So you want to upgrade your intercooler? There are several advantages of installing an aftermarket intercooler and I will discuss all of them in this short but detailed post.
If you don’t know yet, I already upgraded my SUV’s intercooler into Greddy’s big bad intercooler to give my engine dense, cool air for maximum performance. And most of my viewers asks me about the benefits of having such upgrade.
So to give you answer to future similar questions, I am writing this blog post to help you guys get an in-depth idea from my own intercooler upgrade experience.
I will give you three reasons why you should swap your stock intercooler to a big aftermarket one, and I’ll also give some disadvantages too so you’ll get the big picture and decide if this upgrade is for you or not.
What is Intercooler and How does it Work?
Turbo intercooler or simply called as “intercooler”, is a device that helps reduce air temperature that enters the engine. Intercoolers are both used by supercharged and turbocharged cars as their engines get too hot too fast.
I already discussed before how air intake system work, read that post here to have a quick idea why air is an important factor in engine’s power.
When air is sucked through the air intake tube, it goes directly into the turbocharger, compressing it to give high boost pressure for the engine to produce more power. However, this air is so hot, it needs to cool down before it enters the engine.
Enter intercoolers, which helps prevent your engine to explode from too much heat as it cools compressed air while raising its density, leading to richer air-to-fuel ratios in the engine’s main cylinders.
It has similar function as the radiator of your car’s cooling system, which is an air-cooled device.
Intercooler Upgrade – 3 Reasons Why this Mod is for You
Most car owners do intercooler upgrade because they believe that it can add some power to your engine. Actually, there’s a caveat when it comes to this belief.
So without further ado, here are 3 reasons why you should upgrade your stock intercooler.
It Doesn’t Add Horsepower, But…
Contrary to most beliefs, your engine won’t get any additional horsepower for just doing an intercooler upgrade. Yes, you read it right, it doesn’t add power so stop asking haha.
Let me explain in a bit. Your engine does have the power output that it is designed for. However, engines naturally lose or decrease their power output overtime and there are many factors why this occurs. One such reason is how the engine efficiently use fuel.
So by using a bigger, aftermarket intercooler, you are feeding your engine with cooler, denser air that will help improve that fuel to air ratio combustion, thus improving fuel efficiency of your engine.
An efficient engine will give you more energy and power, thus providing a “sense” of power increase when installing an aftermarket intercooler. But in reality, you already have that power, and you only just made your engine to be more efficient to release that hidden power.
This is why first time owners who had their intercoolers swapped with an aftermarket one, noticed that their fuel consumption increased moderately. This is because your engine is now able to burn more fuel to compensate that rich air entering the combustion chamber. This gives more power as you can use the most out of your fuel.
This is natural, and don’t think that your engine just became more fuel hungry. That’s the normal fuel consumption of your car. I do experienced this myself so I have a first hand understanding on this.
So there you have it, intercooler upgrade won’t add horsepower but it can make your engine more efficient which will help your engine to unleash more power.
Increase Your Engine’s Safety and Performance
As mentioned above, a bigger intercooler can lower air temperature much better than the OEM intercooler. Cooler air is more dense than hot air, meaning that you’ll have more oxygen in the same volume of air.
This gives your engine to have better combustion and performance.
Why? Because hotter air can cause pre-ignition or more known as knocking or pinging. This knocking gives significant wear on various engine components which overtime, can lead to engine failure. So cooling the air coming from the turbo can significantly reduces the chances of engine knock.
Also, since it helps your engine to get cool air, it will greatly improve your performance on the drag strip or race track, without losing power. This is because your engine is less susceptible to heat soaking, so your engine can endure more abuse while enjoying performance driving.
Engine Tuning and Intercooler Upgrade – Perfect Mod!
As mentioned above, intercooler upgrade is one way to make your car to look stylish, aggressive, and to have more performance.
However, a simple aftermarket install won’t give your engine that unbelievable power despite getting increased cool air intake.
But the real benefit of swapping an OEM intercooler to a bigger aftermarket intercooler is if you combine it with engine tuning. Yes, an ECU remap is the solution to forcefully unleash more power from your engine!
So head on to your nearest ECU tuning shop and have your engine tuned by a professional and install a new and bigger intercooler.
What are the Possible Disadvantages of Intercooler Upgrade?
Well, if there are advantages, there are also some disadvantages that you should know before you undergo this modification.
First is of course the cost! Some turbocharged cars, it could cost $100 upwards depending on the brand and type of intercooler. But on average, you may spend $500 and up when installing an aftermarket intercooler.
Next disadvantage is the possible turbo lag. While this is debatable, I experience this myself after I installed a front-mount intercooler to my SUV. While the lag is often not felt in highway speed, it is more often triggered in the streets especially if you want to speed up a bit.
I was able to negate this by just using a throttle controller which eliminates throttle lag and improves response. That’s why an engine tune can truly benefit an intercooler upgrade.
Another disadvantage that I see is you reduce the air that is flowing to your radiator. This is especially true for front-mount intercoolers which are installed at the front of the radiator.
If this is the case, you need to ensure that your radiator fan or fan clutch is in tip top shape so your cooling system won’t get overheat due to the intercooler’s role as an obstruction at the front grill of your engine bay.
Summary
There you have it! Are you now interested in an intercooler upgrade or just want to stay with your OEM stock intercooler? The pros and cons are laid out to you above so you just need to choose what’s the best for your car or truck!
Below is my DIY front-mount intercooler upgrade that I did with my SUV. Enjoy watching!
