Intercooler design choice?? Please help me choose!
 

2 bar and plate intercooler cores, similar dimensions and internal volume, end tank design, and fin density

core #1 is 12x18x3.5 with 17 cooling paths and 2.5" in and out pipes

core #2 is 12x17x3.5 (with slightly bigger tanks for overall same dimensions) with 22 narrower cooling paths and 2.75" in and out pipes

which one would you choose?

if I was to change the in and out pipes to 3" on either one, which one would perform better?

Thanks!

Real Simple.
#1 Find the ideal charge piping size for your setup before anything using 0.4-0.6 Mach Number as your target goal. Refer to Corky Bell on this one.

#2 Post Pictures of each option. It might help to understand how an air to air intercooler works, but you could simply measure the cooling paths vs. heatsink area on both and identify what does something more efficiently for your application.

#3 Are we talking Front Mount, V-Mount, Side Mounted?

#4 Turbo Setup, Engine Setup, Expected Power Output

Sounds like #2 would cool better and #1 would flow better. Of course i am no fucking expert lol. Any pics of the cross sections? Are they reputable brands?. How much power you shooting for? 3" is pretty big. If you need 3" of flow I would think you would want the one with the least internal resistance in that size, or go a bigger core. Again, no expert though..

The post by ETS is pretty good here...

https://www.evolutionm.net/forums/ev...cs-inside.html

I've read a lot but still have doubts specifically about cooling path height and quantity. Hypothetically, everything else being the same (pipe size, core size, tank size, design, position, engine, turbo, etc.) which one would be a better core for more power, less but taller cooling paths or more but narrower cooling paths?