These units use an external water pump that circulates water through a separate heat exchanger and a separate reservoir.
In street applications, air to liquid intercoolers prevent heat soak to the core during stop and go driving by circulating water through the core when the vehicle is not in motion.
In race applications where ice water is utilized, air to liquid offers performance beyond air to air units.
Air/Liquid intercoolers operate by pumping cooled water through the cores either from a front-mounted radiator ot heat exchanger or chilled water produced by circulating the liquid through a container filled with ice, as used in drag racing.
Depending on the engine size and heat load, we recommend a container that will hold a minimum of 12 pounds of ice. If a front radiator is used, this should be as a large as possible since the temperature of the liquid entering the intercooler determines the cooling effectiveness.
Radiator technology is perferable rather than oil cooler technology as these are specifically designed to cool water/glycol.
When these intercoolers are used with chilled water, it is possible, in some cases, to get charge temperatures below ambient temperature, therefore remarkable increases in air density and power are possible.
