In the ongoing search for cooler temps I'm getting ready to pull the trigger on an aftermarket intercooler. I was set on the HTT but notice ATS also has one now (Sub Zero) that I can get for around $1,000 shipped which is a little cheaper than the HTT. Anyone running one that can tell me about the quality compared to the HTT? Or know where I can get an HTT for around the same price?

 

pm sent..........

 

bump on that need an intercooler

 

Have you priced the spearco or cooltwist?

I thought they were all about the same price. I know with a lot of these products we buy there is one manufacturer and a dozen differant companies put there name on it. I am not saying ATS does that but it is possible that it is the same IC as a banks or HTT, or whoever, just relabled.

 

yea but a few of the boys who run alot of toys say the htt is the best they have used guys like rip rook who im sure has played with a few diffrent types.

 

Right. I'm looking for the best deal. I can get the ATS for 250-300 cheaper than the HTT or Spearco. Just curious, as ATS is usually more expensive on their aftermarket products compared to others. Could be wrong but I believe the Banks unit is required to use the "High Ram" and their tubes and boots. I'd rather not do that.

 

Price should not be the main consideration when it comes to buying an intercooler. You should be comparing the amount of pressure drop though the core and the difference in inlet and outlet temps compared to ambient temps. You should also consider the overall design quality in regards to mounting points and alignment.

 

Not to stir the pot, but how can one cooler have more or less pressure drop but equal cooling performance? The more you cool down the air, the more the pressure will drop. When you have a fixed mass of air going in and out, no leaks, the amount of pressure drop should be directly related to the amount of temperature difference between inlet and outlet.

 

I have always wondered the same thing, but I think we are missing something because every time I talk to BD's turbo engineer he talks about delta p's across intercoolers and intake systems.
I'll ask him next week and will report back.

BD does make an effective intercooler.

 

I seen a Ats and cooltwist the other day and they are both nice and shiny. Look alot better then stock. I know the cooltwist is the cheaper i belive but i would hestiate to get the Ats at all. Real nice

 

A subject I have lamented on often, there is no objective performance data on comparison of any of the intercoolers. Best we can do is observe the structural build and hypothesize.

I like the BD; there are those that swear by Banks; I have the HTT which I have found to be a significant improvement over stock, but I only have anecdotal evidence to back that up.

One thing is for sure, the HTT is one heck of a heat sink... 75 lbs of shiny aluminum; more than 2x the weight of the stocker.

 

does anyone have the cooltwist from citydiesel?

 

Hellman makes a nice one, since it hasnt been mentioned yet as another option...

 

First of all, this misnomered thread is about charge-air coolers (CAC)...

Since pressure hardly drops across the CAC - or an IC - the mass of air must increase with falling temperatures... otherwise we would see much lower boost pressure on the CAC's cold side.

The inlet tract of a forced-induction engine is not a closed (or static) system, but rather a dynamic one with both ends exposed to ambient conditions. Neither the mass, temperature, pressure or velocity of the air is fixed.

As the hot air is cooled across the heat exchanger, it requires less volume (and exerts less pressure) - thus allowing the compressor to continously "refill" the vessel (intake tract) to the limit of it's mechanical design. The compressor doesn't know what temperature the air is...

The end result is XXpsi of cool air through the intake valves instead of XXpsi of hot air... whoever has the most molecules wins!

X2 on the HTT brute, Terry!
Thought I lost the babymakers lifting one over a dang RanchHand last week...

Here's a few comparative specs for those who'd like to know:

......................................OEM......... ..........HTT

Height_______________24.5"__________27.5"
Width_______________27.5"___________30"
Thickness____________2.25"____________3"
Tube Height__________.375"__________.3125"
Fin Height___________.500"___________.375"
Fins/inch_____________5.5_____________5
Tube #_______________27_____________39
I/O I.D.____________2.6875"__________2.375"
Frontal Area_________673 sq"_________825 sq"
Core Volume________1515 sq"________2475sq"
Tube Flow Area_______22 sq"__________36 sq"
I/O Flow Area________5.7 sq"_________4.4 sq"

Of course, save for the inlet/outlet I.D. & area, these are all core specs.

One would expect the HTT to perform much better with over 22% more frontal area, over 63% more core volume and 60% more tube flow cross-section, but I don't understand why it's I/O flow area is almost 25% smaller?

 

Temperature drop in a IC (or CAC) is not always directly related to pressure drop across the cooler. A major issue is dwell time in the cooler to allow for the heat exchange. This is achieved with IC volume, and with that volume you need surface area for the heat exchange and last but on least you need a bit of a choke on the outlet to maintain dwell time.