OK, like 46pages? i'm soooo too lazy to read all that...
SOO... Is this kit easy to fit?, (i'm technically minded, all be it lazy...) Would one be able to do it one's self?


On Topic... Intercoolers.

There is no Easy, right/wrong answer to do i need to/which Intercooler app is best. they all have pros and cons
Soo, here's a break down?

Air-to-Air -
Downside - LAG, or should i say decrease throttle responce. All the air, in all the pipes that connect your big shiny cooler to the system needs to be displaced with compressed air. Obviously, in this low-boost, high comp app the "LAG" wouldn't be any more pronouced then no more that the equivilent to stock full throttle, but if you lowered to comp for more boost, it'd be more pronouced.

There is also the fact that more pipe/metal in the engine bay may equal more heatsoaking, negating you're intercooler.

My last car was a Corolla AE92 sedan, with a 4AGZE Blacktop engine, (for those unfamiliar, Roots type S/C), were we mounted the cooler in the engine bay, making a ver short inlet path. For airflow, we mounted an air damn/"scoop" that ran from the bottom of the cooler, down to a cutout in the bumper. Looked like a HUGE cold air intake for an airpod. No cut outs in bonnet, air spilled back into engine bay. Heatsoak was only a consern until you were moving, were the temps dropped quickly

Upside - It's the simplest, most common, least expensive setup, and it's funky looking and shiny.


Water-to-Air -
Downside - Weight. You need pumps, pipes, heat exchanger, radiators, and water. Water's almost 1kg per litre of liquid. Complexity. More can go wrong, more issues with possible Heat soak, especially if the pump fails.

Upside - you can place the Heat exchange anywhere, so it wont upset you're intake path, so shouldn't effect throttle responce, (Depending on size/restriction of Heat exchange used)


Water injection -
Downside - Idiot factor. You build a system that relies on the cooling of the sprayed water/ethanol, and you forget to fill it up, BOOM.

Upside - Oldest form of charged air cooling. Making it easy to setup, and not expensive at all.

It works, not REALLY by cooling the air, but making it denser. Denser air is less likely to detinate, meaning more air/fuel mixture, (eg boost), or more advanced timing.

It will also, if you set it up to do so, cool, via evaporation, your charger, AND fill in the gaps between the lobes in a roots type s/c, increasing boost slightly. Not sure if this will work on the Vortex type "1/2 turbo" s/c that the KW kit uses.

Which kinda leads to another Downside - water/ethanol sprayed before the compress MAY lead to pitting on the coating on the loobs/blades, depending on how good said coating it. The Teflon coating on the SC on the above corolla wouldn't like it, but a ceramic coated version would be ok.


WHEN the wife gives me the go ahead, planning to wrap the pipes in Horse Power Tape, (ummm... a fabric heat sheilding wrap), then a water injection, (setup after the compressor), connected to a basic switch, so @ 85-90% throttle, it activates. run some extra timing, aim for a cheap extra 10bhp or so.

Setup's easy, you could use basic low pressure irrigation gear, hell, i've seen someone heat and pinch close some fuel line, then punch holes in the pipe with a pin. each pin hole adds so much water. need more, add another hole. and you'd run it off a windscreen wiper tank and pump, with a cheap switch on-off switch on the throttle, or a reed switch on the accelerator peddle or something.

Again, i guess, not perfect, but VERY DIY, if you feel that way inclined.

and before you start ear bashing me, I know it's not a REALLY GOOD sollution. If the setup goes pear shapped, BOOM. But that's can happen regardless what you do. remember i'm not running more boost, i'm only using to add a bit more timing, and cool the charged air slightly. Worst case, it knocks, engine managment should either, retard the timeing, or cut the engine. Shouldn't do anything to the engine as such.

ANNND the only outlay to me, if it cocks up, would be the KW S/c kit. If the engine blows, i'll sell the kit here, (there's nothing in OZ like it, should sell easy), and it'll give me excuse to buy a drift car

 

I am going to install hood louvers before I spend money on anything else to lower intake temperature..... Heat rises and the intake is almost touching the hood at the highest point... The air vented through a louvered hood goes over the car instead of creating drag by exiting underneath and lowers the temperature of everything under the hood also extending the life of belts, hoses, wires, battery and even the engine oil..... The U.S. Border Patrol, police and rescue units across the country are getting great results from using them.

 

Welllllll, it does cool the air, there's energy loss by way of turning the water / meth mixture into a vapor (latent heat of vaporization) also cooler air means denser air, it's what we're going for in all types of charge cooling

You not only want to spray after the compressor, but for safe measure it'll probably be a good idea to spray after the bypass valve, when I do this kit I'll probably mount the pressure switch / injector right next to the throttle body to ensure the water is only going where I want it.

It would be really silly to make a home made kit with which you have no idea how much water you're putting into your engine. Why not just buy one of the many kits that are available for around $250...you should be able to cool your charge about 20F...you would see ~20hp gain...if you want to get into timing, a good standalone should have an aux out type port that can actuate your water/meth injection given certain engine parameters (boost, rpm, etc...) and you could see even more gain...

 

I'm thinking of raking the hood for the time being while there is no risk of rain anytime soon. Driving at IAT 180 F compared to 150 F is like day and night, the car has absolutely no torque at all once it gets up there. This heat wave is gross, I'm hitting 175-200 F IAT at night time staying out of boost.

 

What kind of heatsheilds are you guys running on the header? Im installing a thermo tec header blanket sometime this weekend. Thinking about running water/meth since the aem f/ic can support it.

 

Just using the stock heatshield on stock header. Had to cut some of it and hammer it to hell but it fits without rubbing anything now. Temps go up slower than before I put it on, but not by much.

 

maybe you should try a different head sheild..that metal plate does nothing imo.

 

why dont you guys route the intake farther forward to keep the temperatures cooler cause it looks like the filter sits right by the header and sucks up all that hot air.

 

thread split? lol

 

^^ I think there trying to keep it on topic, they did the same thing with my testpipe and injector question.

You could route the filter outside of the car and it still wont change anything. Once the air goes threw the supercharger it gets compressed, and what happens when you compress air?

 

i have been studying air thermal dynamics and i think it would greatly improve the compressor's efficiency if it was breathing colder air from outside the engine compartment.

 

TRUE... but not much. if you were relying on that along, it's only about 2-3degC



Maybe. you dont need to spay much liquid into the system. It really only to cool the air enuf, or looking @ it another way, making the air denser to stave off pre-ignition.

... working out how much water needed is like over clocking a computer. Add some, test, if it does nothing, add more. you add more until it stops making a difference. remove some from what you're adding, there's a safe level.

... remember, this is a supercharged system. Boost vs throttle possition is pretty much constant, so you would be able to do this completely via TP. no need to worry about boost level really.

Dont get me wrong, this is back yard mechanics @ it's worst, and i'm not saying what u you're saying is wrong, or what i'm saying is better... i'm just saying...

 

that's 20-30 hp

 

I think i shall go hood louvers and also invest in an AEM water meth kit.
and mabe a intercooler spray to go along with my T1R Turbo kit....
I have got so much crap i need to buy.....

 

i would stay away from the water/meth kits unless you are drag racing.

DD cars dont need those type of air coolers cause there are better ways of cooling the air.

 

I would just like to add something i just read in the AEM power forums... someone was asking about using water/meth on a scion 1.8l that made 120hp stock and was going to make 190 after boost.. someone replied and said

Im def going to run water/meth.

 

I would too if I had the tuning set up that you are putting together If you can buy the methanol in bulk quantity and add 49% distilled water to it you won't spend as much on the stuff.

 

Ill look into that.

 

You need to be able to pick it up locally because the hazardous material shipping rates are a bitch... You also will need to haul in a pick up or trailer due to laws that won't allow it to be hauled inside of the passenger compartment or trunk of a vehicle..... I got my ratio numbers wrong, it is 51% water to 49% methanol mix.... that ratio can't be ignited by flame or spark and is safe to carry inside your car.

 

speaking of louvers, anybody done top mount intercooler? the cowl kit from kraftwerks looks awesome, anyone else put an intercooler somewhere besides front mounted?