A2A Intercooler mounting location

EastMT

EastMT

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I am looking for opinions on the benefits to mounting an intercooler in front of the radiator verses a smaller one on top of the intake like the SCU Honda lil bro's came with or as I've seen on subaru engines( with a scoop on top of it). This is for a sandcar with a Honda 3.5. Does mounting a smaller intercooler to the top of the intake make for a more durable installation, possibly less flexing of the mounts? Shorter runs to the turbo and intake.  Does a  larger intercooler mounted in front of the radiator more than offset the longer tubing runs? Has anyone had one then switched to the other? 

 
I cant speak to the intercoolers that are mounted on top of the intake (Typical J35 Setup) but I run a pretty large unit and it has no problem spooling fast at all. I think the bigger the cooler, the colder the air will get versus a smaller unit. My turbo is decently sized (TO4B) it even with my extended hot and cold side pipes and large intercooler, it spools very fast. Just my 2 cents.

 
be careful with small intercoolers on a big motor, pressure drop will be the issue.  for you the bigger the better.  having longer piping will probably not be an issue at all if you wanted to mount in front of radiator.  the biggest issue besides being too small is not having enough air flow to keep it cool and efficient.  plan on a dedicated fan(s) don't rely on the radiator fan as it only comes on with hot water temps and won't work for the intercooler.

v6 Hondas are tall.  having the intercooler on top of motor and then a fan and or scoop gets pretty tall. 

 
In front of the radiator will be horizontal to natural airflow and won't need a fan to encourage airflow.  On the engine will be somewhat fouled by items ahead of it, and is surrounded by hot items (radiator ahead, engine below).  On the engine will be a shorter tract, so quicker response and easier packaging.  If your throttle faces forward, in front of the radiator would be the way I'd go (and went).

 
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ChasingSand said:
I cant speak to the intercoolers that are mounted on top of the intake (Typical J35 Setup) but I run a pretty large unit and it has no problem spooling fast at all. I think the bigger the cooler, the colder the air will get versus a smaller unit. My turbo is decently sized (TO4B) it even with my extended hot and cold side pipes and large intercooler, it spools very fast. Just my 2 cents.
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I figured there was no way to beat physics, bigger cools better. Thanks for the info. What size engine do you have?

 
John@Outfront said:
be careful with small intercoolers on a big motor, pressure drop will be the issue.  for you the bigger the better.  having longer piping will probably not be an issue at all if you wanted to mount in front of radiator.  the biggest issue besides being too small is not having enough air flow to keep it cool and efficient.  plan on a dedicated fan(s) don't rely on the radiator fan as it only comes on with hot water temps and won't work for the intercooler.

v6 Hondas are tall.  having the intercooler on top of motor and then a fan and or scoop gets pretty tall. 
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Thanks for mentioning pressure drop, not something I considered. The ‘intake mount’ sounds like it is more involved to do properly than I was thinking. 

 
Rockwood said:
In front of the radiator will be horizontal to natural airflow and won't need a fan to encourage airflow.  On the engine will be somewhat fouled by items ahead of it, and is surrounded by hot items (radiator ahead, engine below).  On the engine will be a shorter tract, so quicker response and easier packaging.  If your throttle faces forward, in front of the radiator would be the way I'd go (and went).
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Good info, thanks! My intake is pointed forward. What engine did you turbo?

 
Heat soak is a real issue. You want it to cool and cool fast. 

 
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