The intercooler in tuningRetrofit intercooler: The benefits of the intercooler in tuning
Do you push the accelerator pedal and have to wait a while or do you feel a significant drop in performance? Then you've probably already thought about retrofitting your intercooler. This is because the intercooler plays a major role, especially in turbocharged engines. These become so hot due to the supercharged air that the engine can no longer work optimally. The original components often fail, which is why retrofitting your intercooler makes sense in any case.Retrofitting intercooler: What does that actually mean?Retrofitting the intercooler means that you install an intercooler that meets the requirements to which it is subjected. In the case of professional intercooler tuning, it means that it can cool down the amount of charge air that your turbocharger needs in the best possible way. There are different systems for charge air cooling, all of which have this purpose. Which system is particularly advantageous depends on the engine itself and the space in the engine compartment.How does an aftermarket intercooler work?Your turbocharger is there to compress the intake air so that more oxygen can get into the engine for the same volume. This allows more fuel to be burned, which is necessary for extreme performance. However, the temperatures of the intake air go extremely high due to the compression. And this in turn decreases the oxygen content in the air and the performance decreases. At least with the original intercoolers installed, which were not designed for performance-enhanced engines. A retrofitted intercooler has a larger volume and can therefore cool down more charge air. The cooling itself is also optimized so that as little pressure as possible is lost. Especially intercooler with Flow Distribution System (FDS) are designed for highest performance: They ensure the best possible air flow and thus efficient cooling.Which systems are suitable for retrofitting the intercooler?Depending on the engine and the space in the engine compartment, you have two options for retrofitting your intercooler: water-cooled or air-cooled. The water-cooled intercooler are particularly suitable for cars with little space. Although they consist of three components (water cooler for the intake air, circulation pump and intercooler), they still take up less space than the second method. A big advantage here is that the paths for the intake air are extremely short, which significantly reduces turbo lag and ensures higher performance with the same charge pressure.
In the air-cooled method, a large radiator made of aluminum cooling mesh provides sufficient cooling surface to efficiently cool the intake air. Flow-optimized fins and ducts ensure cool air and the lowest possible pressure loss.What are the advantages of a retrofitted intercooler?If you want to retrofit your intercooler, you are probably mainly interested in the increase in performance. Because the intercooler is one of the first "construction sites" in tuning. That's because you can get a few percent more power out of it by just a few degrees Celsius: On average about five to ten percent! You achieve this because the cooler air contains more oxygen with the same volume. This makes the entire combustion process more efficient.
However, performance is by no means everything that a upgrade brings with it. Since an optimized radiator generates much less backpressure, your turbo reaches the necessary charge pressure much faster. It is therefore exposed to a lower load and shows a better response. The knock resistance and efficiency of the engine and turbocharger are also increased thanks to optimised air flow. Especially the radiators with flow distribution channels ensure that the charge air is distributed over the entire radiator surface and you get a constant temperature of the intake air.
A retrofitted intercooler is also ideal for sustainability. This is because the efficiency also reduces fuel consumption and fewer pollutants are emitted. All in all, your engine will simply last much longer.
