The big Intercooler thread.

[GuardEcoBeast]

For those of us not looking for extra power and just cooling benefits, why can’t we just install a 20 or 30 degree cooler thermostat instead of $500+ intercooler?

Because a thermostat has nothing to do with the air temperature out of the intercooler.

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[Bull Run]

Appreciate the pics! A few things I think are important:

1: Cast end tanks are not only for holding up to abuse. Cast means that the end tanks are molded to facilitate the flow of hot air into the intercooler and cold air out of the intercooler and into the turbo. ETS, Levels, Speedfactory, etc. all feature end tanks that are sheet metal welded together without much else consideration for air flow. It allows them to save on cost.

2: Density of the fin pack is also important to consider along with size of the intercooler. If I'm not mistaken they're not too different (ETS may actually have more fins per inch than the cp-e), but the more dense the pack the more cooling power of the intercooler. Size shouldn't be the only consideration.

You made some good points here, welded end thanks for ETS is indeed "sharper" on corners than the casted ones on CPE. I measured the fin spacing for both ICs close horizontally, with ETS edging out by having almost an extra fin per inch. Vertically, aside from top to rows for ETS, CPE has about 1/16" more space between the bars. What's your take on this?

Couldn't get a good angle for the picture for ETS as it's already mounted.

ETS horizontal measurement

CPE horizontal measurement

ETS vertical measurement

CPE vertical measurement

 

[cstewartj]

You made some good points here, welded end thanks for ETS is indeed "sharper" on corners than the casted ones on CPE. I measured the fin spacing for both ICs close horizontally, with ETS edging out by having almost an extra fin per inch. Vertically, aside from top to rows for ETS, CPE has about 1/16" more space between the bars. What's your take on this?

Couldn't get a good angle for the picture for ETS as it's already mounted.

ETS horizontal measurement

CPE horizontal measurement

ETS vertical measurement

CPE vertical measurement

Thanks for throwing this up - it's interesting to get an actual comparison with pics. If I'm not mistaken I'm seeing that the ETS has about 12 fins per inch and the cp-e 11 fins per inch. To be honest I expected the ETS to have a few more than that, but it compares pretty well to the cp-e.

I'm not really surprised that the cp-e has more space in between rows, though. More rows = better cooling, obviously, and some companies even try to market their adjustments to that as a benefit (think ATM and their "rounded header bars" talk - which I consider BS).

cp-e's end tanks are better (more flow) but ETS has a much larger cooling area, more fins per inch, and less space between rows. I'd personally trade off the cast end tanks for the larger cooling area of the ETS. The pricing helps too, as if I'm not wrong the cp-e in question is almost the same price. Everyone's got their opinion, though.

EDIT: Obligatory "We all have opinions, but IAT's don't lie" callout. Only on apples-to-apples comparisons, though.

 

[Hellman109]

The ETS seems to have a second row behind the first, and the CPE doesn't

 

[cstewartj]

The ETS seems to have a second row behind the first, and the CPE doesn't

That should be just a staggered row whereas the cp-e is consistent front-to-back. Nice obs.

 

[TicTocTach]

Just curious, but on searching I didn't get any hits in this thread for depo or deporacing... has anyone tried their intercooler? Looks like they've sold tons to the FST crowd, so strange that none have popped up here. FWIW, it's PN DR10072 if you're googling...

 

[Livernois Motorsports]

Hey guys saw this post and wanted to let you guys know we also carry an intercooler upgrade and charge pipe for the ecoboost mustang. This can support levels of 1000hp while getting rid of all your heat soaked issues. Here is a link to it if you want to check it out. Let me know if you have any questions by messaging me my name is Jake

 

[SVO MkII]

Does anyone have any experience with intercoolers for a track car (road course)? I'm wondering if something the size of the Mishimoto cooler would be adequate to prevent heat soaking on a stock tune 2018 during a 25-30 min session in 80-90 deg temps. Or do I need something like the ETS shown above, that extends up beyond the stock opening. My concern is especially for long tracks like Road America where you are at WOT/max boost for extended periods of time. Again, I'm not concerned about gaining power, I just don't want the ECU pulling power after one lap when there is still time for 7-8 more laps in the session!

 

[suitedanimal]

Hey everyone, I've been looking into a new intercooler for a while, and im stuck between going full send on the levels race intercooler (which seems like it could cool the sun) or a mishimoto intercooler, it's about $200 more for the levels intercooler which is my main sticking point... Any recommendations?

 

[Chef jpd]

Hey everyone, I've been looking into a new intercooler for a while, and im stuck between going full send on the levels race intercooler (which seems like it could cool the sun) or a mishimoto intercooler, it's about $200 more for the levels intercooler which is my main sticking point... Any recommendations?

If I were you and living in Arizona, I would not hesitate to go with the Levels intercooler.
The Mishi is good, but you need serious cooling.

 

[Thatguy]

I've been doing a lot of research on intercoolers for these cars. I've narrowed it down to Mishimoto or MAPerformance. Any benefits of one over the other? I'm in New England and will just be running basic bolt ons and a tune (Ford Performance or Cobb). I want something that fits in the stock location and allows me to keep the AS. I plan to pull the bumper so I have easy access for the install. I'll also be installing the CVF charge pipe kit. .

 

[solodogg]

If I were you and living in Arizona, I would not hesitate to go with the Levels intercooler.
The Mishi is good, but you need serious cooling.

...and I respectfully disagree with this statement. I live in Florida, which is the humidity capital of the US, and even the Mishi has done wonders for heat soak on my car with both the FP and stock tunes. If the plans are there to continue modifying the car, by all means go big or go home. When you're talking about running the stock turbo that can only breathe so well to begin with, going too big is like throwing a hotdog down an open hallway. A few degrees of difference in IAT doesn't make up for the pressure drop across the intercooler, especially with the stock tune.

 

[MakStang]

^ That. I live in Greece, the “heat capital” of Europe and I have the cp-e DeltaCore intercooler, which is larger than the Mishi but still fits in the stock position. It does wonders in combination with my PTE NX2 turbo! This thing seems to be able to handle anything up to 550hp. So, unless you are planning to go higher than that, you will not need anything larger than a FMIC that fits in the stock position.

 

[Ambient Thermal Management]

Just a heads up for those looking for one of the most efficient IC's for this platform at a great price. For a limited time we have several blem units available for forum members at 20% off. And of course our usual 10% forum discount for regulars. PM me for more info!

 

[Marvinmadman]

Upgraded my ETS to ATM and really felt the difference. Much better at throttle tip in. No more slight lag. Temps stay cool during a pull. Cruising temps stay cooler as well. Overall a damn fine product.

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