intake temp / intercooler/heater power killer?
 

Hey all. A friend of mine referred to the TMIC as a interheater, and it got me thinking about my power loss after the first time I romp on it.

Example: Early morning, (not cold out but not hot) I start the car and let it sit for maybe a 1/2 minute max. (normally I'm late for school :P ) I'm easy on the car till it warms up completely. At first I always have the 3800 rpm hesitation the first time the secondaries turn on. After that its always fine. Anyways, early morning boost, and power is AWESOME! I can HEAR the boost wooshing at 2,500 rpm, I can see it hitting 5 psi WAY before 2,800, the torque is perfect. :D I never have the need to go over 4,500 because it runs so well.

But then I will be all warmed up, and almost floor it taking it to 6000 rpm. (PULLS like a BAT OUTA HELL) I check my boost gauge (that holds peak boost) after the pull and it says 7.5/8ish psi. ( I have a FCD on so not to worried. It only happens once a day. :D) From then on out, that special early morning power is GONE. Boost doesnt hit 5 psi unless floored or over 4000 rpm, and will NEVER go over 5 from then on out.....

My quick question (HAHA) can the intercooler (TMIC), and my stupid cone filter on the stock intake, get heat soaked that fast and cause the example above to happen?? Or is something else happening?

I was thinking that maybe super hot air, being that much less dense, could cause it...... but I'm not sure...

Thanks all!
~Tweak

OOkkkkk, well I just left my car in the shade with a bag of ice on the interheater for 3 hours now. I have no clue what this will prove, but I was bored. :D

I guess I should drive the car around, wait for it to lose power, THEN cool the intake somehow.... and THEN see if it drives all powerful again....

I can cool the air filter, and intercooler.... no clue how to cool the other parts like the turbo and such.... I'm not going to throw ice on them and crack it haha...

If only you had a way to monitor your IATs.

Make sure you mount the filter away from the turbo where it only sucks in hot air, a cold air box would be ideal.

My computer monitors my intake temps..

Just revently i went to race at a track 3-4 hours south from home, and it gets bloody cold down there... we got the cars warmed up at the hotel we were staying at and on the way there, i had a look at my intake temps which were 5*C....

couldnt resist myself, and planted it, stretched out 3 and then 4 gear...

when i looked back at my intake temps again, they were around 38*C...

I now have a full HKS front mount kit to chuck on my car with my new motor, so ill have to see how different the intake temps are with that...

5* C = 41* F

38* C = ~85* F (if my mental math is right)


BC

5 degrees Celsius = 41 degrees Fahrenheit
38 degrees Celsius = 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit

So question is.... could that temp difference cause such a big difference in performance? Also that was just a 3rd and 4th gear pull.... Wonder if it would be hotter after a heat soaked intercooler...

early this year i was in a car show at a drag strip, one of the events was a running show basically, you wait in a line then you get into staging do a burnout if you want to and then hammer it down the strip (untimed unfortunately), waiting in the line to get to the strip it was getting up to around 55 degrees *C.. felt very sluggish in the burnout at that temp....

that was on a 40 degree day though too.. australia is a hot place...

i might have to have a look at my mates Power fc next time i go for a drive with him and see what his intake temps are..

this link will answer all your needs in this department.

http://www.autospeed.com/cms/article.html?&A=0527