Air-to-air intercoolers are units that are needed in turbocharged vehicles. These make use of the cooling impact of surrounding air that flows through the unit’s core, so as to remove heat. It works in heat removal in more or less how radiators make use of air flowing through their core, for driving heat away from the coolant of the hot engine. Find it how to install such an air to air intercooler.
How to Install an Air-To-Air Intercooler?
Air-to-air intercoolers can be set up in almost any spot on a car, if there is strong enough flow of air at the site of installation through the whole of the core of the intercooler. Anyway, as these units happen to be “spliced” into the tract of the inlet, with just some extra duct, it is extremely convenient to set these units up. These can generally produce measurable increments in power, although the flow of air through the core might not be maximal always.
For higher than 3 pressure ratios, it might be better that you set an intercooler up between your compressors. Typically, intercoolers are used in between the stages for the reduction of requirements for power and for lowering the gas temperature which might get too high.
It is worth noting that with proper inter-cooling, minimum power requirement can theoretically be achieved. There is no loss of pressure between stages, which makes the compression ratio the same in each stage. But anywhere between 5 – 15 psi loss of pressure is caused constantly by intercoolers, which happens to be something that a cooler design can guarantee.
Air-to-air intercoolers are typically efficient. But an intercooler of this type depends on flow of air from car speed to achieve a cooling effect. This is the reason why, when a car is immobile, it can be heat-soak prone. With front-mounted intercoolers, this is not an issue in most cases. But an intercooler may get overheated at an idle state when it is installed deeper inside the engine.
Do you really need such an intercooler?
Yes. An Air to air intercooler essentially helps in the exchange of heat. When air passes through the outer fins of the unit, it helps in heat transfer. There is also a consequent drop in the temperature of the air which gets out of the intercooler. Due to the denser and colder intake charge, there is higher efficiency, power and combustion.
