Having an intercooler without a turbo/supercharger.?

Question

Is it okay to have an intercooler in your car without haveing a turbo or a supercharger? Or is an intercooler just another form of cooling down your car? Because I think I may get an intercooler now and get a turbo later, because I see a turbo very close in my future.

Answer 1

Intercoolers are used on forced-induction cars because as the air is compressed by the turbo- or supercharger, it's temperature increases (due to the ideal gas law). This increases the chances of the fuel/air mix igniting prematurely in the cylinders (called 'preignition', or more commonly, 'knock', or 'ping').

Inter- and aftercoolers reduce the now-heated air's temp by passing it through a radiator-like device over which fresh, cool air is passed. However, if you do not have a turbo, the air inside the intercooler is the same temp as the air outside (since it has not been compressed), and no cooling occurs. Thus, an intercooler on a naturally-aspirated car does no good, and in fact, hurts performance, due to the fact that the longer and more restrictive path the air has to take on it's way into the engine increases pumping losses and hurts throttle response.

I would wait to plumb your intercooler until you are actually installing your turbo. Otherwise, having your car equipped with an intercooler without a turbo will get you teased mercilessly by your friends.

Answer 2

Intercooler Without Turbo

Answer 3

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RE:
Having an intercooler without a turbo/supercharger.?
Is it okay to have an intercooler in your car without haveing a turbo or a supercharger? Or is an intercooler just another form of cooling down your car? Because I think I may get an intercooler now and get a turbo later, because I see a turbo very close in my future.

Answer 4

There is absolutely no reason you can't run an intercooler without a turbo, but I would not do it on my car. All it's going to do on an N/A car is jack up the airflow resistance on the intake side and it won't do anything with your air because the air is already ambient temp. We call intercoolers with no turbos 'interfoolers' where I come from. It's something ricer kids do to make people think their cars are force fed...

Answer 5

The only reason you would use an intercooler on a N/A engine. It can be very useful, especially in single make racing where racing is tight and you may be behind several vehicles sucking in there hot air. Daily drivers don't need it.

Answer 6

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an intecooler wont make you engine run cooler, it just cools the intake air. you dont have to have a turbo, but it wont make a difference without one. i guess you could put in a high performance radiator, but your cooling system should cool your engine fine if its working/flowing properly. get it checked out (leaks, blockage) first

Answer 7

A intercooler will do nothing unless you have it hooked up to a turbo is will just be added weight and wont give you any benefits.

Answer 8

the only reason you need an intercooler is because when you compress the air it gets hot. you can run both without an intercooler but after a certain amount of boost you will need one. having cold air in your intake tract of your naturally aspirated car is good, but an intercooler isnt going to drop it more than a couple degrees.

Answer 9

To use a turbo the engine has to have low compression pistons for the turbo>?/

Answer 10

what if the intercooler uses a refrigerant that cools the intake air to below ambient condition?