tubes look to be full extruded tube and fin and stacked a lot closer together with less size to the fins in the new version tubes..

It looks like it would flow more and better but possibly at a slight cost to cooling efficiency [emoji848]

[r32-25t]

Do you actually have any data or just sales brochures and belief on what you think looks like works?

[LaurelPWR]

Do you actually have any data or just sales brochures and belief on what you think looks like works?

I could say the same about your opinions on the plazmaman and hypertune.. what basis do you have that their cores flow and cool better than any of the high end jap stuff...get over yourself man.
Everything I've stated is unbiased data and knowledge taken directly from a company who's staff have a combined 56 years experience with radiator and intercooler technology....
and guess what, it's an Australian company.
Just because the plazmaman or hypertune cost a shit ton of money and are partly hand assembled, doesn't mean they're any better than the next cooler.
And to answer your question, no. I've never looked at a catalogue for any of the above intercoolers lol it's just basic science dude.

[Dose Pipe Sutututu]

I see many WTAC and circuit cars all running either Plazmaman or Hypertune or PWR.

Haven't seen many with Nismo or GReddy cores, I would base my decisions on that to be honest.

[LaurelPWR]

I see many WTAC and circuit cars all running either Plazmaman or Hypertune or PWR.

Haven't seen many with Nismo or GReddy cores, I would base my decisions on that to be honest.

 

There's been plenty of top level time attack cars around the world running ARC, hypertune, Nismo, plazmaman, Mines etc. cores and a lot of those cars that run whatever brands are sponsored at that level so it's negligible anyways...but seriously, they are all great intercoolers and as I've already said, it really comes down to matching the core to the set up and end goal.

I'm now a lot more unbiased to what brand has the most high profile cars running them or price tag and am trying to base my judgement on the science behind the different core types. It's been quite interesting learning more about it all actually and I have to admit, when I first started researching I assumed the hypertune would be the outright best haha but there really is no "best" intercooler, they all have their own strengths and weaknesses for sure (it's all about compromise) and as I keep saying, for best performance a core should be matched to the rest of the set up just like when choosing a turbo.

There certainly is a "worst" intercooler tho and that's the poorly made, very low quality controlled materials and construction process of the Chinese types and even some oem type cores.

 

I would love nothing more than to see some same day, same car, same set up, same dyno data results of all the high end brands from around the world. That would be porn!

[Robzilla32]

So the consensus is?

Probably a moot point for me as I have bought a Plazmaman and my power goals aren't going to wow anyone reading this.

But what I take away from this is:

1. (Newer) Arc and Nismo aren't anywhere near as rubbish as previously suggested but you need a bag of cash.
2. Hypertune is really good but also flawed and you need to wait 6 months to get one.
3. Plazmaman is a good local option that also has shortcomings.

[LaurelPWR]

So the consensus is?

Probably a moot point for me as I have bought a Plazmaman and my power goals aren't going to wow anyone reading this.

But what I take away from this is:

1. (Newer) Arc and Nismo aren't anywhere near as rubbish as previously suggested but you need a bag of cash.
2. Hypertune is really good but also flawed and you need to wait 6 months to get one.
3. Plazmaman is a good local option that also has shortcomings.

All intercoolers have some sort of "shortcomings" but it's about finding the right balance of flow and cooling efficiency for your desired set up.

I think bang for buck and the fact that the plazmaman being probably the cheapest option of all the high end brands...you've made the rite choice.

[djr81]

PWR core - above.

 

Nissan core - above. The joys of recirculating blow by.

 

Plazmaman core.

[LaurelPWR]

I'm surprised how shit the inside of that PWR looks.... the tubes are protruding into the end tank a good 6+mm and weld dags everywhere....welded plate end tanks certainly are a step down in flow from a cast end tank...

The plazmaman easily takes the win out of those three!

 

[Dose Pipe Sutututu]

51 minutes ago, LaurelPWR said:

I'm surprised how shit the inside of that PWR looks.... the tubes are protruding into the end tank a good 6+mm and weld dags everywhere....welded plate end tanks certainly are a step down in flow from a cast end tank...

The plazmaman easily takes the win out of those three!

 

Yeah PWR aren't known for their good welds, but their radiators beast (well the cores are). My PWR radiator welds look pretty shit too, when you compare it to anything that comes out of Plazmaman or Hypertune.

[Buraz]

I have to agree with the PWR welds!! My brothers RX7 has a PWR radiator and oil cooler setup and radiator cracks around the welds, it’s been repaired numerous times now . Apparently very common issue with their radiators. Pretty disappointing for like an $800 radiator.

On another note on my Gtr I run a Cooling Pro 100mm Intercooler. Wonder how much that’s restricting my setup. On the dyno after maybe 8 pulls it’ll drop 8-10rwkw but I gotta say the dyno fan was shithouse too