The Intercooler Thread

that size is fine, you won't have any problems with the bumper or impact beam either

VR42NV said:

Is 560x180x65 too small, what size is the factory one?

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What about this one 550x200x88 ?

But what i was wondering is, would a 600x300x76 really cool any better if I was only running up to about 12psi and I didnt cut the intake any bigger in the bumper, wouldnt about 1/4 of a 300 high cooler be covered by the bumper anyway?

"People wonder if having half of the core unexposed to fresh airflow is a problem. It's not ideal, but don't lose sleep over it. As long as the fresh air is ducted (with no other place to go except through the intercooler fins) it will do it's job even if up to two thirds of the core is 'hidden' from direct airflow"

http://www.max-boost.co.uk/max-boost/intake/intercooler_C20LET.htm

Corky Bell "Maximum Boost"

Someone asked me today, if they could use a class 18 PVC Pressure pipe to plumb up their intercooler, besides the fact that it would like shit it made me wonder how hot is the air comming out of the turbos, because I told him it would prob melt the pipe. So can any one tell me these 2 things how hot does the air get and is there anywhere in Perth that would make or use alot of ali pipe that we could get cheap or even scab through their scraps to do our intercooler piping, since there does not seem to be a great varity of after market kits avaliable for our cars.

Click here - you will get an idea...

poly is fine to to use... im using it at the moment as a bend to the factory piping (its all i could find that would make the bend! no sign of melting and it works a treat!

What is the heat tollerance of that PVC?

On a hot day under boost before the intercooler intake air temps get very hot... And the higher boost you run, the hotter it will get (air heats up under pressure, which is why you need an intercooler in the first place). PVC isn't designed for extremely hot air - your problems aren't just a question of melting, but if it will start to break down and give off potentially flammable fumes... Now THAT would be Bad

Also remember that maximum load conditions won't be experienced every day - your PVC may well be ok 99% of the time, but driving uphill flat out on a hot day for 60 seconds may well expose the weakness of the material where normal driving never could, and you won't know about it until its too late. Personally not something I'd want to do, but if its something you're considering I recommend finding out what its heat tollerance is and what it will do as it approaches that maximum threshold.

The other problem with using PVC is turbulance - you want as little turbulance in your intake piping as possible. The simple reason is higher turbulance = lower performance. So the smoother and longer the curves, the cleaner the inner surface, the better and tighter the joint fits the better.

I just found out today that we have a pipe bender at work so when im ready for it i will just get a few meters of alloy pipe and bend however it needs to be.

I took the support bar out all together, whether that was a good idea or not is still in the air, but I dont plan on hitting anything or getting hit anytime soon .........I have a 600 x 300 x 76, its fits perfectly!!

Is that a mandrel bending system Ryan? If so, what diameter pipes is it set up for?

you can mandrel bend on any pipe bender

ooh i like it.. also the front bar.. that's the one I'm planning to get in the future..

Not sure if there's a pic in this thread already, but I took this on the weekend so you can see for yourselves how tight the fit of the factory cooler is. You can see why anything thicker needs a cutting of the impact bar.

Great photo Connor, good thinking!

mitchy said:

you can mandrel bend on any pipe bender

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no you cant, a mandrel bender bends the pipe so the pipe has a continuous diameter,

a press bender bends the pipe, by crushing one side slightly and streching the other, which makes the tube narrower at the bends, which restrists flow.

heres a good press vs mandrel bend

http://jimscustomexhaust.com/exhaustexplanation.htm

Do you guys think that core size of 560x180x65 is to small ?

Gly said:

no you cant, a mandrel bender bends the pipe so the pipe has a continuous diameter,

a press bender bends the pipe, by crushing one side slightly and streching the other, which makes the tube narrower at the bends, which restrists flow.

Click to expand...

Gly said:

heres a good press vs mandrel bend

http://jimscustomexhaust.com/exhaustexplanation.htm

Click to expand...

Great info there Carsten

hawks said:

Do you guys think that core size of 560x180x65 is to small ?

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i'd want at least 250-280 high, and 76 thick, with 2.5 or 3" in/out