Intercooler on non-turbo car

[ktteoh]

folks, i have being following turbo mods on e34 particularly jonK's journey.

i'm interested in mounting an intercooler (what will fit and still allows me to use the aux fan and air-cond) to get the benefit of colder (denser) air.

however i have the following questions:
1. anyone tried that before?
2. would the intercooler have restriction on the airflow (i assume turboed cars can just 'force' the air thru)
3. what intercooler will fit my needs.

[genphreak]

i have the following questions:

1. anyone tried that before?
Probably, we're constantly being surprised these days by what some people go sticking on their e34s

2. would the intercooler have restriction on the airflow (i assume turboed cars can just 'force' the air thru)
Yes by a considerable factor (that will affect economy a little and WOT power a bit more)

3. what intercooler will fit my needs.
The one with the largest cross-sectional core size and smallest length.

4. Remember the weight of the cooler would add to the overall performance loss.

You can try this but it won't do antyhing much- at least it avoids adding weight (well ok, maybe a gram or two) but it's a far better mod than a cone filter;

Nick

[winfred]

a intercooler has no value on a non forced induction engine, when you compress air you condense the heat that's allready in the air and the act of compressing the air adds a certain quality of heat also, more of this heat you can remove the better but no normal charge air cooler will cool further then the ambiant air temp. all it would be is a restriction on a normally asperated engine

[Barry]

If Im not mistaken,the late great Smokey Yunnick intercooled a N/A v6 chevy very successfuly..
Ryan Falconer is another...also on the Buick v6..N/A..

[Dash01]

Exactly what is it you expect to cool?

How can this be as efficient as having a direct, smooth, and insulated route for ambient (not preheated by the engine bay heat) air into the intake manifold?

With an IC and no charged air, all you are gonna get is a bit more drag/lag on throttle response, plus the extra weight, expense, and complexity of the IC setup.

You'd be much better off using aluminized bubble wrap on the intake ducting right up to the engine block, to keep the intake air from pre-heating in the engine bay.

[ktteoh]

folks, thank you for the feedback and keeping me honest on these things/mods. pls keep it coming - i want to see what the balance of the views is.

1. anyone tried that before?
Probably, we're constantly being surprised these days by what some people go sticking on their e34s

2. would the intercooler have restriction on the airflow (i assume turboed cars can just 'force' the air thru)
Yes by a considerable factor (that will affect economy a little and WOT power a bit more)

3. what intercooler will fit my needs.
The one with the largest cross-sectional core size and smallest length.

4. Remember the weight of the cooler would add to the overall performance loss.

You can try this but it won't do antyhing much- at least it avoids adding weight (well ok, maybe a gram or two) but it's a far better mod than a cone filter;

Nick

[Jon K]

Hey man - intercooling an NA car will do nothing. Think about it - the intercooler would be at the front of the car. Let's say air is hitting it at a good rate. How cool is that air going to be? No cooler than AMBIENT temperature + about 5 - 10 degrees. An intercooler is used on a turbo/sc car because the IAT (intake air temp) without it would be 160 - 220 degrees F. With an IC I am ambient + 10 degrees F. You will never cool below ambient with passive cooling like that. So then an intercooler would do nothing more than a cold air intake for an NA car... except act as a blockage.