Intercoolers

[RALM]

Does anyone have the Garrett 4.5 core intercooler installed on their RA if so how do it work and does it causes any codes to appear on the dash? I just recieved it an was about to install it untill it said for off road use only. Ultimate Racing did not say anything about off road use only untill i saw it in the packadge. Plus the guy over the phone was like its the best one for the buck. What would be the best intercooler for the RA thats larger then the Evo X intercooler and around the same price as the Garratt 4.5 core intercooler offered by UR and Lancershop.com?

[BravoZero]

Any aftermarket IC should do, as long as it bolts up and fits with the current piping you have. You shouldn't notice any major difference except possibly better throttle response, with the stock turbo. If you get a professional tune, you can probably pick up 2-4 horses from the increased cooling, but nothing really significant. The best benefit is cooler air into engine and increased throttle response, especially in the hot weather compared to the tiny OEM IC.

The only time you should see a CEL code is if you installed something incorrectly and it throws everything off. Otherwise, you shouldn't get a CEL because of an upgraded IC.

[RALM]

well I guess its worth a try

[sstevojr]

The 4.5 is way too big, that's for big drag racing set-ups. I don't think it's direct bolt-on either, some grinding and cutting may need to be done to get the bumper back on
You want a 3.5 optimally, but either a 3 would do the job (all are bigger than stock X/RA). In fact, width is not the end all be all, it's total volume; how long is the air being cooled before heading to the engine. These 4.5" IC that are 18" long (example) are not nearly as efficient as a 3.5" that is 24" long (example again).

[GAbOS]

Originally Posted by sstevojr

The 4.5 is way too big, that's for big drag racing set-ups. I don't think it's direct bolt-on either, some grinding and cutting may need to be done to get the bumper back on
You want a 3.5 optimally, but either a 3 would do the job (all are bigger than stock X/RA). In fact, width is not the end all be all, it's total volume; how long is the air being cooled before heading to the engine. These 4.5" IC that are 18" long (example) are not nearly as efficient as a 3.5" that is 24" long (example again).

Correct.

Air Volume and surface area.

[RalliNurse]

I guess bigger is not always better...

[GAbOS]

Surface area is the biggest. It's the same type of heat exchange as say a CPU cooler in a PC. You need the most surface area to help soak up the heat and as much air (colder, the better) passing over that surface area to remove it.

Pressure of the charged air should also be taken into account. Though, I have never done much research into this. I have done research into water cooling PC's. Pressure makes a huge difference there. Dealing with water, of course, but my best radiator was a heater core from an old mustang.

[RALM]

Originally Posted by GAbOS

Correct.

Air Volume and surface area.

its a direct bolt on, the bumper does not need to be modified and it is pretty huge ill see how it works once its in stalled an if it worse then the stock intercooler I will be purchasing the 3in core intercooler form mitsumoto. This intercooler was just the best bang for the buck.

[RALM]

Hey guys I have successfully installed my UR 4.5 core intercooler and it fits snug and works great there is not lag and more poer on the throttle. The intercooler didnt throw any codes and best of all its cool to the touch even on a 100 degree day. So all in all its worth the 700 bucks.

[Rex]

Does the direction of the IC core have any effect? Would a north/south direction core be more effective than a east/west core? I imagine that with north/south the air flows directly downward with no redirection. Does anyone have knowledge of this?
The north/south IC I'm looking at advertises that it has a larger frontal area for cooling (25x10).