bigger intercooler yes or no?

I've done a search and also done some digging on other sites and not really come up with a definitive answer.
Now I've had one on my 200 it was already fitted when I bought the truck and the pump was tweeked too so I didn't have a comparison.
I've tweeked the pump on my 300 and its loads better and I mean LOADS!
So my question is .....
On the adverts for said intercoolers it says up to 35% increase in performance.
And with these kits comes pump recalibration instructions.
I'm thinking that the pump tweek part (the free bit) is 30% of the increase and the intercooler (the £400 bit) is 5%
So now my truck is considerably better for free is it really worth shelling out for a larger intercooler or just being happy with what I've now got?

No !

Not in my opinion it's not. Unless you flog the engine in yours all the time in which case the cooling effect of the larger intercooler will help reduce exhaust gas temps.

Yes! (Sorry Dave)

I fitted a 2.8 TGV with a VNT Turbo and that made a huge difference. Fitting a full width Allisport and tweaked pump made another equal step up the grunt ladder.

thebiglad said:

No !

Not in my opinion it's not. Unless you flog the engine in yours all the time in which case the cooling effect of the larger intercooler will help reduce exhaust gas temps.

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Can you explain how an intercooler will lower exhaust gas temps??

a pump tweak makes a big difference in the first place with a standard cooler, put a bigger one in and you need to tweak again to make the most out of it, more cooling = denser air= more fuel needed for optimim burn/max power.

Neildisco300 said:

Can you explain how an intercooler will lower exhaust gas temps??

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It's quite simple really, an intercooler cools the air that has been heated by passing through the turbo.

A bigger 'cooler cools better, therefore the 'charge' of air going into the engine is cooler, therefore the engine burns cooler, therefore the exhaust gases are cooler.

We're not talking 700°C down to 300°c type cooling, but if the engine is running hard, has had the pump turned up and the turbo wastegate as well then you could be talking about EG temps of 730-740°C. With a bigger cooler - depending on design and quality of course - EG temps will reduce, perhaps down to 700°C and that is sufficient to reduce the possibility of exhaust valves burning out and head problems.

Obviously this only applies if you are running the engine very hard, all the time.


Dave

:bolt:

auf_wiedersehen_pet said:

Yes! (Sorry Dave)

I fitted a 2.8 TGV with a VNT Turbo and that made a huge difference. Fitting a full width Allisport and tweaked pump made another equal step up the grunt ladder.

Click to expand...

I'll bet it did mate, but didn't it cost you £6500-ish for the engine then another £500-ish for the intercooler?

The OP's post was, in my opinion, a question about return on investment. Pump tune-up £0 and a noticeable improvement; New bigger intercooler £500 and more improvement. The question he was posing is - is it worth the £500?

In my opinion no, but then I drive like a grandad

Dave

PS I would lurve your Disco:bolt:

You don't need to spend loads on an intercooler. The intercooler scrubs off some of the heat from the charge. The standard one is quiet small and suffers heat soak. This means, with the altered fueling, that it gets overcome by the extra heat and struggles to loose it quick enough.

A larger intercooler has a better thermal efficiency, and, crucially, works but better at low road speeds ie offroad compared to the std one.

Dont forget that an intercooler makes the engine more thermally efficient, which in turn means less fuel gets wasted as heat, meaning more power (denser charge, more o2 etc) and more power means less throttle which means better mpg or more power depending on how you drive.

The intercooler doesn't have to be a shiny new one, it could be one off a lorry or similar sized van ie a sprinter etc.

thebiglad said:

:bolt:


I'll bet it did mate, but didn't it cost you £6500-ish for the engine then another £500-ish for the intercooler?

The OP's post was, in my opinion, a question about return on investment. Pump tune-up £0 and a noticeable improvement; New bigger intercooler £500 and more improvement. The question he was posing is - is it worth the £500?

In my opinion no, but then I drive like a grandad

Dave

PS I would lurve your Disco:bolt:

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You're totally right Dave - as always. You should have the title of LZ Sage as your input is always so reliable.

My suggestion ain't cheap and ain't for everyone. I had the full width intercooler after the enging change so I can't say how much difference it will make but I did have a "Stage 2" (£650) by JE Engineering on the old 300Tdi. That was a chipped ECU and a gas flowed original cooler and that made a massive difference.

i like the idea of gas flowing the std cooler, might do that tomorrow morning as its all aly, see what gains can be had from the std unit.