Turbo Intercooler...

What are your thoughts on this? If something so simple actualy increases efficiency, why don't more people do this?



I am glad that someone before me undertook the burden of adding the later tail and cooler. It helps out a lot with lowering charge temps. I also added a SPAL fan to my intercooler to help increase efficiency. It cost about 5% of what a new intercooler would and was easy to install. I use the power that was intended for the rear wiper (I no longer have one to use it) and operate the fan using the dash mounted switch.

http://members.rennlist.com/magisterc/ic.html



[This message has been edited by David Griswold (edited 01-25-2001).]

The only way you will know is if your measure the intake temp of the air and the outlet tempture of the air. Determine the temp differential with the fan on, the fan off, and the fan removed.

Hard for me to imagine the fan will force air through the intercooler faster than the engine cooling 11 blade fan will suck air through it at 3000 rpm. You may in fact be decreasing the cooling by blocking more surface area with the fan...just a thought

Measuring the intake and outlet temp would be the only way to tell.

That's my 2 cents..

oops!

[This message has been edited by 930fan (edited 01-26-2001).]

The fan will do nothing for your open road and track performance. The ram-air effect from driving at speed is much higher than the flow capacity of the fan. Have you ever noticed that the i/c is always cool to touch after a long blast on a highway?

It will help to keep temps down if you are idling or crawling in traffic when air flow is poor so that you will have a cool i/c on your first blast after crawling in a jam. Kind of like a radiator fan on watercooled cars - its on in traffic when temps creep up and off on the open road when the air flow is sufficient.

P/s - Nice car and a great site! How did you get the teledial alloys in the right offset - spacers??

David - nice site and car! Couple of questions. What size is that air cleaner and where do the aux hoses hook up to it? That looks a LOT better than the stock monster, and a LOT cheaper than the $400 K&N air cleaner!

Which direction does that fan spin? Does it push or pull air through the intercooler?
I agree with the people above. Given the massive amount of air that already flows through the intercooler on its way to the cooling fan, I doubt that the electrical fan does anything significant. Which is probably why Porsche didn't put something like that on (they are pretty clever people, you know).

I should have stated that this wasn't my car (I have copied the owner magisterc@yahoo.com on this post)...

I ran across this and found it interesting. I figured that the limited capacity of such a fan would do little, if anything, but wasn't sure.

On a similar subject,
I have similar fans, but smaller, fitted above my rear A/C condenser which cut in when the compressor runs.
This appears to be a successfull modification unless someone is about to tell me otherwise!...?
If they are concidered detremental, I may pull them off. But my A/C runs fine!.
rgds Ben

Posting a response from the owner...

"The fan is intended to reduce heat soak on the intercooler at low speeds. I have it wired to the wiper switch and utilize it for additional engine cooling at low speeds.

If you are running high boost the IC is NOT cool to the touch regardless of speed when you are done.

I live in Tx where it is HOT and every little bit helps. The air that teh fan draws at low speed increases the flow of air into the engine compartment for the cooling fan to draw in.

The airflow into the engine compartment may be significant but air will follow the path of least resistance, if you don't have an AC condenser to block the other side then little of the air will flow through the IC, the fan insure sthat air is flowing through the IC.

for less than $100 it is cheap insurance.

I will ba adding a second fan to my AC condenser this spring. And I expect to improve AC performance as well as engine cooling.

Thanks for the questions. Hope that you are enjoying your car.

Ciao
Bryan Carlson"