BEST INTERCOOLER IDEA EVER

[timjustindodd]

Soooooooo I've seen some decent WTA IC ideas floating around and executed pretty well before. I bought a used core off someone here (don't remember who, sorry) almost a year ago. It's just sat around chewing up valuable bench space. I ended up doing a TMIC so I ignored the thing until I got sick of the heat soak... so I started playing around with ideas and came up with this... (sorry for the cheesey rendering of the hot side pipe, just for a reference)







Has anyone done anything like this before? It sits almost exactly where the old airbox went but there's plenty of room for the hot pipe to go back to the turbo and the cold pipe lines up perfectly with the TB (well a few inches lower, but I'm sure I can get it to line up better).

Anyone see any potential problems in doing this? I would have to move the drain cap to the upper part of that reservoir since it's sitting on the lower side right now, I'd also have to weld that hot side pipe straight up a good 6", and also weld on a BOV bracket onto the cold side.

Personally I love this idea because it doesn't require hacking up ANYTHING, it doesn't sit on TOP of the dumb engine and it's a very short tube length!

[BigjohnB20]

If you made the pictures bigger I could maybe figure out what you are talking about...

[Pharms3]

holy fucking pictures

[timjustindodd]

haha sorry is that better?

[Pharms3]

perfect

is this meant to be a reservoir? or a IC relocation?

[timjustindodd]

That would be where the IC sits. That IS the actual IC (with a built in reservoir). So I guess, yes to both.

[Pharms3]

so the stock tmic mount would be bye bye? is there places to securely mount the IC setup? i imagine itd be pretty heavy

[Nitr0EngiE]

I already beat you to that location a few months ago

ill try to get pics later, i got my core veritcal feeding directly into throttle body and the other port just above it with a very very short pipe going directly to turbo, my intercooler pipes are only like 18 inches total

[Yatta]

Location isn't bad, but I would place it higher and as close to inline (between turbo outlet and coldpipe/throttle in) and as high as possible, over the engine or above your intake (might even put the filter below the exchanger).

If you are seriously considering AWIC, keep the following in mind;
how much water will you have in this system? too much and your carrying a lot of unneeded weight on the nose of your car, too little and you will have issues with heat soak, once water gets hot the same thing that makes it great will make it suck, you will have more thermal energy stored to displace; how big will your radiator be (or are you planning on using the engine cooling system for this?)

AWIC is great for situations where you would use a LARGE FMIC but want short boost plumbing (better throttle, less potential air leaks) it is also great at avoiding heat soak, most of your thermal mass/water is in the plumbing and radiator; or drag racing where you want to chill the water with ice or dry ice between runs.

With this location you will want the radiator and pump to be below the fill cap and that might create other technical problems to solve.

I have a AWIC on a supercharged VW rabbit, I used a PWR exchanger (essentially a fat boost tube). and re-tasked the AC condenser for water; it works well and was a great solution to a space problem as I used nearly all open frontal area on a large aluminum radiator using the AC condenser allowed me to use a 'stock' solution for a secondary radiator.

[Agent_Orange]

Where is your heat exchanger mounted?

[timjustindodd]

Originally Posted by Yatta Location isn't bad, but I would place it higher and as close to inline (between turbo outlet and coldpipe/throttle in) and as high as possible, over the engine or above your intake (might even put the filter below the exchanger). If you are seriously considering AWIC, keep the following in mind; how much water will you have in this system? too much and your carrying a lot of unneeded weight on the nose of your car, too little and you will have issues with heat soak, once water gets hot the same thing that makes it great will make it suck, you will have more thermal energy stored to displace; how big will your radiator be (or are you planning on using the engine cooling system for this?) AWIC is great for situations where you would use a LARGE FMIC but want short boost plumbing (better throttle, less potential air leaks) it is also great at avoiding heat soak, most of your thermal mass/water is in the plumbing and radiator; or drag racing where you want to chill the water with ice or dry ice between runs. With this location you will want the radiator and pump to be below the fill cap and that might create other technical problems to solve. I have a AWIC on a supercharged VW rabbit, I used a PWR exchanger (essentially a fat boost tube). and re-tasked the AC condenser for water; it works well and was a great solution to a space problem as I used nearly all open frontal area on a large aluminum radiator using the AC condenser allowed me to use a 'stock' solution for a secondary radiator.

Interesting thoughts here. I'm glad you brought some of this up... which again is why I love forums, you get others opinions

So... The main thing here is I want a good streetable car, and I occasionally drag race. I've thought about a FMIC but quite frankly a WTA is much more thermally effecient. I plan to put as big of a radiator in front of the car's radiator as I can fit with out being higher than where the reservoir cap sits.

I'm not too worried about the additional weight of water in a car that weighs 3600 pounds and that I mostly drive on the streets. A passenger will change that weight in a second anyway. I also have a smaller battery which is a good 8 pounds off right there... so I'm honestly not too concerned about weight. Not one of my priorities.

I've looked into the boost tubes and stuff but I don't want the exchanger to sit on top of the engine at all.. I want it to be away from the engine. I'm sick of heat soak and want the system to be removed from the engine/turbo heat as much as possible. This seems like a valid solution.

[Agent_Orange]

Don't know if you've seen this thread but it shows some good setups / ideas:
LTA Intercooler Concept Thread

The key to these systems is HE efficiency and pumping.

[Post pwned]

Fill the intercooler with crushed dryice and 91% isopropyl
alcohol. Then enjoy freezing cold BAT. Make sure to put a hose that vents the gas away from the intake.

[Tokay444]

I've been curious lately about filling an lta system with methanol.

[CosmicArkie]

Prolly not a good idea unless you have a really really large fire extinguisher.

[kritz]

Originally Posted by Tokay444 I've been curious lately about filling an lta system with methanol.

Nitromethane would be better Brock. But ammonia might be a better heat transfer liquid.

Sent from fastest Ko4 Pu.

[Agent_Orange]

Originally Posted by Tokay444 I've been curious lately about filling an lta system with methanol.

Originally Posted by kritz Nitromethane would be better Brock. But ammonia might be a better heat transfer liquid.

Not practical at all. All those liquids have great evaporative cooling properties, but your going to be designing an entirely new system to take advantage of that.

Water beats out methanol (and many others) in terms of thermal conductivity, specific heat capacity, and thermal conductance.

The best way to improve an LTA system is heat exchanger efficiency and capacity.

[kritz]

Lol I was being silly sarcastic, deionized would do the trick.
@Agent_Orange;

Sent from fastest Ko4 Pu.

[Agent_Orange]

Originally Posted by kritz Lol I was being silly sarcastic,

I kinda thought so, but this place has broken my sarcasm sensor.

[SarcasticOne]

Could always just point the fire extinguisher at the intercooler :p

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

[kritz]

Hey liquid nitrogen would work right? @Agent_Orange; (sarcasm button depressed)

Sent from fastest Ko4 Pu.

[predapio]

Um....move north, far north?