7/2/2016

ARECooling

Aluminium Radiators & Engineering Pty Ltd

Unit11/60KremzowRd
BrendaleQLDAustralia
Ph+610732054620Emailinfo@are.com.au
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A must read....

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Obviouslyifyou'velandedonourwebsite,thenyouhavesomeinterestinourcoolingproducts.Itcanbeseenfromthe
contentandeffortputintoourwebsitethatitisdesignednotonlytopromoteourproductsbutalsotoeducateyou,the
customer.
Theinformationbelowismyopiniononintercoolers,basedontheexperienceandsightsweseeeverydayatwork,our
hundredsofhoursontheflowbench,&allthetimesatadynowithaccuratedigital,bothprobe&infrared,thermometers.We
hopethiswillhelpyouinchoosingwhichtypeofintercoolerisbestsuitedtoyourperformancerequirement,pocket,driving
style&car.

Contents
Intercoolers&EngineDestruction
IntercoolerTypes
Bar&Plate,ExtrudedTube&Fin,FoldedTube&FinorPlate,Tube&fin
AirFlow
AmbientAirFlow
ChargeAirFlow
CoolingCapacities
Construction
HeaderPlate/TubeJoints,Bar&PlateJoints
Repairability
FinningorRibs
Tanks
Shape&Profile
Configuration
Material
Pipes,Couplers&Clamps
CananIntercoolerbetoobig?

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TurboLag?
IntercoolerMaintenance
OtherIntercoolerVarieties
ChineseIntercoolers
ImportorGreyIntercoolers
TruckIntercoolers
UsedTruckCores
LastWords
Glossary

Beforewestart,rememberthatalmosteverymotorizedcomponentisacompromisetosomeextent.Addingan

intercoolertoyoursuper/turbochargedenginecostspower&throttleresponsewhilstinvacuum&
verylowboost!FitanintercooIertoanaturallyaspiratedengine&seewhatitdoestothepoweroutputcurve.Fora
coupleofdecadeswhennearlyallcompetition&modifiedstreetenginesinAustraliawerenaturallyaspirated,opening
uptheportsoratleastmatchingthemwiththeintakemanifoldwasalmostmandatory.Soweworriedaboutasmall
mismatchofusuallynomorethan0.5mm.then,butsomepeoplenowbuyagreatmonstrouschunkofalloythat
torturesthesameintakecharge(&isn'tcheap)withoutmuchthoughtatall!Anintercoolercausesastaticpressure
dropacrossthecorebecauseoftheextraresistanceoftheIntakecharge"rubbing"ontheinternalwallsofthe"tube"&
cooling"fins/ribs"create.Thiscanvarybetweenapproximately0.3to5.0psi.staticpressuredrop.Thetrickistoo
cooltheintakechargethemost,withtheleaststaticpressuredrop.Themoretemperaturethatispulledoutofthe
intakecharge,thehigherthedynamicpressuredrophastobe,becausethecoolerairisdenser&occupiesless
volume.Simplephysics.Tojudgeacoreproperlyonpressuredrop,youhavetoknowthestaticpressuredrop&
subtractitfromthedynamicpressuredrop,withthehigherresultingfigureindicatingamoreefficientcoretheexact
oppositetowhatyoumayfirstthink.Thedensertheair,themoreoxygen(thereisapprox.22%oxygeninthe
atmosphere,&itisonlyoxygenthatwillburninthecombustionmixture),themorekw.produced.Aroughruleofthumb
isforevery10farenheight1%extrakw.isproduced!Soeventhoughitdoestheoreticallycostpowerwithpressure
drop,thedenserintakechargeeasilycompensatesforthis,withapowergainbetweennotmuchtoabloody
lot,realized!!Themorethechargingdevicebeats&heatsuptheintakecharge,thehigherthepowergainsfrom
intercooling&moreimportantlytome,thesafer(enginecomponentlife)thegainsaremade.Nopointinwinningthe
racebacktothemechanicforanewheadgasket,orworse,anewsetofpistons,eachtime.
Theheatfromtheintakechargeisdissipatedbycontactwiththesurfaceoftheinteriorwalls(finsorextrusions),and
thenittransfersthroughthethicknessofthe"tube"walltothesurfaceoftheexteriorfin,fromwhereitistransported
awaybythepassingambientairflowingthroughthecore.
Itseemsthatduetothecostofnewfabricatedintercoolers,alotofpeoplearelookingforacheapalternative.
However,astheoldsayinggoes,'youonlygetwhatyoupayfor'andusuallythesameappliestointercoolers.There
aresignificantdifferencesinintercoolers,notonlyincoreconstruction(barandplateortubeandfinetc.),butalsotheir
design(especiallyendtankdesign).
Thereisusuallyareasonforthecostinvolvedinbuyinganewintercooler(whetheritbeAREoranothercompany),and
theydoofferadvantagesoverotheroptions,especiallycutdowntruckintercoolers

ENGINEDESTRUCTION!!!!
Themostsingledeadlyforcedinductionenginedestroyer(apartfromnooil)hastwocommonnames:Detonationor
whenIdidmytimeatcollege,PreIgnition.Myinterpretationoftheseiswhenthesparkplugignitestheintakecharge,
theflamefronttravelsrapidlybutsmoothly,acrossthepistonfacetofillthecombustionchamberwiththeexploding
fuelcharge&forcethepistonbackdownthebore.Whensomethinghappenstodestabilizethesmoothtravelofthe
flamefront(wrongcombustionchamber/pistondomeshape,little/nosquelchsurface,sharpedges,hotheatrange
plugs,advancedtiming,excessivecompression,highboost,toolowoctanefuel,)oneormoresmallerfrontscanstart
&thesethencollide,resultinginanearly&/ormoreviolentexplosion,resultingintheknockingorpingingnoisethat
sometimescanbeheardfromthetoppartoftheengine.Interestingly,itiseasiertohearastandardcar/ute(our
terribleunleaded)pullingawayfromthelightsupahill,thanitisaturbochargedcar.IhavetoadmitthatIlostanengine
ofmineonlythisyear,whilsttestingontheopenroad(steepishhill)withouthearingit.Radioonlow&passenger

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readingdata,IfelttheenginenoseoverbutbythetimeIclickedit&coastedtoastop,itwasmissingononecylinder
sidegoneoutofthetopofthepistonexpensive!Thatquick.Don'tpassmeoffasadickhead&itwonthappentoyou,
beaware.Theboostgaugedecidedtoreadat60%ofactualboostsometimejustbeforethetestingstarted,Iadjusted
itupthinkingsomeonehadchangedit&it'sthatsimple.Thecoolertheintakechargethelesschanceyouhaveof
detonation!I'malsopositivethataconsistentlystable(air/waterissupremehere)coolerintakechargealsoincreases
thelifeofheadgasket,valve&seats,topboreringringlandtoanoticeabledegree,whilstofferingconsiderablemore
powerpotential.Howimportantisintercoolerselectionnow????

BarandPlate,ExtrudedTubeandFin,
FoldedTube&FinorPlatetube&fin?

115,90,75mmbar/plateonleft&73,
57,3mmtube/finonright.

Closeupofbar/plate(heavy)onthe
left&tube/fin(tough)ontheright

Nissanfoldedtube&finontop.Adrad
onleft&K&Jonrightbot.bothare
extrudedtubetough.

Densoplatetube&fin.Toomany
seams+tooweak.Usuallysmall
thinnertubeswithclosefinefins.

TheintercoolercoresproducedbybothmanufacturersinAustraliaareextrudedtube&findesign.Thereareactually4
manufacturersofaluminiumradiatorcoresinAustraliaADRADinAdelaide,DENSOinMelbourne,K&JinCurrumbin&
NATRAinMelbournebutonlytwoofthesewillmakeacoretosize(npn)&italsohappensthatthesametwoarethe
onlyonestoomanufactureintercoolercoresADRADandK&J!Avariantoftheextrudedtubecoreisthefoldedtube
core,whichhastwothinnerwallsectionswithaseamfoldedtotheinside,manufacturedbyCalsonicinJapan&fitted
oebyNissanincludingtheGTR.Bar&plateismostcommonintheUSA.aftermarket(&strongintruckingindustry),
whilsttheplatetubeiscommoninoe.intercoolersinJapanmostlyDensoToyota&Diahatsu,&acoupleofMazda
models.Japansaftermarketismoretube&finthanbar&platewhenlookingthroughthecatalogues,withno
aftermarketperformanceplatetube&fincoresfromanycountrythankgoodness.

AIR FLOW.

ADRAD

OURS

K&J

GARRETT

CALSONIC

DENSO

Theabovepicturesshowhowinallthedifferentintercoolerdesign/productionmethods,onebasicfeatureiscommon
toalltheAmbientairflowisatninetydegreestotheChargeairflow.

AMBIENTAIRFLOW

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Tube/fintopcore&bar/plate
underneath.Theseareaveragefin
pitches,butifneeded,wevarythemto
suitthepurpose.

Ourbar/platetop&Garrettbelow.Ours
doesnothaveasclosefpi&beingneat, May2002HOT4'stinytubeswithlarge
ambientfinslikethisshouldonlybefor May2002Hot4'ssuperwidefin
allowmoreairthroughtotheradiator
spacinglikethiscouldonlybefor
anairwaterapplication
extremehighcfm@lowtemperature,

or cheap !

K&Jtube.Airbrakesoffthebackwith
Densotube.Airbrakesoffbackoftube Garretttube.Airbrakesoffbackoftube highestdrag,negatingthebenefitof
Adradtube.Ambientairbrakesoffback
okay.
bestentryperformance
good.
oftubegood.

Tube&fincorespenetratetheambientair(channelthecoolingair)betterlessdisturbancethanplatetube&fin
coreswhichpenetratejustbetterthanbar&platecores.Rememberthatinfrontmountapplications,thishasasmall
effectontheenginewatertemperature,byslowingtheairspeed&volume,beforeitreachestheradiator.Thisis
becausetheroundedleadingedgeoftheextrudedtubepartstheairwithlessturbulencethanthe"W"shapeofthe
platetube&fincore,onlybecausethiscorehasthinnertubesthantheothertwo.Ifthesquareleadingedgeofthebar
&platetubewasasthinastheplatetube,thenitwouldflowbetter,butitcomesaclosethird.Theabovedrawings
illustratetheturbulencecausedbythethreetubeshapes.Pleasenotethatwiththeleadingedgeofintercoolertube
shape,wearetalkingverysmalldifferencesbetweenthemwithtubepitch(spacing)havingmoreeffectthantubeshape
onambientairflow,andithaslittleeffectonchargeheatdissipation,actuallyhavingallotmoreofaneffectonradiator
coolingefficiency.
Onepointoftenoverlookedisthebodyworkacrossthefrontofthevehicle.Moderncardesignshaveevolvedto
aerodynamicswoopynosecones,whichlookgreat&givelowdragcoefficients,butmakeintercooling&efficient
enginesystemcooling,muchmoreasciencethanafewyearsago.Mostofthecurrentdesignsrelyonalowscoop
justinfrontoftheradiatorforthemajorityofairflow,sothishastobetakenintoaccountwhenmountingthe
intercooler.Thelessdirectpaththeambientairtravelstotheintercooler,theslowerit'sspeed&soit'sabilitytoforce
it'swaythroughthecore,resultinginbothcorethickness&finpitchchoicebeingmuchmoreimportant.Surfacearea
shouldbeincreasedtocompensatewhencorethickness&/orfinpitcharereduced&ductingfabricatedtochannelall
airpossibletothecore&thenthroughtheradiator..ThesamegoesforCars/fourwheeldrivesthathavedrivinglights,
winchetc.mountedinfrontofthegrille.

CHARGEAIRFLOW
Belowiswhattheintakechargesee's.

Tube/fincorePictureDriftking

bar/platecorePicturedriftking

Muchmoreimportant(toperformance)thantheambientairflowdisruptionisthechargeairflowdisruption
enteringthecoreflowpassages.Leasteffected(asmanufactured)isairenteringtheplatetube&fincoreastheplates
arestampedwithasmallradiusaspartoftheirconstruction&thefactthesetubesarealwaysallotnarrower,however,
checktheparagraphontanksbeforegettingtooexcited.Bar&platecoresarenext,asthetopsurfaceisflatwitha

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sharp90deg.edge.Tube&fincores(bothtypes)aredefinitelytheworstasthetubesareproudoftheheaderplate
causingsomeofthechargeairtodoa180deg.turnattheplatethenanother180deg.turntoenterthetube.Allotof
turbulence/drag/staticpressuredrop!Mostmanufacturersofthesecorestakethesafe/fastwayinproduction&cutthe
tubelengthslongerthannecessary,hurtingairflow,butknowingthattheproductisintegrallysound.Thetubesusually
stickuparound34mm,whichmakestheairflowdo2distinct180deg,turns.ThecoresoutofthenewAdradfactory
arenomorethan1mmproudoftheheaderplate,sotheyhavereallytightenedupthereproductiontolerances.ARE.
hasa"venturieplate"optionthatgivestheairflowaproperradiusedentryintothetube,increasingairflowbyapprox.
8.4%.@10psi.,anextremelyworthwhilegain,&theonlymanufacturerIknowofdoingthis!OnceagainLateral
thinking&R&Dgivesourcustomersanadvantage.
Tosizeanintercoolerproperly,themostimportantfactoriswhatIcall"thechargeairwindow".Thisisthesurfaceareaofthetubesforthe
chargeairtoenter.Withcoresfromthesamemanufacturer,justmultiplythecoreheightbythethickness,buttoocomparecoresfromdifferent
manufacturersproperly,youmustworkoutthesurfaceareaofeachtube(allowingforfin/ribsetc.)&counthowmanytubesineachcore.The
windowcontrolstwoparameters,thepressuredropoftheairenteringthetube,soifhewindowistoosmallforthecfmflow,thepressuredrop
increases.Mostimportantly,ifthewindowistoosmall,theairspeedthroughthecorewillbetoohigh&notallowenoughtimefortheheatto
dissipateoutofthecharge.Ifyouplayitsafe&gotoobiginthewidowsize,thenthetubelengthneedstobekeptshort,orpressuredrop
increasesforlittleextracooling.Bestwayistoosizetheintakewindowforthecfm.requirement,thenthelengthofthetubefortheheatdissipation
requirement.Thatisforthesamekw.output,alargerturboneedsalargerwindow&asmallerturboneedsalongertubegenerally.

COOLINGCAPACITIES(followingsomeverycontentiousparagraphs)
Asageneralrule,withalevelplayingfield(manufacturingquality,bothfpi's,tubesize,thickness,&ahundredother
variables),bar&plateintercoolercoresdissipatemoreBTU'sthanplatetube&fin&thentube&fincorespersquare
centimetre.Pleasestop,goback&readthatsentenceagain,asitisthemostoftenaskedquestion,butthemost
misquotedanswerofalltime.Pleasealsonotethatitisveryeasytochangejustonespecificationofacoretomakeit
betterthantheother(forgetplatetube&finhere),&itmustberememberedrightnowthatheatdissipationisonlyone
parameterofoverallintercoolerperformance.Ifthereisenougharea&volumeavailable,Imostlyrecommendatube&
fincoretodothejob,asitwillgetthetemperaturedownclosetobar&plate,butatlesspressuredrop&lesschance
ofleakage.
ThemostconsistentmethodofchargeairheattransferenceisExtrudedtube.Thisisbecausethealuminiumisforced
throughtheextrusiondieduringmanufacture,givinga100%walltoribbondasthereisnojoininthematerial.The
nextmostconsistentisthe"square"shapedfin,asitisstampedwithaflatsurfacetofuseontothetubewall,givingup
too10timesthesurfaceareatobondtothetubeovertheleastconsistent,foldedfin,whichisthemostcommoninbar
&plate,&allthat'sseeninplate&fincores.Wehaveseenintercoolerswherethetoleranceofthefinfoldwidthistoo
narrow&sothefindidn'tfusetoothetubewall,resultinginnoheattransferenceinthatarea.Alsothefinscanbunch
up,leavingagapeitherside,veryinefficient.Anotherreasonforthedifferenceinthepriceofcoresqualitycontrol
againstsloppymanufacture.
ThemostefficientmethodofChargeairheatentrapmentisfoldedfin,becauselouveredfinconfigurations&/orvery
closefinperinchratioscanbeutilized,resultinginhighersurfaceareasto"grab"theheat.Notethatthesealsocause
thegreatestpressuredrop.Itreallycomesdowntomanufacturingquality&specificationsbetweenfoldedfin&
extrudedtubeefficiencyastheycangivesimilarresults.Somefoldedfinshaveholestobreakuptheairflow,some
havelouveredfinstochanneltheair&someareplainflat,buttheyusuallyhavehigherfpi.ratios.Extrudedtube
dividingwallsareeitherflatorhaveridgesrunninglengthwaysforincreasedsurfacearea.
Beloware5picsofdifferentbar/platecores.Youhavetoknowallthespecificationstobeabletoaccurately
judgewhichcoresuitsyourapplicationbest,Thenthere'stube/fin!!

http://www.are.com.au/techtalk/intecoolersmr.htm

Our3rd.generationbar/plateonleft
comparedtobestthesamefactory
offeredonright.Bigdifferencein
performance.Bothalargertube&more
fins=cool

Topisnarrowerchargepassageto
ambientratiocomparedtobottom.Note Ontheleftisalouveredfin(morecooling
bloodysloppyqualityofbottomcore!We &pressuredrop)&ontherightispunched
havetostraightenfinsbeforewelding
fin.Differentresults.
tankson.

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May92HOT4'sshowsridiculescoursefinningI
can'tthinkofanyapplicationforthisexceptcost.
Notevenair/water.

Threedifferentbar/platecorefrom2different
May02HOT4'sshowsthreeexamplesofcourse
manufactures.Notetheverysmall"tube"sizefor
finningwhichisinefficient,cheap,&floodingour
market.Bewary!******CHEAPcanmean watercoolingintheair/watercore.Alsothecourser
fpi.oftheSpearcoair/aircore
HEAT*******

TherearesomecaseswhereIwilldefinitelynotrecommendatube&fincore&theyarewherethereisnotenough
roomforaproperlysizedcore,usuallyupgradesintheoe.positionSubarutopmounts,S13,14,15,SkylineGTS,
300ZXinnerguardetc.orbigkw.applications.Thethickesttube&fincoremadeinAustraliais75mm&thereareallot
ofapplicationswherethatwillnotallowlargeenoughintakewindowareasize,causingapressurebuildupintheinlet
tankwiththechargetryingtogetintothetubes&toohighairspeedthroughthetubes,tobeabletopulltheheatoutof
thecharge.Note:ThishasnowchangedasofAugust2002withADRADproducing109mm&146mmthicktube/fin,&
havinginstigated&playedapartintheirdevelopment,Imostlyrecommendthesecoresexceptforextremecfm&heat
applicationsie:verylargeturbo'sworkingnearorabovetheirefficiencyrange,sizenotavailableornotenoughroom
headerplatesize.Itisimpossibletorepairaleaknearthecentreofathickcore,&becausetube/finisbothstronger&
lesspronetoleaks,theygetmyvote.Ihavenotmadeanymentionoftheplatetube&fincore,becausetomy
knowledge,theJapaneseplantsonlysupplytotheoe.industry&donotselltotheaftermarket.Foroverseas
customers,Ihaveseenthickertube&fincoresmadeinJapan&Iimaginethesecouldbeaviablealternative.
Anadvantageofthebar&platecoreiswhenthereisalackofroomsituationinthicknessatthetankends,asatube
&fincorehastohavetheoutsideofthetankatleast6mmproudofthetubesoneachside(absolutemin.87mmtank
ona75mmcore),whereasthetankcanbeafewmminboardofthebar&platecore86mmtankona90mmcore).This
canbeveryimportantincarswithshortenginebay/grilleareas(Datsun1600,HiLuxetc.).
Notethatusually,themoresurfacearea,thehigherheattransference,butalsothegreaterpressuredrop.Thereisno
acrosstheboard,standoutperformerintheabovethreecores,astheyallhavetherestrength&weaknesses,butitisa
twohorserace,asplate&fincoresareonlyavailableoe.,meaningsmallersizesforlowerkw.applications.Theyhave
toomuchstaticpressuredrop&aretooweaktobemanufacturedinlargesizes.Youwillhavetoaddyouown
interpretationtowhatthecompanyyouaredealingwithhastosay,&hopetheyknowexactlywhattheyaretalking
about
Platetube&fintanks,forchargeairflow,areabasicdisasterwiththehighcapillaryturbulencecausedbytheapprox.
240deg.convolutedwallscausingalargestaticpressuredrop.Ihaveneverbotheredtomeasuretheflowdrop
becausethereisnopointonlyusedinoeapplications,thankgoodness.SorryDenso,butthatdesignisashocker,it
shouldbelefttooilcoolers,ifatall!Thesemusthavebeendesignedbyaccountants.

CoreConstruction

http://www.are.com.au/techtalk/intecoolersmr.htm

115,90&75mmbar/plateonleft.
73,57,37mmtube/fininright.

Ourbar/plateontheleft&K&Jtubefin
ontheright.

Nissanskylineoeontop.Adradonleft
&K&Jtube/finsonright.

Realcloseupofthethreedifferent
headerplatedesigns.

Theextrudedtubes.Integralstrength
Differenceinfins&tubesbetweenK&J
overbar/plate.Weremoveanyswarf
closer&ADRADcores,eventhough
beforeweldingorit'sstraightintoyour
botharetube/fin
engine!

WhenIwasinthefactory,wediscussed
ribsize,flowtestedthetubes&thisis
theresult1.28mmribsinsteadof
.80mm

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Platetube&fincoresarethephysicallyweakestcoreinthatwehaveallotmoreofthemcomethrough
ourworkshopforrepairsthananyoftheotherthree,&tooreinforcethat,theyusuallyhavealargerleakforthedamage
&/ortheleakbefurtherawayfromdamagedarea.Thecorehasthreecomponentstooeachtube.Twostampedside
plateswithfinefoldedfinsfusedinternally.Ibelievetheplatesare"stretched"toofartoformthetankoneachend,
thinningthealloytowhereitwillcrackwithminorstress.Theyareclampedtogether(lookinglikeapianoaccordian)&
furnacebrazed.Bar/Plate&fincoresarethesecondweakest,eventhoughtheyarealsotheheaviestwithacoupleofthe
thickestcomponents.Howeverthisisthereasonfortheirweakness.Thethinplatesidewallshavetofuseontothethickplatesidestoforma
"tube",withbothofthemhavingtofuseontotheverythickbarstoformthe"headerplate"forthetanktobeweldedto.Itishardforthesethree
differingthicknesstobeheldattherighttemperatureforthecladdingtomelt,??&fusethesurfacestogether.Thisiswhereweseemostof
theleaksinthesecores,evenfromnewinonebrand.Thechargecoolingfinsarefusedtothethinplatewalls,meaningthereare5components
tooeachtube,areasonthatthesecorestendtodevelopaseriesofweepsalongthe"header"seam.
Foldedtube&Extrudedtubeseemtobeofsimilarstrengthalthoughwithtwotubesides,finefusedinternalfins&twoheaderplate
joints,foldedtubeshouldbeweakerwith5components.However,Ihaveseenbothtypesofcorescomeinforrepairsquitebeatup&outof
shape,withoutleaking.Eventuallythehot/cold&pressure/vacuumcycleswillopenup
cracks.TheExtrudedtubecore
ispossiblythestrongestcoreasitonlyhasthreecomponentsinit'sconstruction,atube&twoheaderplates.Itisalsothemostconsistent
performingunitastheinternalchargeaircoolingribsareonepiecewiththetubewallswhereastheabovethreecoreshavetubeswithfinsfused
toothem&ifthespecificationsvaryinproductionforanyreason(&itdoesoccasionally),thenanareaoffinscanexistwheretheyarenotinfull
contactwiththetubewall,bottlinguptheheatinthatarea.Thesamealsohappenswithexternalambientfinning,althoughthisiscommontoall
fourcores&canbefoundwithasimplevisual/physicalcheck.
HeaderPlate/tubejoints,bar/platejoints

Bar/platetop&tubefinbottom.Note
howtheheaderplateisproudapprox. Samepairintercoolersfromopposite
7mm/sidemakingawideroverall
direction.differenceismoregraphic.
'cooler.

The8componentsthatmakea
completetubeinabar/platecore

The2componentsthatmakea
completetubeinatube/fincore.Note
flux/claddingaroundtube.

Foldedtube/finontopisokay,tube/fin Bar/plateonlefthasintergralheader
bottomleftisbest&rightisworstforair plate,whereastubefinehastobe
flowenteringtube.
proudtoweldtankto.

The3componentsthatmakea
completetubeinafoldedtube/fincore.
Thishasatabbedheaderplatetohold
tankon.

The2componentsthatmakea
completetubeinaplatetube/fincore,
includingthetankshowncutinhalf
here.

Ihavenotworriedaboutfin/ribsintheabovepics.astheyarecommontootheinternalstructureofeverytube&wouldunnecessarilyclutterthe
pics.Theyarehighlightedintheirownsection.

Finning or Ribs.

BothAdradcores.Differentfpi.'sfor
differentapplications.

http://www.are.com.au/techtalk/intecoolersmr.htm

Adradtop&K&Jbottom,differentfin
shapes&pitches.

Garretttop&oursbottom.Straighter
uniformfinallowsmoreairthrough.

Chargeairfins,straightuniformfins
allowintakechargethroughwithless
pressuredrop.

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MoreopenribsofAdradgive17%less Longerribshelppullheatoutofair
pressuredrop.Radiusonribsaddsto better,butmorerestriction.
surfacearea.

Cutawaybar/platecoreshowsfinsat
90degreetoeachother,veryefficient
buthighpressuredrop.

Thisisactuallyanabientairfin,butvery
similartochargeairfin.Louversdirect
airflowbutalsocutflowdramatically,so
fpiimportant

Thepartsofanintercoolerthatdoallthe"work"arethefins,orinthecaseofextrudedtubes,ribs.Theirpurposeistheoppositewhenincharge
airflowtoambientairflow.Inchargeairflow,theirjobistosoakuptheheatinthepassingair&deliverittothetubewall.Thetrickistoopullthe
maximumheatoutoftheairwiththeleastresistancetoflow.Thedifferentdesignsareflatfin(cheapest&leasteffective),punchedfin&closely
followedbylouveredfin(dearest&mosteffectiveatheatsoakbutwithhighestpressuredrop).Extrudedtubesareformedbyforcinganaluminium
blockthroughadieresultinginacomplexonepiecetube,offering100%heattransferbetweentherib&tubewall.Thisdoesnotalwayshappen
withfins,becausesometimesthefactorydoesnotapplythecorrect"crush"tothecorewhenclampinginassembly,resultinginnobondbetween
thetube/finduringfurnacefusion.Itappearstobemoreofaproblemwithinternalfinsthanexternal,butluckily,isnotthatcommon.Extruded
tubeshaveinternalwallsthatformcontinuouscompartmentswithribsinsideeachcompartment.Thesevarybetweenmanufacturers,butthesame
rulesapplymoreribs/inch,moreheatsoak&pressuredrop.Alsothemoreribsincontactwiththetubewall,themoreefficient.Becauseofthe
extrusionprocess,ribsarethickerthanfins&thereisalwaysmoreopenspaceinthemiddleofthetube.Thisresultsinasmallreductioninheat
transferifthetubeistoolong,astheair"straightensout"reducesturbulenceduetothesmoothcompartment&ribwalls.WithAmbientairflow,
thefinsjobistooradiatetheheat,sotheairpassingthroughthecoreabsorbstheheat&transportsitawayfromthecoreusuallystraightintothe
radiatorfinningbutthat'sanotherproblem!Adradfoldbothfinedgesover(hemthefin)whichdoublesthestrengthfin&lessensdamage.
Damagedfinsshouldalwaysbestraightenedastheyinhibitairflow&socoolingefficiency.Thehigherthevehiclespeed&/orthemoredirect
ductingtostopspillageoftheairaroundthecore,thecloserthefinpitchcanbe:anoffroadbuggyorhillclimbcarneedslessfpi.thanacircuit
racer.Somethoughthastobegiventoradiatorcoolingoryoucancreateaproblemthatcanlimittheengineoutputmorethantheintercoolercan
increaseit!Intercoolerposition,surfacearea,fpi.,tanks&workload,allhaveabearingonenginewatertemperature.

TANKSthesinglemostunderratedpartofanintercooler!!!

Thistankisextremelybasic&
becausetheoutletisinlineonthe
othertank,evenworse!
ThisisourtanktodothesamejobSo
muchmoreefficient!Howmuchmore
expensive?

Notallcasttanksarecreatedequal.We Ourcasttankwallsaverage3.6mm
couldgetourtankscheaper,butwe
thick,negatingheatsoakproblems
payforquality/performance.
assoc.withtanksthatare67mm.

LineupofourHotChillitanks.Acouple Notetheoverhangatankhastohave
ofsizesstilltocome.GTRtypethisend. becauseoftheconstructionoftube/fin

Theareasbetweenthelinesarethe
"tanks"onaDensointercooler.The
largeboundarylayerisextremely
turbulentcausingahighpressuredrop
fornogain.

Thisiswhereallotofmyknowledge
comesfrom,hundredsofhourstesting
buthundredsuponhundredsmore
fabricatingpartstootest.Resultsdonot
alwayscrossovertotherealworld.Alex
ofBryantEngineering.

Thethicknessofthealloyintanksisveryimportant.Toothin&heatsoakisnegligible,buttheirlifespanmaybeshortduetostressesfromthe
continualhot/cool&boostpressurecycling.toothick&they'lllastforever,butsufferheatsoak,whichisthetimeittakesthetanktemperatureto
reacttoambient&/orchargetemperaturechanges.Dependingontheuseofthevehicle,theeffectofheatsoakvaries.Constanthighspeedstatic
throttlepositionwithafrontmount(roadtransport)istheleasteffected.Afourwheeldriveinsoftsandorwithaheavyboatuparamp,fittedwitha
topmount,isthemosteffected.Wespent14monthsmakingsheetmetaltanksfornexttonothingwhileIlookedforagoodpatternmaker&
foundry.It'sourcustomersgainasourtankwallsaverage3.6mmthick.

ShapeorProfile
http://www.are.com.au/techtalk/intecoolersmr.htm

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The2cornerscauselargeeddies&thesquare
Mostofthechargeflowsthroughthebottom35%of inletcornerssmalleddieswhichrestrictflow&
distributionacrossthecorewindow.Worseifpipe
core,withthetop65%causingdetrimental
pressuredropuntilhighboostisreached.Worse isonbottomotherend!!
againifotherpipeisonthebottomtoo!!

Notperfect,butverygood&verycosteffective.
Nowherenearasimportanttohavediagonally
oppositetankslikebothdesignsontheleft.Very
smalleddies&smallunevendistributionacross
corewindow

Squareshaped/edgedtanksaretabooforperformanceconsciousenthusiastsforfourreasons:
1)Theylookbasic,agricultural&ugly
2)Asquareedgeconcentratesstressesalongthatfold(orweld),which,dependingonseveralfactors,willshortenthe
lifeofthetanktoasomeextent.It'ssurprisingthenumberofsmallweepsthatcangoundetectedformonths,
especiallyiftheturbosealsaregood(nooilstains),resultinginalossofeconomy/performance.Thisusuallyapplies
moretoasheetmetaltankthancasttanks,duetotheirthinnerwallconstruction.
3)Mostimportantlyisthatthesquareedgedtankshurtairflow&increase"static"pressuredrop.Theintakecharge
doesnotwanttomakeasharpturnwiththemajorityoftheairtakingaradiusedpatharoundtheedge,causingsomeof
theairtoeddybackaroundthroughanelongated360degreetumble.Thiscausesfrictionwithboththewallsurface&
thefollowingair,reallyhurtingflowfigures.
4)Idon'tknowifanymanufacturerseverthinkofthis,butwhenbuildingtanksforatube&fincore,ifmoreairis
directedtothefrontorbackofthetubes,thenthatishowitstaysfortheentirelengthofthattube,astheextruded
bridgewallscontainthatcharge&itcan'tmixuntilitreachestheoutlettank,resultinginacoolingefficiencyloss.With
agoodbar&platecore(notacheapplainflatfin)thiscan'thappenbecausethelouversorholesinthefinsallowthe
chargetopassacrossthe"tube"asittravelslengthways.Thisproblemdoesn'tapplywhentheinletpipeisinline
(parallel)withthetubes&onlyappliesalittlewhenbigboostisbeingused.
InourHotChillirangeoftanks,theangles&radiiofthetriangulatedroofaredifferentforeachsizetank.Thisisnota
marketinggimmick,butshowshowimportantitistogetitright.Onlythreedegreessometimesmadeadifferenceof
2%offlowbut10%ofwindowdistribution.

Configuration
Twodesignsoftanksareverypoorindistributingtheintakechargeevenlyacrossthecoreface.Pleasenotethat100%
distributionisimpossible,ifthecoreishighenoughtoofferworthwhilecooling.
OnedesigniscommonlyusedonRotarypoweredcarscomingoutofSydney.TheCoreis500+mmhigh&hasthe
inlet/outletpipesinthebottomofbothtanksat90degangle,paralleltochargeflow.Howeverthehigherstaticpressure
droptocoolingefficiencyratio,islessimportanttoa20+psi.dragcar(itwillincrease'spoolup'time!),butdecreases
throttleresponse&afewkw.output,inastreetcar.Inthepictures(below)ofouranswertothisproblem,wehave
designedadualpassintercoolerthatsplitsthecoreareainhalf,sotheintakechargeusesthewholeofthecore
evenly.Attentionhastobepaidthethesizeshowever,astheairspeedthroughthecoreisdoubled&ifthecharge
windowistoosmall,apressurebuildup(drop)willresult.

4of9tankshapesbuilttotryto

maximizedistributionacrossthecore
face.

http://www.are.com.au/techtalk/intecoolersmr.htm

Fromlowerdowntoshowsomeentry
changesmade.Front2areabsolute
shockers.

Ineachtankwetrieddifferentbaffle
shapes/angles&gotsomemixed
results.Somehopeless.

Inourinitialtesting,80%ofchargeair
usedend25%ofcoreat264cfm@25"
water.Justturningbottomtankaround
makesabigdifference

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Iftheoutletisbelowthisinlet,thisisthe
worstcombinationIcanthinkof.Step
causesreversion,smallerdiameter
speedsairflow&increaserssyphoning
!

Thisisthesecondworstcombination
I'vetested&it'ssopopularwiththe
Rotaryset.AREhasneversoldan
intercoolerlikethisallotmissedsales,
butwenowhaveabettersetup.

Thisisoursolutiontoocoolingthe
Rotary.Maximumeffeciencyfromthis
largecoregivingmorecoolingwithless
pressuredrop.Relocatetheoilcooler&
wecanmakeitevenbetter.

Hereishowourintercoolerlooksinthe
car.Stillfillsupthefrontbutgivesmore
overallcoolingwithalittlelesspressure
drop.Thereisalimittothecfmflow
throughthesecores&generallyneed
tobethicker.

TheotherdesignmostlyisusedintheUSA.,wheretanksareonthetop&bottomofthecore,causingthechargeairto
maketwo90deg.bends.Byusingasecondmanometerwithalongthinprobe,wefoundthat80%oftheintakecharge
flowsthroughtheend25%oftubesonourfirsttesttank,whichwasofreasonablelength.Flowratewasgoodbut
coolingratewasterrible.Whenwedoubledthelengthofthetank,55%oftheintakechargeflowedthroughtheend25%
oftubes&overallflowdropped9%,indicatingthatthisdesignhastoohaveverylongtanks,butshouldbeabletobe
avoidedanyway.Wealsodiscoveredflow'syphoning'forthefirsttimeduringthistesting.Theintercoolerwasmakinga
strangenoise,&withtheaidofthesecondmanometerprobe,&thenremovingthetank&usingtheoldtissuestreamer
onasticktrick,foundthatairwasactuallybeingsuckedbackupthetubesnexttootheinletend,bythesame
principalasaspraygunoperation.Thismeansthatsomeofthealreadycooledintakechargewasbeingrecirculated
throughthecoreagain.Thiscreatesadoublelossasnotonlydoestheextrasyphonedaircreatemorepressuredrop,it
hasalreadybeencooledsotakesawaycorespaceneededbythehotair.Ididn'twastetimemeasuringthe%
recirculationaswerarelyusethisdesign.Pleasenotethatthisparagraphreferstointercoolerswiththeinlet/outlet
aboveeachother(onthesameside).Itisreducednoticeablyifonetankisreversed,butstillshouldbeavoidedif
possible.Adualpassintercoolerisheapsmoreefficientwherebothpipesareontheoneside,buttheyrequiremore
heightforthecore.
Afewfactorsshouldberememberedwithairflow.Definitelydon'tpolishtheinsideoftanksorpipes.Anultrasmooth
surfacecausescapillarytensiononthesurfacelayerofairwiththewall&willincreasedragsoincreasingpressure
drop.Astreetcarisnotinhighboostthatmuchofthetime(maybe10%max.ornolicence,notyres!),and
forpossibly50%ofthetimeinvacuum,withmaybeanother30%atlessthan5psiboost,sotheengineoperatesasa
naturallyaspiratedengineforapproximately70%ofit'slife.Now,howmanyhundredsofhoursayeardotheGroupA
Supercarteamsspendontheflowbenchtryingtofindevenahalfapercentincreaseinflow?Asquareedgetankcan
easilycausea20percentdropinflow,atlowboostdriving!!Somepeopleconfusetheresultofpoortank/pipedesign
withturbolag,whenitactuallymayhavelittleornothingtodowiththeturbo'sperformance.Thishasbeenreinforced
withourAir/WaterintercoolerR&D.program,wheremuchshorter/straighterpipelengthsareused(reduced"turbo"lag).
Acrisperthrottleresponsewithincreased"driveability"canactuallybefeltdrivingthevehicle,veryimportantnotonly
onthestreet,butinRally,Hillclimb,Gymkhana,Jetboat,typecompetitions.Inmyflowbenchtesting,I'vefoundthat
makingairflowchangedirectionby360deg.causesnoticeablymorepressuredropthana180deg.change.
Theimportanceofsquaredtanksexponentiallydecreasesasboostpressureincreases,thisisforairflow&distribution.
Ifyouseeacaratthedragsthatruns35pluspsi,withsquaretanksonit'sintercooler,don'tworryaboutitafterthecar
haslaunched&isrevvingout,aspowerlossisminimal(maybe3%),BUT,iftheenginecouldnotspoolupquickly,or
needsnitroustospoolup,thenthetankshapeplaysaverydefinitepartinthisproblem,withRotaryenginesseemingly
affectedmorethan4strokeengines.Ihaveseenmanydragcars,notbeingabletoospoolupontotheconverterfor1
to3seconds,usuallymostlyintheafternoonheatovercoolnightair,resultinginuptoaquartertrackleadtotheir
opponent.Theimportanceoftheinlettankshapealsoexponentiallyincreaseswiththethicknessofthecore,from
whenitis25%widerthantheinletpipe,&especiallyfortube/fincores..Theoutlettankonlyhasapprox.40%
influenceonthisastheinlet.Ihavespenthundredsofhoursontheflowbenchwitheverythingfromconventional
basic(oppositionmanufactureres)tanks,tosomewayoutdesignsthatwouldbelaughedat,butyoucan'talways
accuratelypredicttheresults,&it'smarvellouswhatIoccasionallylearnfromtheseexperiments.Ireckon85%ofmy
r&d.timeisaimedattoughstreetcarapplicationstoprovidethemostcoolingwiththehighesthorsepoweroutputwith
thecrispestthrottleresponse.Notethewordeconomywasnotused,becauseitgoeshandinhandwithcrispthrottle
response.

Material

Notaprettysight.Toothinmaterial

http://www.are.com.au/techtalk/intecoolersmr.htm

Acloserpicofthethicknessguage.We Macropictureof3mmsheetmetaltank Surfaceofcasttank.Bothpolishup

use2mmforhandhammered(formed) surface.Foldmadewith10mmdia.
similar,butcasttakeslonger.Canhave

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used.

tankswithoutflatsurfaces&2.5or3mm mandrel.Canseesurfacecracksif
oneverythingelse.
madewithsharpedgefolder.

inclusionsorblowholesthatwillleakif
notcastproperly.

Ifthetankwallistoothickisitwillbecomeaheatsoak&counteractpartoftheadvantageyourintercoolerprovides.
WorstexampleisathickcasttankfittedtoaSubaruWRXtopmountoranytopmount.Itisgettingalltheunder
bonnetheat(around70c.)atlowspeed&thenwhennailed,takesacoupleofsecondstodroptoit'sproper
temperature,whichisn'tthatcoolanyway.Thishasmuchlesseffectonafrontmount,exceptwhenreversingbackafter
thatbigimpressiveburnout&itwon'tstabilizewhenstagingeither.Wepaymoreforourcastrangeoftanks,butthey
average3.7mmthickness&arewellworthitbecauseoftheformentionedproblems.

Cananintercoolerbetoobig?
YES!Instreetdrivenapplications,anintercoolercandefinitelybetoobig,maybenotfor'attitude',butformaximum
performance.ItisnotanargumenttosaythatJoeBlow'sRX2runs9.6@132withamonstrousintercoolerbecause
thatcarmayrun9.4@134withanintercoolerthatisengineeredveryclosetotheoverallrequirementsofthat
combination.ThesamemaybesaidforFredNerksTX3thatruns13.8@100withhisheadlighttoheadlightmonster
intercoolerjumpingoutofthegrille.Thecarmayrun13flat@110withaproperlyengineeredintercooler/pipesetup.
Thisisbecauseifa13,500cu.cm.coredropstheintaketemperatureto40c.@1.5psi."static"pressuredrop,a
9,550cu.cm.coremaydropthetemperatureto41c@0.82psi"static"pressuredrop,&Iknowwhichwillproduce
morepower!
Theclosertoambienttemperaturetheintakechargegetscooledto,theexponentiallylargertheinternalsurfaceareaof
thecoreisneeded,alsoexponentiallyincreasingthefriction(drag)ofthechargeairinthelargercore,causinghigher
Staticpressuredrop.Pleasenotethatthesamekw.outputcanbegeneratedbytwoengines,butrequiretwodifferent
intercoolers.Ifoneengineisfittedwithasmallerthanoptimumturbo,thenitwilloperateoutofit'sefficiencyrange,
overrevving&'beating'theair,toahighertemperature.Eveninastreetapplication40+c.(eg.120to160c.)is
common!Thisrequiresamoreefficientcoolingintercooler,witheitherlargervolume,morecoolingfinsorlongertube
length,thantheotherenginethatisfittedwithalargerthanoptimumturbo,whichmayonlyheatthechargeto105c.,
placinglessimportanceontheintercooler,butmoreontheinlettank"window"(area)whichneedstobelarger&the
tubelengthshorter.Thefirstenginemakesabetterstreetdriver,astheturbowillbeonboostatconsiderablylower
revs.
Areallyimportantpointisthatthemoreoversizeanintercooleris,themoreimportanttankshapeis,forbothpressure
drop&chargedistributionacrossthecoreface.Makeanefforttosussoutthebestoverallintercooler&pipeworkfor
yourcar,usage&drivingstyle.Itwillmakeaworthwhilegain,&possiblyatlesscost!

TurboLag?orisit
Theinternetisagreatthing,BUT,therearesomanyfalsestatementsthatpeoplemakesoundsoconvincing."Iputa
bigfrontmountonmyVLCommodore&there'snoextralagatall,itgoesheapsbettertoo".Treatthispersonwith
totaldistrust.Theonlyaccurate(note:Ididnotsayhonest,becausehemaybegenuinelykiddinghimself)partis'it
goesheapsbetter'.Itisaphysical&scientificimpossibility,tonothaveextralaginthiscase.
IfitwasaSkylineorsimilarcar,treatthepersonwithsomedistrust&quizthemonbothsetups,asthesystemthey
replacedwascertainlynotoptimized&/orthenewsystemmustbereallysuitedtothecar.
Thesefiguresarecalculatedforasystemwithperfectairflow,withoutdisturbancefrompoortankshape,poor
coreflowefficiency,gapsinpipes,no.ofbends&manymorefactors,sotheactualrealworldtimeswillbeslower!
Theactualtimeamoleculeofairtakestotravelthesystemduring,fromidle,to8500rpm.,cannotbeaccurately
calculatedasthevariablesareimmense.Thesefourgraphsaretohelpyougetahandleonhowimportantitistoruna
properlydesignedsystemforstreetthrottleresponse&racespoolup.Thisispartofthereasonahighstallauto,turbo,
4cyl.dragcarisusuallyallotmoreconsistent.
Note:Thesmallertheenginecapacityorthelowertherevsusedthemoreimportantthedesignis.
Boosthasminisculebearingonchargeairspeed/timeitchangesthecfm.output,makingthecharge
denser,BUTnottheairspeedvelocity!

ThelightsonanANDRAXmasstarttreeare0.400ofasec.intervals.

Wehavebeenusingthesefigures(inhousedevelopedcomputerprogramme)foryearstohelpusdesignic.
systemsforcustomers,maybethat'swhysomanyofourcustomersspeaksohighlyoftheresultsourproducts
provide.
FollowingarefourPDFfilestovalidatetheabove.

2.0Litreengineputtingout668cfm.@8500rpm.
Coresize610x278x109mm.2.5"&3"pipes.SkylineGTRtanks.26.853L.
800rpm.1.673secs.8500rpm0.167secs.

Exactsameenginespecsasabove.
http://www.are.com.au/techtalk/intecoolersmr.htm

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Coresize500x278x109mm.2.0"&2.5"pipes.Evotanks.19.477L.
800rpm.1.227 secs.8500rpm0.123secs.

Exactsameenginespecsasabove.
Coresize150x380x109mm.2.0"&2.75"pipes.AsourSubaruWRXtop
mountupgradeintercoolernotasefficient(atcoolingdrop)asafrontmount,
BUT800rpm.0.517secs.8500rpm0.052secs.
3.1Litreengineputtingout1193cfm@8500rememberboosthasnobearingon
airspeed!Allotherspecsexactlyasthefirstfileabove.
800rpm.1.079secs.8500rpm.0.108secs.

Pipes, Couplers and Clamps

Iknowthey'renotintercoolers,butyourshinynew$1000pieceofalloylurkingbehindthegrilleisn'tmuchusewithout
them.Pipesalsohavetobeengineeredortheycancausesizeablepressuredrops.Theworstthingyoucanaskthe
chargeairtoodoisturnbackonitselfie.makea180degturntotheright&thena180deg.turntotheleft,likeanS
shape.Onceairisdeflecteditlikestokeeptravellinginthatdirection.Askingchargeairtoopenoutat360degrees,as
ina50mmpipeintothemiddleofa90mmflatrectangulartank,causesabigpressuredrop.AnotherproblemisHeat
soak,especiallywhenthethrottlebodyfacesacrossthetappetcoveronanorth/southengineorattherearofaneast
westlayout,makingforalongpipelengthfromtheradiatorsupportpaneltotheplennum.Whyisthisaproblem?We
havemeasuredunderbonnettemps.ofover80c.&thatisnotdownneartheturboeither.Ona26c.day,the
averagechargeairtemp.outofourfrontmountsis30c.&thislowtemp.makesthechargeverysusceptibletooheat
soakfromthehighunderbonnettemp.&naturally,thelongerthepipe,thehighertherateofheatabsorption.Inthese
cases,eventhoughweworkinalloypredominately,orstainless,Irecommendtodothepipeworkinmildsteelmandrel
bends&haveitHPC(orsimilar)thermalcoated,itisworththeextratime&couldbecheaper.Worstcasescenariowe
havemeasuredbetweentheintercooleroutlet&theplennuminlet,is21c.(a25day)onaCommodoreVLwiththe
pipebehindtheradiator,withaguyinCairnstellingmehemeasured26onhisSkylineR32GTST
Whenitcomestimetobycouplers,ifatallpossible,paytheextramoney,buytheproperhightemp.siliconones(they
lookgood),fitthem&forgetthem,afteryouretensiontheclampaweeklater,theydoshrinkundertheclamp
compression.Iknowhumphosescausealittlepressuredrop,butthatcanbebetterthancrackingpipesthroughnot
havingenoughgiveinthesystem.Ifthereisonlyashortdistanceforthepipe,&itisbetweenafixedpoint(intercooler
etc.)&theengine,useoneortwohumpstooallowforenginemovement.
Clampsareimportantinbothsealing&longtivetyofthecouplers.

IntercoolerMaintenance

http://www.are.com.au/techtalk/intecoolersmr.htm

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Thisistheworstpicturesince1997of
oneofourcustomershorrorstory.

Enoughtoomakeyousick!!

Japanreallymusthaveterribleair.The Thisishowitshouldbe.Backtonear
blackbuildupactuallycorrodesintothe newefficiency,&looksthepart.
alloy&mustbecleaned.

Anintercoolerthathasbeeninserviceforacoupleofyears(longerinruralareas),willdefinitelyprovidemorecoolingif
itiscleanedproperly.Thatis,soakedinadegreaserbathtoremovetheinterioroilfilmthathasaccumulated(which
maybeeversothinwithanewturbo),thenpowerflushedwithwater.Theexteriorfinsshouldsprayedwithaproper
aluminiumetchingcleanertoremovethesurfaceoxidation&roadgrimethatwillhaveformed.Boththeoilfilm&
oxidation/grimebuildupprovideinsulatingcoatingsthatinhibitthetransferenceofchargeairheattotheambientair.
Ifnotsureoftheproperprocedure&productstouse,westronglyrecommendhavingthisdonebyaprofessional
businessinourfield.Pleaseseethetwopicturesaboveleft,whichisa9montholdintercoolerthatwasremovedoff
thecarforanotherreason,&theownerdecidedtodotherightthing&cleanittobesureofmaximumperformance.He
rangus&ItoldhimweuseaDegreaser,Kero&Phenolsolutioninourbath.Healreadyhadsomedegreaserathome,
soboughtsomekero,mixedthem,blockedoffoneend&pouredthemixintoletitsoak.Itstartedtogetwarmaftera
shortwhile,thenbubblegently&gethotter.Bythetimeherealizeditwasgoingawfullywrong&tippeditout,thiswas
theresult.ItwaslateFridayafternoonwhenherang,bothofuswereinahurry,Ididn'tsay&hedidn'taskabout
differentsortofdegreasersandhedidn'treadthelabelwhichsaid'notforaluminium'.Itwasawaterdegreaserhehad
&mixedwiththekero.Thecausticbaseofthedegreaserattackedthealloy&renderedthecorecompletelyuseless,a
newcorebeingtheonlyalternativeexpensivemistakeforbothofus,aswehelpedhimoutwiththecost.Irangafew
industrialchemists&theanswerwasthesamefromthemallovertheleftshoulder.Forinternalcleaning,onlyuse
apetroleumbaseddegreaser,whichwemixwithKero&phenol.Specificacidcleanersmustbeusedontheexternal
coolingfinsastheaveragethicknessisonly0.08mmthat'spaperthin.Anybentoverfinsshouldbestraightened
beforethecleaningprocess,sothefiniscleanedproperly&fullairflowisallowedthroughthecore.
Checkallthemountingbrackets,bothonthecooler&carforanysignsofcracks.Ifyouhavetoundoorloosenany
bolts,takenoticethatthebracketsdon't'spring'orhavetensiononthem.Ifso,fixtheproblemsotheboltsgostraight
ineasy.Thiswillstopanystresscracksformingorspreading.
Checkallthehosesforanysignsofdeteriation,especiallynexttotheclamps&inthecentreofanyconvolutionsifthe
hosehasthem.Thesearebyfarthetwomostcommonproblemareas.Whenbuyinghoses,doyourcarafavour&pay
theextraforproperhightempsiliconhose.Buyitonce,fititonce,&forgetit(aftercheckingclamptensionaftera
week).Rememberthathosesshrinkundercompressionoftheclamp,sowhenreassembling,makesurethattheclamp
notonlygoesbackintheexactsamepositionbutalsoaroundthesameway,asthetabsunderthewormdrive
mechanismareasymmetrical&couldallowchargeairtooescape.Samewithradiatorhosestoo.Whenbuyingclamps,
alwaysmakesurethebandparthasarollededgeonbothsides,thisstopscuttingthehosewithtime,astheymustbe
verytightifboostisover10psi.Ifover20psi.IrecommendusingtheTboltclamp.
Onereallytop,timesavingtrickIwasgivenbyMatt@Chiptorque(Nerang)istoplumbanairlinesetatacouplepsi
intotheinletsystem&listenorfeelfortheleakifyou'rehavingtroubletrackingitdownorhavedoubts.Asmallleakis
nexttoimpossibletodiagnosewiththeenginerunningsometimes.

Repairability

ThisSkylineGTSTisgoingforscrap.
ThisoeNissanGTRcoredoesnotleak. Tubesprobablydon'tleaknow,but
Becausetherearenosharpcreasesin tubestornoutofheaderplate&tank
thedamage,itwillprobablygive
holed.
severalyearsservice.

http://www.are.com.au/techtalk/intecoolersmr.htm

Closeupofdamage.If"willleak"tubes
aren'tleakingnow,theysoonwillwith
hot/cool&pressurecycling

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Whenconsideringtubeconstruction,onethingtorememberisthestrength&repairabilityofthecores.Theweakest
corebyaverybigmarginistheplatetube&fincore.Wegetallotofthesethroughourworkshop(includingoilcoolers
ofthesameconstruction),buttheyarerelativeeasytorepairastheymostlycrackinthecentreoftheendtank
concertinajoins.Ifthecrackisinthecentreofthe"tank"end,thenitisathrowaway.Theyhavetobehydrogen
brazedastheheatfromTIGweldingistooconcentrated,usuallyresultinginaweepatone/bothendsofthewelds.Bar
&platecoresareweakerthantube&fin.TheworryisthatGarrettpaperworksaysthatitisacceptabletohaveleaks
inthecore,aslongasitdoesn'texceed4psidropfrom30psiin15secs!!!Wemayhavehadaleakinatube&fin
coreovertheyears,butnonewintercoolerhaseverleftourshopwithaweep,letaloneleak.Bar&platecores
areverydifficulttorepairleaksanywhereonthembecauseofthevastlydifferingthicknesscomponents,buttube&fin
areonlyhardwhentheleakisintowardsthecentreofthecorebymorethan15mm..ThewallthicknessofanAdrad
coreis1.3mmfront/rearface&0.7mmforrestoftubeandK&Jis1.0mmfront/rearcurve&0.4mmsidesoftube.Any
competentaluminiumwelderwillbeabletowelddamagetothetubes,butburningthefinsawaywillsortouttheirtalent
!Thisadviceisfromourworkshop,thatisoneofthefewsetuptoorepairproperlyaswellasfabricatenew
assembliesinfactthereisnotanothershopinAustralia,setupanywherenearascomprehensiveasus,forrepairs!

Chinese Intercoolers
I'vetriedtostayoutofthisaslongasIcouldotherwiseitwouldcomeoverasblatantsourgrapes,butthereisnow
enoughknowledge&enoughpeoplehavebeencaughttosubstantiatemyfindings&mostimportantly,therushof
bloodfrombothsides(particularlyonforums)hasmellowedabit.Thereareallotofmyths,doingtheforumsin
particular,rangingfromclosetoright,toodownrightridicules,soIwilltrytokeeptofacts.
1)Ourintercoolersalesaredownnear60%towhattheywere2yearsago,sotheywoundedourbusiness
forawhile.Howeverourintercoolerdollarturnoverisonlydown20%,becausewearemakingmorethickerunitsforthe
higherpoweredcarsthatarebeingbuilt,&ourairwatersalesareincreasingtoo.
2)AREcannothaveacoremadeinAustraliawithin$90.00ofwhatwecanSELLacompleteChineseunit
for.IsawanSBSdocumentaryonWalMartinUSA'spurchasingpolicies&theystatedthataChinesefactoryworker
ispaidaslittleas$0.78perhour.$20.00perhourisanaveragetypewageinthisbusiness&whatticksmeisthata
wholeheapoftheAust.workforce(Doctors.IT,etc.)wouldnotevenworkfor100timestheChinesewage.Letsnot
evenmention4weeksannualleavewith17%loading.
3)NotallChineseintercoolersarecreatedequal.Icannotstressthisenough!Theydonotcomefrom
thesamefactory.Thereareatleast8factoriesthathavecontacteduswithtotaldifferentaddresses&thenthereare
differentnamedcompanieswithintheseaddresses,whichishowsomeflauntthecopyrightlawsthatwesterncompan
iesmustabideby.Acoupleoffactoriesmakeverygoodunits,someareokay,&somearedownrightbad.To
complicatepurchasingfurther,somesizeintercoolersfromthesamefactoryaregood&othersizesbad.HowdoI
knowthis,wetestedsome75mmunitsfromanimporter,whichcameupgoodinallaspects&unfortunatelyforus
quitegoodinacoupleofaspects,sotheyrepresentedexcellentvalue.Wehavesoldafewofthesewithoutone
complaint.Theyalsoimportedsome90mm&100mmintercoolersfromthesamefactory.Aftergettingsomereturned
withvocalcomplaintsbecausepoweroutput&responsedroppedwhenthesewerefitted(oftenreplacinga75mmunit),
theysentoneeachuptomefortesting.Justlookingatthemshowedaclosefinpitch.Resultsarelistedbelow.Weare
talkingallbarplateconstructionwiththeseimportedintercoolers.Thesadpartofallthisisthereisnowayof
accuratelylistingwho'swho,mostfactorieswillstampanynameontothereproduct!

IntercoolerSize

FlowRatecorrected

Notes.

Chinese600x300x90mm. BarPlate3"inlet.

Type

299.3cfm

Chinese600x300
x100mm.

BarPlate3"inlet.

330.9cfm.

ARE610x302x91mm.

TubeFin3"inlet

471.4cfm.

ARE610x302x91mm

TubeFin3"inlet

493.3cfm.

Withouroptionalventurieplate
option

4)Afewintercoolershaveweeps,orsometimesleaks,outofthebox,whichmakesmethinkthattheywill
developmoreleaks(maybeeveniftheydon'thaveanywhennew)earlyintheirlife,withtherigorsofhotcold/press
urevacuumcyclingofnormaluse.
5)Ourtesting&feedbackfromsomereputabledynoshopssuggestthatthemajorityofChinese'coolers
doagoodjobuptothepointofbeingworkedhard&thengainsexponentiallytaperoff.Acoupleofyearsago,they
generallyhadabasicfindesign@acoursepitchinasmall'tube',meaningtheyhadalowpressuredropbutnotgood
coolingefficiency,sodoagoodjobforanenginewithanefficientturbooperatinginthelowmiddleofit'sefficiency
map.Try&runtoomuchboost&theywill'choke'&pressuredropwillsoar.Thelatertrendseemstobemuchcloser
finpitch,butstillinasmall'tube',restrictingflowevenmore,&worsestill'choke'moreatacomparativelowerboost.
Thecloserfinpitchwhichgivesbettercoolingrates,wouldonlyincreaseperformanceifthetubelengthwasshorter,as
thecoolingefficiencyquicklyexponentiallydecreases(wehaveplacedprobes@100mmincrementsalongtubesof
bothairair&dryiceintercoolers)&thepressuredrop(moreslowly)exponentiallyincreasesalongthelengthofatube,
meaningthereisa'sweetspot'wherecoolingrate&pressuredropgivemaximumperformance.Sorryguys,butour
parchment'forbigisbetter'philosophy&thefactthattheChinesefactoriesdon'tseemtohavemuchtechnicalinkling
ofhowanintercoolerworks,meansthatallotofpurchaseswillnevergivenearthegainspossible&some,well,they're
justawasteofyour'cheapmoney'!!!
6)Theyreallyhavethereplaceinthemarket,areverygoodforanyoneseekingamoderatepowergain
withalimitedbudget&formoregainsthanthis,becomeincreasinglymoredifficulttogaugeiftheywilldotheworkyou
need,allthisisofcourseifyougetagoodone!

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Importor'Grey'Intercoolers
TheseareamuchpreferredoptiontotheTruckintercoolers,talkedaboutbelow,infact,someverygoodunitscanbe
boughtforavalueprice.Iftheunithasnotbeenstoredproperlyafteritwasremovedfromthevehicle(&thismeansin
thewreckingyardinJapan,loadingonto&inthecontainercomingoverhere&storageoverhere),thenitmayinfact,
costyoumoney&/orperformance.Theyhavebeenbroughtintousforcleaningwithalineofwhitishpowder1/4to1/2
wayupthecoreinternally,fromwheretheyhavebeenlayinginthesaltwatercomingover.Don'ttouchthem.
Sometimes,theyhavelookedrealgood,butafterwehavesoakedtheminthebath&whilepowerflushing,theamount
ofpebbles,dirt,&theoddselftapingscrewthatcomesout,isarealworry.Firstly,toousthatwehavegotallthe
rubbishout,&secondly,thatanybodybuyingone&fittingitstraightup,hasbeenlucky&itisclean,orelsewhatever
isinthere,willfinishupintheenginesoonerthanlater.Paranoid?no,seenithappentoooften.
Ifanimportintercoolerisforyou,thenlookforaunitoffacarthathasatleast50%morepowerthanyourengine,as
oe.intercoolersaresizedbyaccountants,notengineers.Eveniftheengineersdogetthefinalsay,I'msuretheyknow
howmuchsomeofyouguy'swillturnuptheboost&sohaveasmallintercoolertotry&"choke"yourgains!

TruckIntercoolerCores
Therearedifferencesbetweena'truckintercooler'andanintercoolerfittedintoaperformancecarapplication.However,
'truckintercoolers'isabroadtermanddoesnotsufficientlycategorizetheproduct.Justlikeothertypesofproducts,
truckintercoolerscomeindifferentconfigurationsbothbarandplateandtubeandfindesign.Ihavenotseenaplate
tube&fincoreinatruck,theywouldbetooweak.However,duetotheirspecializedapplication,truckintercoolers
haveanoticeablycourserinternalfin&/orexternalfinpitch(dependingonwhethertubeandfinorbarandplate),than
theircousinsfittedintonormalperformancecarapplications.Thismeansthatalthoughanewtruckcorecanbeusedin
performanceapplications,thecoresurfacearea/volumemustbelargerinproportiontothatofastandard'performance
core',&thenitwillgivegoodtemperaturedrop,butitwillbeatthecostofamedium/high"static"pressuredrop&
higherradiatorwatertemperatures.
Atruckintercoolercoreisnearlyalwayslargerbecauseeventhoughtheenginesareslowrevving,theyhavealarge
sweptcapacityrequiringahighcfm.intakecharge,alsothereaverageroadspeedismuchslower&theengineisunder
loadmostofthetime.Becauseoftheslowerroadspeed,thinnercoresperareaandwithlessfpi.,areusedtokeepthe
airspeedontothewaterradiatorashighaspossible.37mmthickisusedbytruckmanufacturersintherelower
poweredapplications,butyouhardlyeverseetheminaperformanceapplication.Trucksalsohavealargefrontalarea,
givingmoreroomfortheintercooler/radiator.
WecleanedoutaVolvotruckintercooler(ithadplastictanks)&duringthejob,discoveredthatithadnointernalfining,
turbulators,nothing,insidethechargeairtubesatall.Whenthecustomercametopickitup,Iaskedhimhowitgoing
onhiscar(Cordia),&hesaidbrilliant!Hehadnevermeasuredthetemperaturedrop,&Iguesshedroveprettyeasy,
soitmaydoareasonablejob,butputitonaCommodore&itwouldbehopeless.
Thelargervolumeofatruckintercoolerhasthreemaindrawbacks:
1)Higher'static'pressuredrop
2)Increased'turbolag'
3)Higherenginewater/underbonnettemperaturesinfrontmountapplications,asthelargetruckintercoolerblocks
moreoftheairflowthroughtotheradiator.
Therefore,ifmoneyisamajorissuethannewtruckcoresinaperformancecarareaviableBUDGETalternative,
especiallyiftankscanbemade&fittedat"matesrates"!

UsedTruckIntercoolerCores

Itismyopinionthatusedtruckintercoolercoresshouldnotbeusedinaperformancecar.Usingausedtruck
intercoolercoreisahugegamble,areyoupreparedtoriskthewelfareofyourenginebecauseofacheapintercooler.
Whyputa$100coreinfrontofa$2000+engine?Italsoisaslowjobtodoproperly,ascompressedairhastobe
blownthroughthetubes,fromtheoppositeendtowhichyouareworkingon.
Mosttruckintercoolercorescanfitintoaperformancecarapplication,buttheynearlyalwayshavetobemodified.
Duringthismodificationprocess,whetheritbewhentheoldtanksarebeingcutoff,orwhenthecoreisbeingcutdown
inpreparationforweldingtankson,orwhenthetanks/coreisbeingcutdown,swarfandfillingscangetlodgedinthe
core,someofwhichcanbeupto600mminlengthandcanbeimposabletobloworcleanout.Theresultisthatthey
dislodgedaysorweekslater,afterworkingtheirwaythroughtheintercoolertubesandintakepipingandenduppassing
straightintotheengine.I'msureyoucanimaginetheresultofthat!?Anotherpointisthatbar&plateandfinnedtube
coresaremuch,muchhardertocleananysolidparticlesoutofastheygettrappedinthefins&haveto"travel"
throughthelengthofthetube,interestingly,theexactsamereasonwhypersq.cm.,thesecoresdissipateheatbetter,

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butatahigher"static"pressuredrop.
Rememberthatausedtruckcoreisforsaleforareason.Ifyoubuyone,hopethatthetruckwashitupthearse,
becauseifitwashitaroundthecab,thenthecorewasmorethanlikelydamagedortwistedtosomeextent.Ifthe
damagedsectionwascutoff,yourcorewillstillhavesomestress&'set'init&evenifnotleakingwhenpurchased,the
heat&cuttingwhenmodifyingittofit,mayreleasethestress,resultinginleaksintheheaderplate/tubejointswhen
finished.Wedonotdothisworkanymoreforthisreason,ithappensfartoooften!
Pictureofcoreintesttank.
Usedtruckcoresinaperformancecarareastupid,desperatealternative,&ifyouhaven'tguessed,apethateofmine.
UsetheminyoursmokyturboedA12poweredrusty120Y,butpleasenotinaperformancecar.I'dmuchratherseeyou
buyfromanoppositionshop!!

Lastwords.
Intercoolingaforcedinductionintakechargeisacompromise.Wedirectallourenergies&R&D.,atminimisingthe
negativecompromises&maximisingthepositivecompromises!
A20%gaininairflowthroughacomponent,doesnotgivea20%increaseinpowerIwishitdid!Itmightonlyresult
ina0.5%(or5%)gaininpoweritalldependsontheapplication.
Ifyouhavereadthisfar,Ithankyoukindly,becauseithastakenmeallotofwork.I'vetriedtobeashonest&unbiased
asIcould,soIreallyhopeyoufounditbothworthwhile&especiallyeducational.Spendyourmoneywisely,&you'll
alwaysbeahead.

ShortGlossary(foraourfulleditionclickhere)
*"Static"pressuredropThemeasurementofthedropinpressureoftheairtravellingthroughthecore,frictionor
'parasiticdrag'measuredonaflowbench(ofcapablecapacity)atambienttemperature.
*"Dynamic"pressuredropThemeasurementofthedropinpressureoftheairtravellingthroughthecore,frictionorO
'parasitic'dragplusthedropinpressurecausedbythecoolingoftheintakecharge(closermolecularstructureofthe
particlesresultinginadenser,smallervolumeexiting)duetothemechanicaldesignoftheintercooler,orinmore
engineeringterminology,thermalmatrixheatexchanger!

http://www.are.com.au/techtalk/intecoolersmr.htm

AluminiumRadiatorsandEngineeringPtyLtd(ARECooling)
WhileeveryeffortismadetoensuredetailsandinformationiscorrectattimeofpublishingSunday,05August2012
pleasecontactAREbyphone,faxoremailtoconfirmpricesbeforeorder.

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