Black intercoolers

[Chapppers]

Just came across this interesting little video testing the advantages/disadvantages of a black intercooler over an unpainted one. Surprising results!

http://youtu.be/f1QL9veQaNg

The black intercooler provides an extra 40 degrees of cooling without airflow than an unpainted one!

[anonymous-user]

Another great success for "Online science"!


(IE science that isn't really very, er scientific............)

[Chapppers]

It is fairly annoying that they used a hair dryer instead of a real car, but it kind of makes sense to me. The only thing I can't quite fathom is that the inside of the intercooler is still silver, and that we don't really know how much heat the black intercooler will absorb from elsewhere...

[V1DL3R]

How I have always understood it is The internal colour will have little importance, how the outermost layer performs is key. If the outer layer can lose heat quickly, heat from the core/air will replace the heat lost on the outer layer. The faster the heat is expelled from the intercoolers top layer the faster more heat will replace the lost heat until ambient is achieved.

[JW027]

If the only major benefit is when stationary to reduce heat soak why aren't F1 cars using black intercoolers?

Surely a brain such as Newey couldn't be outsmarted by 3 kiwis in a garage?!

[Chapppers]

F1 cars only tend to be stationary at the start of the race, but it's a fair point

[V1DL3R]

The efficiency of an F1 intercooler "as is" vs the cheap 5/6 row intercooler used in the video will probably also contribute. Due to the diminishing nature of heat loss plus the amount of heat and the temperatures an F1 car generates vs a Suzuki Alto means that the cooling efficiency gains would be so little it wouldn't be worth getting the rattle can out.

Or... on the flip side we may see a Redbull comeback with all black components on Sunday!

[anonymous-user]

JW027 said:

why aren't F1 cars using black intercoolers?

Because there is no advantage to a "Black intercooler" and in fact, if you use spray paint to colour it, you reduce it's effectiveness. As you say, look at F1, WRC, Sports Prototypes, in fact, any profesional motorsport, and you won't find black intercoolers.

[chuntington101]

Max_Torque said:

Because there is no advantage to a "Black intercooler" and in fact, if you use spray paint to colour it, you reduce it's effectiveness. As you say, look at F1, WRC, Sports Prototypes, in fact, any profesional motorsport, and you won't find black intercoolers.

yeah but they look cool and surely the F1 teams should know that the paint helps increase the surface area of the intercooler! lol (that's a joke Max!)

[mgbond]

Max_Torque said:

Because there is no advantage to a "Black intercooler" and in fact, if you use spray paint to colour it, you reduce it's effectiveness. As you say, look at F1, WRC, Sports Prototypes, in fact, any profesional motorsport, and you won't find black intercoolers.

I think the point clearly made is it will radiate heat better with no air flow. All of the above don't sit in traffic after just being thrashed.

In our cars though I don't think it wouldn't make much difference due to the amount of heat being radiatde in the engine bay so it will probably cancel out any advantage.

[anonymous-user]

mgbond said:

I think the point clearly made is it will radiate heat better with no air flow.

No, no it won't. Because when you are stopped, at idle, the intake charge temp is LOWER than the bulk temp of the intercooler! As such, the intake air charge is actually cooling the intercooler!

[chuntington101]

How to get a more effective intercooler:

1) Fit a larger unit
2) get more air to / from it

if you cant do any of the above then:

3) get a better quality core.

Simples

[Blu3R]

chuntington101 said:

How to get a more effective intercooler:

1) Fit a larger unit
2) get more air to / from it

if you cant do any of the above then:

3) get a better quality core.

Simples

or 4) Fit a chargecooler. But I think that's been done already.

[chuntington101]

Blu3R said:

chuntington101 said:

How to get a more effective intercooler:

1) Fit a larger unit
2) get more air to / from it

if you cant do any of the above then:

3) get a better quality core.

Simples

or 4) Fit a chargecooler. But I think that's been done already.

I think if you do 1 to 3 right you don't need number 4! Look at andy's car as an example. 700+bhp and no charge cooler in sight.

[Chapppers]

0) engineer the cooling channels and aero properly to start with?

ooooh.

[andygtt]

I also painted my intercooler black... NOT to improve its efficiency but purely as it looked better black :-)

Personally I can't see how painting black would make any difference to its effectiveness especially stationary.

My intercooler is very effective for a different set of reasons.... On full power and hard throttle my logs show inlet temperatures reducing as speed increases :-).

[V1DL3R]

If a black front mounted intercooler lets you get through the McDonalds drive through at 0.02 seconds faster than a silver one then so be it. That's like a 1/5 of a chicken nugget more efficient.

[SwankBaton]

Blu3R said:

or 4) Fit a chargecooler. But I think that's been done already BETTER.

:-)

[anonymous-user]

Blu3R said:

chuntington101 said:

How to get a more effective intercooler:

1) Fit a larger unit
2) get more air to / from it

if you cant do any of the above then:

3) get a better quality core.

Simples

or 4) Fit a chargecooler. But I think that's been done already.

Technnically speaking, charge coolers (air->water->air) are actually LESS effective than intercoolers air->air. However, they may be more efficient on a typical road driving cycle (lots of short boost events, and plenty of time for the water to be cooled down again)

[CaptainJp]

I have a really good friend that works for Mclaren F1.
I've asked him to find out