Hey, Ive been thinking (I know I know, but I had to do it sometime in my life). Would an intercooler do anything for an N/A? Life hp wise?
Cause doesnt it cool down the air before it goes into the engine, allowing the engine to get better combustion or something like that (I havent read up much on IC's).
Like, could I take an IC off of a wrecked car, like a volvo or something like that and hook it up to my GXL? Would that get me anymore hp or anything? I guess Id have to run an aftermarket ECU or sumthing if I did that huh?

I dunno, I was just thinking. Has anyone done this or attemped it or have any opinions on this?

Thanks guys!

 

I am assuming that you are asking about adding a intercooler to a non-boosted engine.

If that is the case, no there would not be any HP gains and perhaps some loss.

An intercooler works on the concept that the air being compressed warms up. In a NA there is nothing to warm the air up in the first place.

 

Got cha. Like I said, just thinkin...

 

Dude, it would be so easy to at least try it. Why not just do it for the hell of it?

I really don't think it would help. But hell. Try it!

James

 

Like Mark said, no help. It would actually restrict intake air, and cause turbulence, reducing hp. Compressing air excites the molecules, which causes friction as the molecules bounce against each other, and results in hot air. The best air for combustion is cool, dense air. A intercooler would be a bad idea.

 

Would an NA engine even be able to pull the air through the intercooler and piping efficiently and with enough force?? I think your engine would be gasping for more air after 3 or 4 thousand RPM

 

Sounds like you just want the look which is why they make that ricey FM-Intake system. I guess in terms of an actual cold air kit it'd work but you hit one deep puddle and kiss your motor g-bye!! If ya really want an IC, get a turbo

 

No, it wouldn't help at all. Think about it! Are you really more powerful in freezing weather? How much colder do you think an IC would make the air??? You may drop 2or 3 degrees in the intake temps of an NA. This would be worth maybe 1/20th of a hp.

Sean Cathcart

 

Why just try it at all? It would make absolutely no difference. Talk about a waste of time!
Do you try swapping an 8" K&N to a 9" K&N for more power? No, b/c you know that although there maybe a very slight gain with the bigger filter, the gain would be so ridiculously low as to not be worth the time it takes to undo the filter clamp.
Same situation here.
Sean Cathcart

 

Intercooler on an NA car......funny stuff

 

Like I said guys, I was just thinking...
I wasnt really sure what an IC did and what not so I asked.
Jon88se:if your implying that Im rice because I want an IC, your a putz! If you would have read my first post you would have noticed me asking if it would INCREASE hp. But as I am informed, it wouldnt really help.
Plus I do want to turbo charge it eventually... but thats a whole nother thread
lates

 

Oh, I know, don't worry about it, I do the same thing. (Recently posted about an idea of boring out the TB and installing bigger plates, which I think I will attempt).
I just wanted to tell you it wouldn't be worth your time and why.
I think jon88 meant it would be rice to look like you had a FMIC when you don't.
Sean Cathcart

 

Hell ya!
I don't know about others here, but for some reason, my cars seems positively SLOW in hot 80 degree weather compared to freezing or below....
I think it works out to about every 10 degrees (C or F, I don't know) of temperature increase, you lose 1 hp.

If it's F degrees, that means that I'm getting 10 hp more in the cold of winter. I DEFINATELY feel at LEAST that- All across the RPM range.

We went from freezing, to 60 degrees here in a one day span a few days ago... I drove my car at both temps, and I couldn't believe how gutless it felt when warmer.
Maybe it's my fuel mixture.... Too rich?
I do have CAI too, the difference when cruising in stop and go city traffic was impressive! (as is the highway)

This isn't an argument for an intercooler an an N/A though... that's plain useless. Think about it- you are trying to cool air that's going into the engine, with air that is the same temperature!
I suppose if you had you air intake wrapped around the exhaust manifold a few times.... and THEN to an intercooler... it would cool the air down a bit.

 

Wow! Let's all put IC's on our N/A's! Then we can put on fake blow off valves for that turbo sound too!

 

Hey- he just had an idea, wasn't sure about it, but still had the ***** to ask the STUDIPEST QUESTION I HAVE EVER HEARD!!

J/K.... nice try though.

 

The best you can do on a N/A is to get fresh air from the front of the car, not hot air from under the hood.

 

i had this question for years and couldn't think of how it could not work some one explained it to me and we cameup with the only way it would make ANY significant power is if you were running a water to air intercooler in which case you would basicaly be making up the horsepower you were losing due to the extra weight of the ic and water. you would do better to get a sealed box and when you want to run extra cooler put some dry ice inthere.

james

 

ok i always thought that every 6 degrees in temp drop you would gain a hp, but maybe i am wrong.

Putting an intercooler on a n/a engine would be pointless. All an intercooler does is cool the air inside with the air outside of it. If the air coming in is the same temp as the air outside, then intercooler isn't doing it's job. There fore it spointles on a n/a engine.