88IROCZ350

i am knee deep in my procharger project now and i did not get the intercooler because the guy used it on another project. my question is can i use a 2 core intercooler instead of a 3 core? i'm gonig to run 12 lbs of boost. is there any difference in how each reduces temps? i can get a good deal on a 2 core that is why i am curious. does 450 sound good for a 2 core intercooler with all black tubing included? Thanks for the help guys

TheCamel

Its not so much of a question of core amount, but how much CFM the original 3 core could handle and if the new intercooler you are getting is matched accordingly. To large of an intercooler and you will get pressure drop. Pressure drop equates to your forced induction unit producing 16psi of boost while the intake is only seeing 12psi due to a lot of the pressure being dropped in the intercooler itself.

So find out the cfm rating of the original core, find out the dimensions of the original core (since it was designed to fit the setup) and start calling around. Realize not all intercoolers are made the same. Shape, materials and core design play a major factor in the intercooler.

TC

88IROCZ350

the intercooler is a ATI manufactured 2 core intercooler. The deminsions on the 2 core are 3" x 11" x 18" and the 3 core is 3" x 11" x 27" if that helps. The 2 core says it will support up to 500hp. I think i will be right around 500 at the crank so i'm pushing the limits there i guess. I dont' know cfm amounts on either. Sorry

TheCamel

Is the 3 core what normally comes with the package?
Because if it is you are definately going to lose a little bit of the bennefit of the 3 core going to the 2 core because of the loss of 10 inches of core dimension. which equates to higher charge air temps. Sizing of the intercooler is almost as important as sizing of the forced induction unit.

Sorry I am by no means an expert but I have dealt with the intercoolers quite a bit.

TC

88IROCZ350

well the 3 core came as an option with this. I have the P600B unit. it came with a 12lb pulley on it. How much high air temps? i dont' want to have them too much higher because i do not want this engine to detonate. I am going to use water-injection too so i will probably be safe then? Or should i just pass this up and look for a 3 core unit. Thanks for the help camel

TheCamel

Well I'm getting in a little over my head now. I don't know what to tell you on the difference in the charge air temps because there are too many factors involved. weather, climate, road speed, core design etc. Time to call the experts... Spearco

Give them the dimensions of the two and explain to them everything you have explained to me, and see what they reccemend. Sorry I can't get more technical but I would rather have you talk to an expert at this point.

TC

89ProchargedROC

you can use the 2 core without a huge problem since you will also be using water injection

i'd get it because you will have all the tubing, then maybe later on you can just sell the intercooler and find a 3 core

i know of a mustang that still uses a 2 core intercooler and he's going 10.40s

so i think you'll be ok

88IROCZ350

alright thanks guys. i guess i forgot to mention that it was for a 4th gen camaro. Will this fit on my 3rd gen car? i hope it will. i have tubing from my 3core that the guy used on his own project. so i could i use a combination of the two tubing's and make it fit? thanks for the help

89ProchargedROC

The 4th gen intercooler has the end tanks facing the same direction

meaning that it wont work unless you take the intercooler to a shop and have them cut the endtank off and flip it around and have it face the other way

afgun

Can you please explain this? I'm thinking about getting an intercooler for my Vortech project and it would be helpful to know what I should be looking for

askulte

Just a few quick comments. Camel - A core that is too large will not cause a pressure drop, just like using pipe diameter that is too large will not. A too small core will cause a pressure drop, because you're trying to force a large amount of air through a small straw (Think sucking down a big gulp with a coffee stirrer). What a core that is too large will cause is slower boost response. The whole volume has to get pressurized before your intake manifold will see it. For a drag car, this isn't really an issue.

Some things to keep in mind - When choosing a core, it's better to get more frontal area rather than more thickness, since the rear of the IC will have already heated air going past it. Spearco's Website has great charts to help you choose intercooler cores based on flow, ambient airflow, and how much pressure drop is acceptable to you. This will give you your intercooler efficiency. A larger air:air IC will always be more efficient than a smaller IC. The last thing to consider is keeping your air turbulent inside the IC. If you have a huge IC, with a thick core, and a small engine, the air will be moving so slowly through the core that it will not be turbulent anymore. This kills heat xfer, and will make it less efficient. Just make sure you have the flow if you want to go very large.

I'm personally a big fan of overkill, so I went with the largest core I could fit, which is the Spearco 2-182 core. The pressure drop is minimal with high CFM's, and I can live with the slightly worse throttle response. I fabbed end-tanks with 3" in/out piping.

W.R.T. 2 core or 3 core... Any intercooler is better than none. You can get the 2 core, enjoy it, and when you outgrow it, just upgrade to a larger one.

I hope this helps!

TheCamel

I guess I looked at it in a different way, using the intercooler as a large bowl and forcing the water from the faucet to fill it takes a lot longer the larger the bowl is, but the water has no real pressure once it hits the bowl, and until the bowl is full the pressure does not rise again. Once the bowl is full pressure has to build up to force the water through the other straw to the mouth...at that point the faucet has to work twice as hard to move a larger volume of water that is not pressureized.

I will take your word for it, I never claim to be an expert, when you do, the folks hound ya for every question. Thats why other folks get paid more than I do to answer the questions.

TC

SATURN5

Depending on how well your suspension is set-up to handle the torque this may not always be a bad thing....