IC between AC and Radiator: Stupid Idea? - Zilvia.net Forums | Nissan 240SX (Silvia) and Z (Fairlady) Car Forum

DuffMan · 08-20-2003, 01:21 PM

I'm thinking about putting my intercooler behind the AC evaperator or condenser or whatever its called, and moving the radiator back into the engine bay more.

The reason for this is to drasticly reduce the amount of bends in the intercooler piping. I have an aftermarket radiator that is not as wide as stock so the pipe can pass between the battery and radiator and go straight into the throttle body.

1st thing this will cause will be crappy intercooling when the AC is on. But thats not a really big deal, just wont get on the boost with the AC on.

What I'm woried about is:

1. The heated air passing the IC will be concentrated on the bottom half of the radiator. The ic i want is about as wide as the radiator and roughly half as tall. I figure all the air that passes through the IC hits the radiator anyway, but now they are closer and it is being concentrated to the bottom half. Will this mess up cooling at all? The rad is aluminum and thick, so it can take a little loss of cooling.

2. The rad is right next to the the IC, so maybe the heat from the rad will soak into the IC. Air is flowing in so this shouldnt happen when moving, or would it? Can heat soak through moving air in the opposite direction? Also will the IC get way too hot when not moving from radiator heat? I'm not sure how hot an IC typicly gets. This is with an SR.

Any ideas?

FRpilot · 08-21-2003, 01:37 AM

are you talking about making something simliar to the scc project silvia set up? its stealth, but i dont think it has that much cooling capability. at least put it in front of the a/c condensor. maybe you can relocate that back. but how much piping are you goin to save moving 2 inches back? if you want shorter piping, try to custom fabricate a tmic ala signal style. quick quick throttle response, probably less than a foot of ic piping on either side.

DuffMan · 08-21-2003, 01:33 PM

Its not that I'm trying to save those 2 inches its more that I am saving bends. Because my radiator isnt as wide, there are basicly just 2 90 degree bends in the whole thing. the outlet directly will face the throttle body after a 90 degree bend, and the inlet will directly face the turbo after a bend.

I cant move the ac condensor back or put the ic in front of it, because then I will have to go arround it, which involves going underneath the frame rails and up through the battery area like FMIC kits.

Havent seen the SCC project silvia, so I'm not sure if its like theres. If I didnt have an AC condensor I could do this with the ic in the normal forward spot, but I've decided to keep AC.

TMIC would be cool, but I'm not sure I want to cut up my hood, and also it would be difficult to get enough airflow to it.

Bill Roberts · 08-21-2003, 07:41 PM

I was wondering if anyone ever thought about putting a fan on their intercooler. Cant hurt eh?

Personally..the airflow of your idea if a large fan was placed on the AC condenser (like factory only maybe 2 fans) would possably keep it cool enough between them..I would monitor my radiator temperature very closely...because being that close to the radiator..they would heat each other somewhat. Are you running anykind of water pump fan? Hey, the radiator does its job with the intercooler, and AC condenser in front of it...so they must breathe pretty damn good.

Come to think of it..I do not recall seing a fanned intercooler...anyone want to shed some light on that?

*ca18guy* · 08-21-2003, 08:06 PM

A fan would hurt, it would disrupt airflow when you need it (when your accelerating)
Doesn't the hot fluid come into the radiator from the top? If thats the case then I would guess that the radiator is slightly cooler on the bottom near your intercooler, but you would need to test that yourself to see if thats true

08-20-2003, 01:21 PM	#1
DuffMan Post Whore! Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: in a cardboard box Posts: 2,517 Trader Rating: (0) Feedback Score: 0 reviews	IC between AC and Radiator: Stupid Idea? I'm thinking about putting my intercooler behind the AC evaperator or condenser or whatever its called, and moving the radiator back into the engine bay more. The reason for this is to drasticly reduce the amount of bends in the intercooler piping. I have an aftermarket radiator that is not as wide as stock so the pipe can pass between the battery and radiator and go straight into the throttle body. 1st thing this will cause will be crappy intercooling when the AC is on. But thats not a really big deal, just wont get on the boost with the AC on. What I'm woried about is: 1. The heated air passing the IC will be concentrated on the bottom half of the radiator. The ic i want is about as wide as the radiator and roughly half as tall. I figure all the air that passes through the IC hits the radiator anyway, but now they are closer and it is being concentrated to the bottom half. Will this mess up cooling at all? The rad is aluminum and thick, so it can take a little loss of cooling. 2. The rad is right next to the the IC, so maybe the heat from the rad will soak into the IC. Air is flowing in so this shouldnt happen when moving, or would it? Can heat soak through moving air in the opposite direction? Also will the IC get way too hot when not moving from radiator heat? I'm not sure how hot an IC typicly gets. This is with an SR. Any ideas?

08-21-2003, 01:33 PM	#3
DuffMan Post Whore! Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: in a cardboard box Posts: 2,517 Trader Rating: (0) Feedback Score: 0 reviews	Its not that I'm trying to save those 2 inches its more that I am saving bends. Because my radiator isnt as wide, there are basicly just 2 90 degree bends in the whole thing. the outlet directly will face the throttle body after a 90 degree bend, and the inlet will directly face the turbo after a bend. I cant move the ac condensor back or put the ic in front of it, because then I will have to go arround it, which involves going underneath the frame rails and up through the battery area like FMIC kits. Havent seen the SCC project silvia, so I'm not sure if its like theres. If I didnt have an AC condensor I could do this with the ic in the normal forward spot, but I've decided to keep AC. TMIC would be cool, but I'm not sure I want to cut up my hood, and also it would be difficult to get enough airflow to it.

08-21-2003, 07:41 PM	#4
Bill Roberts Zilvia FREAK! Join Date: May 2003 Location: S FL. Posts: 1,538 Trader Rating: (0) Feedback Score: 0 reviews	I was wondering if anyone ever thought about putting a fan on their intercooler. Cant hurt eh? Personally..the airflow of your idea if a large fan was placed on the AC condenser (like factory only maybe 2 fans) would possably keep it cool enough between them..I would monitor my radiator temperature very closely...because being that close to the radiator..they would heat each other somewhat. Are you running anykind of water pump fan? Hey, the radiator does its job with the intercooler, and AC condenser in front of it...so they must breathe pretty damn good. Come to think of it..I do not recall seing a fanned intercooler...anyone want to shed some light on that?

08-21-2003, 08:06 PM	#5
ca18guy Premium Member Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Clearwater FL Age: 42 Posts: 3,226 Trader Rating: (0) Rides Gallery: ca18guy Feedback Score: 0 reviews	A fan would hurt, it would disrupt airflow when you need it (when your accelerating) Doesn't the hot fluid come into the radiator from the top? If thats the case then I would guess that the radiator is slightly cooler on the bottom near your intercooler, but you would need to test that yourself to see if thats true