Racing Intercoolers

A turbocharger is a great power add-on which makes it possible to significantly increase the performance of an internal combustion engine. However, there is the other side of the coin. The air compressed by a turbocharger gets very hot due to extreme pressure, which, in turn, causes several negative affects, such as pre-ignition and lost of power. For this reason, all modern-day turbocharged racing and high-performance engines are equipped with an air-cooling device, known as an intercooler. It cools down air after it is pressurized by a turbocharger, yet before this air gets into the engine.

An intercooler works similar to a car radiator. However, instead of a coolant, hot air is circulated through an arrangement of pipes. The air fins that are placed among the pipes absorb heat from the air inside the pipes. At the same time the outside air that passes through an intercooler absorbs heat from the fins, allowing a heat conduction process occurs. To increase the airflow and enhance the productivity of an intercooler it can be accompanied by an electric fan which causes more air to blow through the intercooler. Since one of its ends is connected to a turbo and the other one is piped to the intake system, the cooled air gets into the manifold.

All intercoolers can be grouped under two major categories, including air-to-air and air-to-water. The principle of operation of the first one is described above. Such intercoolers are simple, lightweight and easy to maintain, which makes them a very popular choice for a wide range of turbocharged applications. When it comes to air-to-water intercoolers, they do the same job as their air-to-air counterparts, but use water to reduce the temperature of compressed air. Since water absorbs heat better than air, these units are usually smaller and more efficient than air-cooled intercoolers, whereas, are heavier and have a more complex design.