I dont have a tt, so i dont exactely have any experience with any, but form what i read, black is better and i would think that big sm are better than fm, i have always thought big fm are kind of pointless because you get better colling for intake air but it pratically compltely blocks yoru radiator hence in the end you have the same engine temp. Just my 2 cents Let the flame war begin
I think you need to clarify. Are you purely talking about intercooler efficiency? If so the fact that the FMIC blocks the radiator is a non issue.
Ignoring the fact I chose black, I'd say side by side FMIC. You get the great cooling of the FM position but the minimal pressure drop of the SMIC.
not much point in having a 20% more efficient intercooler if it increases the chance of engine meltdown by 50%, i bought a brand new fmic, and got rid of it, purely because in my opinion it blocks off way too much air for the radiator, i am still waiting for my GB sidemount mofo's
Intercooler has nothing to do with engine temps. The intercooler cools down the intake charge air. While the radiator cools down coolant which keeps the engine in the correct operating temp range. As for "you will have the same engine temp", exactly. The engine will stay within its operating temp range, while ingesting nicely cooled air to make more power.
Efficiency is a myth. It depends on what its used for. Light intercoolers are better for short bursts of boost. (drags) Heavy massy intercoolers are better for track work. But dont cool down as quick after a sprint IMO a black light FMIC is best for track work. A black heavy SMIC best for road/drag use. I have a dollar each way with a heavy FMIC for road use.
I have a FMIC and actually race my car flat out lap after lap etc at full boost and have no issues with temps. Having said that careful attention needs to be paid (as discussed countless times before) to ensure your radiator is recieving fresh air too. IMHO Everyone who gets a FMIC should also upgrade there radiator as a minimum. Also clean the condenser coil for the a/c and ensure the a/c fan is running and working correctly Fit a slotted type grille to aid in fresh air ingestion for both the air intake and radiator itself. More so you need to think about intended use. If a daily driver after a bit more performance from a boosted engine upgraded SMIC's will be fine. If the occasional track day and spirited run across the simpson in the summer is more your liking try the uprgaded SMIC and upgraded radiator etc. If its a track car or drag beast your building go a FMIC and modify the intakes, grilles, bonnet etc to achieve optimum cooling ability. The sheer temp drop across the net surface area of the FMIC is very attractive indeed. Let the flame wars begin on which is best. Oh last thing is I think a fat FMIC looks the goods especially if fitted with a NOS spray bar
hmmm, the point i was trying to make is fitting a fmic will effectively block radiator air, hence whilst you have lower intake temps, the coolant isnt as cool, so it contradicts each other. intercooler does have something to do with engine temps btw, obviously nowhere near as much as coolant but yeah. My inital post may have bene badl worded, but my poitn remains the same
I got an intercooler from some truck that the previous own chucked on, its mounted at the front i wonder about it tho the way the plumbing is done but it must be working good for 240rwkw's
Intercooler has nothing to do with engine temp (except as you stated by blocking to radiator). The only temperature the intercooler directly affects is the air that goes into the engine to burn with the fuel. The engine temp won't affect the performance as long as it sits within it's upper and lower limit. A engine at 75 degrees and an engine at 90 degrees (or whatever the Z's range is) should produce the same amount of power given the same air intake. So you block the 75 degree engine radiator with a FMIC and raise it's temp to 90 degrees, but have cooler air intake, you'll have a performance increase only. The problem is when it gets over it's designed temp range. And again, you won't have performance loss so much as engine failure The cooler air going into the engine may reduce it's temp somewhat, but it wouldn't be significant (as the air would still likely be hotter than ambient).
Surely the cooler the engine the more power you will get, because less power is lost due to the higher temps
Your right, if the engine is too hot that will happen, same if it's too cold (plus other problems, hence safety boost when cold). There's a temperature band where you get maximum power. Within that band, there's isn't as much variance as to offset the benefit of an intercooler, as long as your temps stay within it.
well looks liek the black side by side is the winner so far, black seems to be winning in all categories except SMICS, very interesting
