Intercoolers. Watch and discuss.

[IPD]

I'm leaning towards painting the hosing black and leaving the fins unpainted. I figure there's a REASON stock radiators are usually BLACK, but without painted fins.

[anyonebutme]

They make heat rejection coatings.


/thread

[sergechronos]

Meh, if you're chasing the bleeding edge of performance with dime a dozen IC cores, doesn't make much difference anyhow (read: eBay and CX racing cores that most folks use.)

I went with black because I don't like having shiny shit behind my bumper. As far as the debate between black paint or leaving it shiny, I think that a heat rejection coating or any paint made explicitly for that purpose would likely be a bit different than using a self etching primer and can of just regular old black spray paint. Added thought, if it was such a crucial change, why are most AC condensers black? Shouldn't it be shiny for best results?

At any rate, I think that for the vast majority of owners, it makes little to no difference. If you want black though, best results would probably come from anodizing an aluminum core or gettting a specific heat rejection coating like ABM said. If you do it for aesthetics, then fuck science.

[Chris@Rvengeperformance]

Meh, if you're chasing the bleeding edge of performance with dime a dozen IC cores, doesn't make much difference anyhow (read: eBay and CX racing cores that most folks use.)

I went with black because I don't like having shiny shit behind my bumper. As far as the debate between black paint or leaving it shiny, I think that a heat rejection coating or any paint made explicitly for that purpose would likely be a bit different than using a self etching primer and can of just regular old black spray paint. Added thought, if it was such a crucial change, why are most AC condensers black? Shouldn't it be shiny for best results?

At any rate, I think that for the vast majority of owners, it makes little to no difference. If you want black though, best results would probably come from anodizing an aluminum core or gettting a specific heat rejection coating like ABM said. If you do it for aesthetics, then fuck science.

100%, probably most peeps could run a straight pipe in place of their ebay intercooler and barely tell, lol.

[familyMAN]

100%, probably most peeps could run a straight pipe in place of their ebay intercooler and barely tell, lol.

Disagree. I have a 4" CX racing core which I would put into the ebay category. Uncut bumper (for a reason) with okay ducting. This summer it kept my intake temps within 15* of ambient with a 14b, cranked up and spun way out of its efficiency range on a 2.4l. There is no way the output temps were less than 100* which is what the cheap core was approx cooling to.

[Chris@Rvengeperformance]

Disagree. I have a 4" CX racing core which I would put into the ebay category. Uncut bumper (for a reason) with okay ducting. This summer it kept my intake temps within 15* of ambient with a 14b, cranked up and spun way out of its efficiency range on a 2.4l. There is no way the output temps were less than 100* which is what the cheap core was approx cooling to.

Do you really think you fall under "most peeps"?

[sergechronos]

I tend to agree. Aesthetics are because i HATE shiny shit--at least stuff that's not under the hood...and even then, (no offense to DUTTCH) but too much just looks tacky, imho.

What I'd really like to see is a study on fin density and heat transfer--especially at differing speeds of airflow.

PC water cooling is the place to check IMO. Lots of people with serious studies on thickness of the rads vs pressure or airflow across vs volume of air flow across and pure copper vs pure aluminum vs painted coatings and blah blah blah.

Cars...seems more people want to use butt dynos and here say to prove shit instead of empirical data. I'd say it shouldn't be too difficult to get three r four identical cores (admittedly small sample size) and see what happens as is vs black spray paint vs black Anodize vs heat rejection.

100%, probably most peeps could run a straight pipe in place of their ebay intercooler and barely tell, lol.

While hyperbole on your part, I agree.

Now, while formulas and such are good for calculating things (as the second video shows) I think that common sense will tell you most enthusiasts are likely nor going to notice anything either way.

Of course, what you're using the car for would have a greater impact on what type of core, fin density, thickness, color, etc you want. What works best for a dyno or on a drag strip or road course may not work best for a daily driver or autocross.

[IPD]

I tend to agree. Aesthetics are because i HATE shiny shit--at least stuff that's not under the hood...and even then, (no offense to DUTTCH) but too much just looks tacky, imho.

What I'd really like to see is a study on fin density and heat transfer--especially at differing speeds of airflow.

[familyMAN]

I guess not but I interpreted the comment as saying an "eBay core is no better than a straight pipe." Maybe I interpreted wrong.

100* vs 250* would be a big difference. Maybe okay on e85 based on a paper that was posted (I think here but maybe a DSM forum) on temp vs timing advance but certainly not okay for pump gas...most peeps would notice a busted piston, blown HG, and/or rod knock

[familyMAN]

Someone send me an identical core to mine painted however you like and I'll back to back test this summer, logging intake temps.