Intercooler Sprays

[Diver944]

Thought I'd start a post about Intercooler sprays as I saw Fen mention them in another post.

I understand that cooling your intercooler with a fine mist of water or a water/alcohol mix will cool the intake which is desirable to both increase the power and increase the safetey margin for your engine. What I have never really understood in ours cars is where does this spray go when its gone through the cooler. Do you have to plumb in an exit vent, or does it just go all over the engine?

 

[Fen]

It works best (only at all in fact) when it's a really fine atomised mist. It evaporates off then, and it is this evaporation process that draws the heat from the cooler.

Edited after finally deciding on a spelling for evaporate!

 

[Guest]

People have been playing about with this for ages, but what you are talking about is maybe a further 20deg reduction in intake temps, if you are lucky, plus the ECU is going to have to add a corrisponding(sp) amount of fuel to make use of it. I am alread pretty clsoe to maxing out the stndard injectors, i have to move up to 55lb ones. You have to have a seperate tank if you dont what screen wash all over you engine. As Fen says a very very fine mist over the intercooler matrix is best, but achieving this is not as easy as it might sound to cove the intercools in a fine mist but NOT block the air flow to the intercooler and hence reduce efficency.

Lyndsay are doing an intercooler upgrade for less than £200, i would go down that route. Dont forget the standard 944 IC is pretty efficient and unless you are looking at well over 350bhp then it will work just fine.

Done forget the added weight of a water tank and pump etc..

Just my take on it...

 

[John Sims]

Whilst I appreciate that Fen has vents in his badge panel, I would think this would be a more effective route for the rest of us prior to going for a water spray.

As I understand, not only do the Lindsey Racing IC's cool the charge better but they also reduce the restriction in air flow. A double plus then.[8D]

 

[Fen]

It's much cheaper than a new IC though, although I admit I mainly think it's a cool mod.

I'd probably just use the windscreen washer reservoir - it's not like I'm going to use my Turbo much when it's likely to freeze.