intercoolers--all info!!!

[janvanv]

So what are the "experts" judgement on the OEM Cosworth intercoolers?

[MerkXRTurbo]

Don't have personal experience with one, but from what I understand is that they're pretty damn good cores... but the RS500 IC is where it's at!

[Maurice S]

The Cossie I/C's work good. And as far as MP stuff, his intercooler works, it's a bolt on, his down pipe works (and is actually reasonable @ 100 bucks) and again is a 10 minute bolt on. It's not mandrel, but it's better than nothing. His mass air , heads and his actual in shop work are dubious to say the least. Yes his I/C is expensive...but if money is no object and you just want to turn bolts it's ok. He "markets" very strongly which is not actually lying... You may hear bad things about Russ at Rapido too...about his pricing mostly but no one ever questions his character...He's a good guy with the XR as a "boutique" car philosophy...all his stuff works and he caters to people with the same vision..."I want everything OE or the way the factory should have done it AND I want to bolt it on with an adj crescent wrench.. From what i've read over the years Nick's biggest problem is customer service...if it doesnt work he blames the consumer...and even when they've taken stuff to him to make it work, it doesnt.

At the time Rick wrote that, the MP reality hadnt played out and he said it about his I/C which does actually work...

[MerkXRTurbo]

You can get a 3" mandrel bent DP from Stinger or Sacramento Mustang for the same price. Besides his poor products and high prices I have heard the following things about Nick:

Rude to customers. This is just another reason not to support him, as far as I'm concerned. I even have a 1st hand account of this when I called because I wanted a catalogue before I knew better.

He makes you sign an agreement that you cannot return his mess air system. This is a second hand account, but it came from a reliable source... a local tuning shop. They tune aftermarket equipment all day everyday, and even they can't get it to work. The m*therf*cker charges over $800 for the kit, and he KNOWS that it doesn't work, that's why he won't allow a return. This guy's only goal is the dollar he makes right now. This guy is damn near a criminal, IMO.

He's even a bigger money sucker when it comes to Viper owners. I've heard that his $15K kits get Vipers into the high 11s... this includes nitrous. This is also 2nd hand info coming from a trustable friend.

[turbofan]

as far as cossie I/C's, they seem like a pretty decent cooler. but to be honest, i don't like the super thick core. yeah, it's a great way to package a lot of core, but by the time the external air hits the last 2" of core, it's not going to be very cool anymore. Also, i'm not a big fan of a small number of long tubes, i much prefer more, shorter tubes. for example: i prefer the TC I/C over the Mopar I/C. They have almost the exact same size core, but the TC I/C works significantly better.

as for the RS500 I/C, isn't it tube and fin? seems kinda silly to pay that kind of moolah for a big 'ole tube and fin cooler when you can get a monstrous bar and plate eBay special.....

[MerkXRTurbo]

i prefer the TC I/C over the Mopar I/C. They have almost the exact same size core, but the TC I/C works significantly better.

You also have to consider that the Mopar IC is tube/fin while the TC IC is bar/plate. There are multiple variables there... everything from tube size/length and how well the ambient air flows through the core, to end tank design and thickness (thicker end tanks are stronger, but they're more prone to heat soak).

as for the RS500 I/C, isn't it tube and fin? seems kinda silly to pay that kind of moolah for a big 'ole tube and fin cooler when you can get a monstrous bar and plate eBay special.....

I don't know about the OEM RS500 IC, but the Forge and Radtec RS500 spec IC are both bar/plate... same with SSautocrap's. The Forge and Radtec are both VERY proven units, while those Ebay specials are usually Chinese ICs that have been sitting in warehouses somewhere. I've heard horror stories about what's been found inside of those things. The core isn't the only thing to consider... you also have to consider end tank design, which plays a HUGE role in IC efficiency. Those cheap Chinese ICs mostly have end tanks that are just thrown on there with no attention to engineering. This doesn't mean that you should never buy an ebay special IC... just remember that you get what you pay for.

[turbofan]

i prefer the TC I/C over the Mopar I/C. They have almost the exact same size core, but the TC I/C works significantly better.

You also have to consider that the Mopar IC is tube/fin while the TC IC is bar/plate. There are multiple variables there... everything from tube size/length, to end tank design, to thickness of the end tanks (thicker end tanks are stronger, but they're more prone to heat soak).

as for the RS500 I/C, isn't it tube and fin? seems kinda silly to pay that kind of moolah for a big 'ole tube and fin cooler when you can get a monstrous bar and plate eBay special.....

I don't know about the OEM RS500 IC, but the Forge and Radtec RS500 spec IC are both bar/plate... same with SSautocrap's. The Forge and Radtec are both VERY proven units, while those Ebay specials are usually Chinese ICs that have been sitting in warehouses somewhere. I've heard horror stories about what's been found inside of those things. The core isn't the only thing to consider... you also have to consider end tank design, which plays a HUGE role in IC efficiency. Those cheap Chinese ICs mostly have end tanks that are just thrown on there with no attention to engineering. This doesn't mean that you should never buy an ebay special IC... just remember that you get what you pay for.

the mopar I/C is also bar and plate.

hmm, sure enough, the RS500 ssautocrap IS bar and plate. i'm sure i've seen one that's tube and fin though....

i've got an eBay special cooler and it works very well. after a hard drive, i put my hand on the hot side of the cooler, on the mtal pipe and got burned. put my hand on the cold side and it felt as cool as the sheetmetal on the outside of the car.

the sucker WORKS. end tank design kinda sucks (both inlet and outlet are on the same side, see first post for a pic) but the thing works great, is nice and shiny, and was cheap.

I approve!

[MerkXRTurbo]

Is the Mopar one really bar/plate? The Starquest one isn't.... hmm. Still, I stand by my statement that there are MANY other variables to consider other than just tube length.

I may have posted this earlier on in the thread... can't rememeber, but this is by far THE BEST intercooler info I have ever seen:

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

[turbofan]

Is the Mopar one really bar/plate? The Starquest one isn't.... hmm. Still, I stand by my statement that there are MANY other variables to consider other than just tube length.

I may have posted this earlier on in the thread... can't rememeber, but this is by far THE BEST intercooler info I have ever seen:

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

lol nope, you didn't post that before..... but i did. there's a link to it on the first post

[anglin]

hmm, sure enough, the RS500 ssautocrap IS bar and plate. i'm sure i've seen one that's tube and fin though....

I suppose you are thinking of the Pace RS500 IC, which is tube and fin. There are pictures on the Picture Page (shocking) of the Pace IC, dated 06 Jan 2006. Here's a link to one of them.

http://www.merkurtech.com/merkurtech/in ... ler001.jpg

[Frag]

The Porsche 944 intercooler uses an even thicker core than the 4WD cosworth intercooler. Even with only the inner headlights removed for airflow, the thick core works supprisingly well.

[turbofan]

The Porsche 944 intercooler uses an even thicker core than the 4WD cosworth intercooler. Even with only the inner headlights removed for airflow, the thick core works supprisingly well.

i know it works well, but if you have a 5" thick core that's 6 inches tall, you'd be better off with a 2.5" thick core that's 12 inches tall.

however, it's MUCH easier to get even flow through the first core than the second.

[John Brennan]

Is the Mopar one really bar/plate? The Starquest one isn't.... hmm. Still, I stand by my statement that there are MANY other variables to consider other than just tube length.

I may have posted this earlier on in the thread... can't rememeber, but this is by far THE BEST intercooler info I have ever seen:

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

lol nope, you didn't post that before..... but i did. there's a link to it on the first post

That IS indeed an awesome reference, and one that brings home a very interesting point: That wide (or tall) cores with the inlet/outlet opposite each other-- e.g., a core like the SS Autochrome one, or those of a similar design, will run into the problem of unequal efficiency from the top (where the inlets/outlets are) to the bottom. It would seem logical to deduce that the vast majority of the cooling work is being done by the top half of the core, because you have shorter and more direct path from the inlet to the outlet; air that's coming in, going down to the bottom of the tank, across, then back up the other side, will have to go faster to 'catch up' to the air that just went straight across the top, so it will, by virtue of higher velocity, lose pressure and density, wouldn't it? That could be fixed by having the outlet diagonally opposite from the inlet (on the bottom), or by just eliminating the depth of the core and using one like the RS or 944 design, and placing it in a controlled, high-density area, like right behind a Cossie grille. IOW, a smaller core that's working more efficiently might be better than a larger core that's working less efficiently.

Does that make sense?

[turbofan]

and that just happens to be what i said in the post just previous yours, except with much fewer words.

[janvanv]

Well i guess I'm happy I have a bunch of Cossie intercoolers (2 in stock and a bunch more getting scrupulously "intensively inspected " by the Team America, World Police Operatives in New Jersy. Too bad I THOUGHT I could pick up frieght today and have STACKS of intercoolers and Lights and diffs for Saturaday little mini-meet.
Answer when "Hooooome -Laaaaaaaaand Security" will be doing intensively investigating the whole container?

"Nobody knows"

"And we don't know what additional fees there will be for the intensive investigations"
I have 1 cbm in a 40 x 8 foot container.
Nobody know when it will arrive.

We're at war.

America, Fawk yeah!!
(see Team America, uncensored).