Are intercoolers necessary for running 500-700 HP? Or is it meant more for towing really large loads?

What intercoolers are the best?

 

Their purpose is to reduce EGT's when turbocharging. Turbos impart a great deal of heat to the intake air stream.

Intake temps w/o them can run into the 200-300 degree range; that puts EGT's up into the 1400-1500 range when at WOT, which is up there in piston-melting territory. There are only two ways to reduce that heat load: charge cooling, or reducing power.

Having a turbo without a charge cooler more or less defeats the purpose.

"Best" is relative to the vehicle in question. Unless you're running 500+ HP in a SuperDuty, the question becomes rather moot as there are better ways to spend money for the gain involved; that is, Until you get WAAAAY up there in the HP levels, quibbling the brand of charge cooler is well past the point of diminishing returns. Just like the factory air cleaner, the factory charge cooler is well suited.

Incidentally, there are two types of charge coolers: air-to-air, and air-to-water. ATA charge coolers are commonly found on vehicles; ATW coolers are commonly found on boats or in vehicles that do not have front-mounted radiators (like buses).

(Ob-PetPeeve: The correct term is "charge cooler". "Intercoolers" go between turbine stages in gas turbine prime movers. Yeah, the ricer boys screwed it up decades ago. And I've had techs look at me like I've grown a 3rd ear until I said "charge cooler".)

-blaine

 

I don't mind the term intercooler misapplied as it is, but I can't stand "innercooler." Even with a compound turbo system on my Talon I still call the charge cooler or after cooler an intercooler, but if I want to talk about a real "inter" cooler I'm forced to call it an inter-stage intercooler or between stage charge cooling or some other damn thing so people know WTF I'm talking about.

Back on topic, how well does the stock cooler work? I believe there is a post-IC IAT sensor in the manifold, how does the IAT temp look? Has anyone measured the pressure drop across the core at a given power level?

 

When I was datalogging mine a couple of years ago, IAT's when moving were within 5 degrees of ambient. Stop moving and IAT's go up in a hurry; but then, if you're not moving, you're probably not making enough power for it to matter.

-blaine

 

The stock charge cooler is fairly good but has a problem of blowing out the end tanks when boost gets into the "higher" levels. For street driving Banks has a really nice piece that is probably the most efficient overall. Spearco has a nice piece too, but the fit isn't quite as good and it's more of a race or pulling piece.

 

I've had that debate with people as well that didn't know the correct terminology. It was one of those that I had to let go(imagine that, me letting a "debate" go of my own free will) as it was just stuck in people's head. Kinda like "that begs the question" and then they follow it with a question.

Even up in 500+ territory, you may or may not need an upgraded cooler. I travel all over the South and I've had no issues at all for the 2 yrs so far that I've been over 500HP. At this point and at the age that my truck is, if it starts to have problems, I can think of it more of being due to age and it being outside most of the time dealing with extremes.

I like the materials of the Spearco, but the thickness of the Banks. Atleast, that's the way they were when I was looking at them when I was doing everything to my truck.