What size inlet/outlet are on your intercoolers?

clintonvillian

Famous Member
I ask because most I find are 2.5" Diameter, they also state they support 600HP. The size I would like to use is a 23x11x3 with 2.5" inlet and outlet. (I assume the 600 HP rating is the cooling capacity and not the supported flow). Will that be sufficient? The 2.5" tubing just looks kinda small under the hood.........especially when it is being fed by dual 54mm bladed throttle body.

Doing the math below and assuming that the CORES are the exact same, a 3" trunk moves 30 percent slower than a 2.5", giving it more time to cool.....Is that warranted?

Assuming 100 percent efficiency, an intake port opening will roughly be moving 58 cfm at 2000rpm. So for 6 cylinders that equates to 347 cfm. Work back from that using a runner area of .015625sf, and a runner velocity of 3712 ft/min (62 ft/sec or 42 mph).

Now for a 2.5" trunk...... area = .03409 sf, and a velocity of 10179 ft/min (170 ft/sec or 116 mph).

3" Trunk.........area = .0491 sf, and a velocity of 7067 ft/min (118 ft/sec or 80 mph).

And again what sizes are you guys running?
 
I went 3" not because I did the calculations and thought it needed it, but because the price difference between 2.5" and 3" was negligible. I by no means was picky with the hardware, I went all Ebay but have been pleasantly surprised with the quality. I havn't run any of this yet, still installing small stuff but I did pressure test the intercooler to 20psi and found no leaks.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/UNIVERSAL-L...arts_Accessories&hash=item27c4c85d6e&vxp=mtr#

Here it is installed, its pretty much the largest intercooler I can run but fits nicely for me.

20141109_122120_zps59e707a8.jpg
 
I used 2.5" in and 2.5" out for the intercooler on Kelly's Falcon. The piping between the turbo and IC is 2.5". The piping after the IC and to the throttlebody is 3".

I agree with you that a 2.5" pipe in the engine bay looks too small!
Later,
Will
 
Good to know, I have yet to find one with 3" inlet and outlet, on the same side, 23x11x3....... so maybe I just use the 2.5" inlet/outlets and the use reducers to get back up to 3"........
 
Jeez guys, 3" piping in an engine bay is nuts unless you're aiming for 1000hp. I'd stick with 2"/2.25" for anything under 200hp and 2.5" for anything under 400hp unless you have *really* long runs. Big pipes result in loss of intake velocity (at a given power level) and do nothing but hurt engine response. There is a reason intercoolers don't come with 3" I/O! If you feel you need big pipes, remember the point of the intercooler is to increase intake density... put the bigger pipes before the intercooler, not after.
 
My air/water intercooler is mounted directy to the intake. from the turbo it is 2" same as the turbo outlet but it only 6" long.
 
My last intercooler (the giant one that stuck out of the front of the car) was 3" in and out and we were running 2" piping all around. Now Ive come to my senses and got a smaller, yet thicker core with 2.5" in/out and will be making new 2.5" pipes here shortly. The car will look cleaner and the new setup will work just as well if not better in the long run.

Matt
 
2.5 is sufficient. Use 2.5 to the cooler, not 3. Use 3 after the cooler if you want. The only reason I like a 3" inlet IC a little better is for air distribution through the cooler. Air doesn't like to make the turn coming into the end tank at higher velocity. Slow it down and it has a better chance. Use a better designed cooler and end tanks and you don't have a problem though.
 
My stuff is all pretty small. 2.5" charge pipes with the cooler having 2.25" inlet 2.25" outlet, not sure of the exact temp change as i do not have an intake temp sensor on the manifold, but after some hard 10 psi pulls the post cooler charge pipes are cold to the touch. With the larger turbine and the air to air the engine temps hover 200-208 with a 196 stat. I think a guy really needs to do a pile of work to hit that 400hp range with these engines even under boost.
 
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