How much better are the "tube" style intercoolers than bar and plate intercoolers? I keep seeing bar and plate intercoolers... but do not like the bad-looking quality of them.

 

The solid construction of bar & plate takes more pressure. The bar & plate weight is usually slightly more than a tube type, but that varies between manufacturers, as my very large Spearco bar & plate intercooler is lighter than my friend's medium-sized GReddy tube intercooler. More weight may not be desired in a weight-critical performance car, but it tends to have more heat sink effect, which means that it will heat soak from a standing start, but it will also cold soak on the straights which cools down the charge when accelerating. Less weight allows the intercooler to respond more rapidly to flow changes. The bar & plate has more core for a given overall intercooler dimension because it does not require headers. The tube type tends to be more aerodynamic. Both types have about the same cooling efficiency for a given core size.

In general, tube & fin is fine for a street car, and is usually less expensive than bar & plate. Most race cars, especially high-boost drag cars, usually use the bar & plate type.

If you don't like the bad-looking quality of bar & plate intercoolers, then stick with a good brand like Spearco. If you are only looking at cheap Chinese and Mexican intercoolers on Ebay, then you may want to use a tube type.