Intercooler spray?

[makeitfit]

This came up in a recent engine chat.
I want more low down power (amongst other stuff) and was going to fit an electric fan. Then some bright spark said to spray it:sly
SO pros and cons please. I can get water spray kits for about 40 squid.
If at slow speeds say off roading , somewhere legal,is there enough air over the intercooler to make the spray work enough? Can the two be combined?
Cheers

 

[scott301004]

How you gonna keep the water your spraying cool enough to have the desired effect

 

[makeitfit]

The water itself isnt cooled (I dont think).It's just that when you blow air over a wet thing it evapourates and makes it colder(ish) I think:nenau
Basicaly the moving air over the wet intercooler makes the air charge colder.

 

[Paul]

Do this alot with toyota mr2 tuby's will look on the "2" forums tomorow if you want for ideas if it will help..

 

[makeitfit]

Nice one cheers Paul:thumbs

 

[scott301004]

I just thought the best performing intercooler is the one that cools the air the best thats why cossies etc put them right at the front where they are smacked by the on coming air. so could only imagine that the water spray would have to be cold to give the same chilling effect as on coming air

 

[makeitfit]

Yes but I'm after the effect at low speeds when there isnt much air flowing over the intercooler
Hence the need for fan or water.
Just so I get as much power at low speed:sly

 

[zippy656]

id think the fan..

in downloads... put it there earlyer

 

[scott301004]

and the same would count surely if the air through the cooler is not cold then the power would not be the same hence the name interCOOLER

 

[Terranosaurus]

The air only has to be colder tha the compressed hot air in the inlet. Even with really good intercooling inlet air temp will still be quite a bit higher than ambient.

Water sprays help a lot, most turbo rally cars ru with it even with frnt mounted intercooler. Its in the slow stuff where its most use. Some mix with alcohol to create a liquid that evapourates more easily as it is the evapouaration of the water that does the cooling.

School science fact - it takes 4200 J/kgK (joules per kilogram Kelvin) to turn water at 100 degrees C into water vapour.

 

[makeitfit]

See , I knew it was something to with evaporating and alchohol
I did some days in school

 

[scott301004]

Please Please Lets not get into confusing a dirty 4X4 with a rally car.

A rally car will run on petrol that will benifite from a bigger intercooler as petrol will evaporate under temperature therfore reducing the effect of the spark.


But ask yourself . does your TDI pull well in the cold?????????????

 

[Terranosaurus]

Please Please Lets not get into confusing a dirty 4X4 with a rally car.

A rally car will run on petrol that will benifite from a bigger intercooler as petrol will evaporate under temperature therfore reducing the effect of the spark.


But ask yourself . does your TDI pull well in the cold?????????????

Oh please - petrol has to evapourate for it to burn.

Yes mine does work beter in the cold all engines do petrol or diesel. The key to performance is getting as much air (actually oxygen) in as possible, after that you just add the right amount of petrol. Ported heads, free flowing filters, big exhausts, its all abou getting air into the cylinder.

 

[lacroupade]

Please Please Lets not get into confusing a dirty 4X4 with a rally car.

A rally car will run on petrol that will benifite from a bigger intercooler as petrol will evaporate under temperature therfore reducing the effect of the spark.


But ask yourself . does your TDI pull well in the cold?????????????

TBH yes it does.

The point of the i/c on these trucks isn't to stop fuel evaporating; its to cram more air into the engine (because cooler air is more dense and can thus support more combustion), which the ECU rewards with more fuel which the engine rewards with more output. Simples.

Thats why your truck runs better on a cold or damp day than when its hot...

 

[Terranosaurus]

Oh and heres a diesel rally car that I know. Was out today as it happens. Skoda Fabia TDi - over 200bhp and 400lbft, gues what, front mounted intercooler, water spray and mapping by Jeremy Fearn of Landrover diesel tuning fame

 

[makeitfit]

My daughter and me went on a rally course in the Skoda:sly
Not the power house that one is but what a day
They never broke down all day:thumbs where nas the scooby they had was in bits after every round

 

[lacroupade]

Mmmm nice little Q-car!

 

[scott301004]

Oh please - petrol has to evapourate for it to burn.

Yes mine does work beter in the cold all engines do petrol or diesel. The key to performance is getting as much air (actually oxygen) in as possible, after that you just add the right amount of petrol. Ported heads, free flowing filters, big exhausts, its all abou getting air into the cylinder.

NO NO NO. If petrol evaporates it can't burn because it's gone. Its not about getting air into the cylinder as Air does not run a car. If we are comparing this to petrols cars then the colder the better as the fuel is better when the air is cold as once mixed with the cooled air the fuel will NOT evaporate as easily and produce a more productive spark. =More Power

 

[lacroupade]

NO NO NO. If petrol evaporates it can't burn because it's gone. Its not about getting air into the cylinder as Air does not run a car. If we are comparing this to petrols cars then the colder the better as the fuel is better when the air is cold as once mixed with the cooled air the fuel will NOT evaporate as easily and produce a more productive spark. =More Power

Scott mate, don't get stressed.......this is a diesel.

When someone tells me premature fuel evaporation is a problem I'll be a worried man as the laws of physics will have changed.....

BTW, re your thread about 8 and 12 valve TDs, are you sure you aren't mixing in the 2.4 petrol by some chance?

 

[Terranosaurus]

Sorry scott but you plainly don't know how either engine type truely works. I'm not some armchair mechanic, I spent years working in motorsport and now I prefer not to get my hands dirty but still deal in the motortrade (as you've seen - the van!!).

Technically its not evapouration its actually usually termed atomisation. Carburetors used to do it but now its done using fuel injection. The petrol is forced under really high pressure through a small hole it comes out as mist which instantly vapourizes.

If you don't beleive me we can meet up sometime and I;ll show you liquid petrol does not burn.You bring some, I'll drop a match into it, it will go out.


As for the diesels, why do you think they fit intercoolers as standard if they don't do anything and that for popular vehicles like landies larger upgrade intercoolers are available.