Intercoolers FAQ
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Marketing Manager

First off, what is an intercooler?
A pretty easy question but one that some members might not know. An intercooler (or aftercooler if you’re old

Single or twin pass?
Many aftermarket companies make intercoolers that are both single pass and twin pass. Single pass intercoolers, as the name suggests, lets the air pass through it once. Air flows through one end, is cooled via the cores, and then has an exit for the cold air on the opposite side. Most factory fitted intercoolers are single pass
A twin pass intercooler lets the charge air flow through the intercooler twice. Both inlet and outlet pipes are located on the same side, cooling down the charge air twice.
However, it must be considered that with an intercooler there is a trade-off between cooling ability and pressure drop. With a twin pass intercooler, the air has to essentially travel twice the distance than the air in a single pass intercooler. Whilst this results in lower ACTs, there will be a noticeable pressure drop (around 1-2psi) so boost pressure will have to be raised. If your car has a fairly small or standard turbo running low boost a single pass intercooler would be ideal due to the fact that there is a lot less air to cool than a larger turbo. If you’re running a large turbo with some pretty big boost a twin pass would be far more efficient, with the pressure drop offset by the increased cooling.
What is a charge cooler?
A charge cooler is the opposite of a radiator. It is basically a water jacketed intercooler. A charge cooler is far more efficient than an intercooler of an equivalent size as water has a thermal conductivity about 3 times that of air and can further lower Air Charge Temperatures. The drawback of this system is that obviously it is far more complex and heavier that a standard intercooler as components such as pipes, lines radiator and a water tank must be installed in the vehicle.
Installing in the vehicle
Most aftermarket intercoolers I’ve seen (especially in the mk4 golf scene) is just a standard eBay job stuck behind the front bumper. Whilst this might look cool, half the time 40% of the cores and fins of the intercooler are blocked by the bumper or other parts, with little consideration given (if any) to the reduced airflow to the radiator. A front mount intercooler can rapidly raise engine temperatures if you have a defective radiator or cooling system everything can get pretty toasty! When fitting a front mount, ensure that as much intercooler core is exposed to the outside air (drilling holes in bumpers is a common solution or cold air feeds from foglight holes). A slimmer, high flow fan may be required to pull more air into the radiator. Lower temperature thermostats and fan switches are also a good idea!
Anyone with any more info please feel free to add/correct this post, will add some more info later on!
Nos


1973 BMW 3.0CS "Helga"
1981 VW Golf GTi "Agolf"
1986 Ford Escort RS Turbo S2
1987 BMW M535i - 'Klaus'
Instagram: @ahmet_e9
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the rad.
Posted

Marketing Manager


1973 BMW 3.0CS "Helga"
1981 VW Golf GTi "Agolf"
1986 Ford Escort RS Turbo S2
1987 BMW M535i - 'Klaus'
Instagram: @ahmet_e9
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Andy
LINCOLNSHIRE REGION - https://www.facebook.com/groups/467122313360002/
1983 MK1 Golf GTI Campaign Model - Under (looooong) resto!
1962 Rover P4 80
2002 BMW 745i
2008 BMW Z4 2.5Si
LINCOLNSHIRE REGION - https://www.facebook.com/groups/467122313360002/
1983 MK1 Golf GTI Campaign Model - Under (looooong) resto!
1962 Rover P4 80
2002 BMW 745i
2008 BMW Z4 2.5Si
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