Best Air To The Intercooler AND Engine? (PIX)

[RarlyL8]

Hey there fellow power junkies.

Got a question thats been buggin me for some time now.
I have a warmed over 3.3L 930 engine in my widebody SC. The intercooler I'm using is a B&B. It takes up the same space as the original style intercooler but is much taller.

Question - for optimum performance, do I block off all the air comming into the engine compartment EXEPT through the intercooler? That would be a small area. Also you would be feeding hot air to your motor and cooling fan.

Here's what I've got. Ideas?????

[Emission]

I've got a stock 930.

All air is pulled through the decklid grill by the eingine fan. Half the air goes through the intercooler, the other half through the A/C condensor (or whatever that thing is).

In theory, you want as much cold air as possible flowing through your intercooler. I don't know if blocking off half the decklid grill (forcing it all through your intercooler) will starve the engine fan of the volume of air it needs. Maybe it will pull double the air through the intercooler?

Hmmm... all this hot air.... and no real answer from me.

[TurboBert]

If you don't mind guesses, I'd say to leave it all open for best charging.

My stock intercooler has a seal that mates with the grill. This keeps it from competing with the air being pulled in by the fan. If you don't have a seal, maybe that is your better option.

[dickster]

again guesses.

i would have thought for optimum performance you want as MUCH COOL air as poss going through the intercooler, and if you blank off the rear deck its not gonna do much except rob the fan of cooling air for the engine - i would say forget it!

[samh]

I have the same problem. Just installed an aftermarket cooler from powerhaus and they sent a alum. plate that does block the air as the factory unit did. However I chose to not install. I hope you get more input on this question.

[masraum]

I second the idea about a seal from the ic to the grill, but don't block the rest off. Right now the air car go around the ic, with a seal it would have to go through the ic (except for the portion going through the hole beside it).

Or you could just get a giant ic that covers the entire grill area.

[RickM]

What Steve says....do a seal for a Ram Air effect. No use in blocking off the other half.

[thabaer]

I Fourth the IC seal, you are drawing some hot air from around the sides of the intercooler right now. It would also help to get some kind of ductwork to protect that air filter inlet from hot air, it's perfectly positioned to pull in preheated air before you even get to the compressor.

[Amac]

Leave it open, you need all the air you can get in the
engin compartment. Remember you need intake air as
well as cooling air. As long as your car is moving the tail grate
will send fresh air through the i/c, the fan will keep the air
moving enough when your still.
That i/c is a good choice, they work great!!

[Overpaid Slacker]

I'm w/ Amac. You need air moving through the engine compartment at least as much as you need it moving through the i/c. My guess is that any marginal increase in power you get by forcing through the i/c all the air that could get through the grill would be offset by less efficient breathing for the motor and likely overheating. Just a guess, tho'.

JP

[Jocke]

Personally i would seal it right away to the grill.

Even more important is to check so the plates that seal it between the lower part of engine and the upper part is fresch, big leaks there will make the fan suck warm air instead of the cold one's.

/Jocke

[echrisconnor]

Why don't people just put big-ol' electric fans on intercoolers? I've got a fan on my carrera oil cooler, and they're used on most water radiators today. I know you might add a few pounds, but I'd think that an electric fan would push more air than you'd get by convection or flowing from the wing.

[dean]

Originally posted by echrisconnor
Why don't people just put big-ol' electric fans on intercoolers? I've got a fan on my carrera oil cooler, and they're used on most water radiators today. I know you might add a few pounds, but I'd think that an electric fan would push more air than you'd get by convection or flowing from the wing.

Because the cooling fan sucks a ton of air.

[1fastredsc]

Originally posted by Blown
Because the cooling fan sucks a ton of air.

But doesn't air travel through the least resisted path, therefore going around the ic in most cases if there's a possibility.

[dean]

Yes that is a possibility. In this case I don't think it is a problem. You certainly wouldn't want to only suck air through an intercooler that size because it would restrict the cooling fan air

[RarlyL8]

The fan does creat quite a torrent throughout the engine bay.
I was thinking of fabbing ductwork from the wing to feed the air filter / intake like was done on the original SC engine.

The intercooler is a headscratcher though. It is so close to the decklid grill that no seal would help much unless the rest of the space under the grill was blocked off. Air would just go on the other side of the seal anyway. You can't use the wing ducts to supply air to the intercooler for the same reason, no room at the top.

Maybe this is all nitpicky. I've got plenty of power. Just like to fully utilize the package.

[thabaer]

Originally posted by RarlyL8

Maybe this is all nitpicky. I've got plenty of power. Just like to fully utilize the package.

Heyyyy, you started this, no vaccilating now

The main idea is to assure fresh and cooler air being passed through the IC, just a vertical wall around the top sides to lt outside air come in and prevent hot engine air from being drawn in; you're just isolating grill areas, not blocking off any part of it.

If you really want to know for sure what any changes do, quantify the results by installing in/out temp sensors on the IC (a Davtron or something). I know a guy who added lots of ductwork after getting some initial readings and it paid off... IC outlet temps dropped to 1 degree above ambient at speed with sustained boost ( eNORMous IC )

[thabaer]

Just got an email from a yet another person describing what happened when he added some sealing around the edges of an intercooler that was flush against a grill, results are apples to apples whp dyno results:

> When stock, I was seeing about 170. With a chip, that number went up to 190.
> After improving airflow to the intercooler, our numbers increased to about
> 205. This amounted to sealing the outer edges of the intercooler so that air
> can't go around it.

[ZCAT3]

What would you use to make a gasket? Sort sort of high temp weather stripping attached to the IC? I have a Kokeln IC and have often wondered about whether I should try to seal the area around the IC up to the decklid grill.

[RarlyL8]

You have to remember that dyno runs are done with the car sitting still stewing in its own engine heat.
When the car is moving the air should be forced through the intercooler by the rear wing.