LMAO... Following thread

 

Intercooler is 2"D x 5 5/8"W x 15 5/8"L (13_3/4" core)

Since the topic was bumped up, I have added a higher flowing pump and have doubled the flow thru the system with a minimal change in IAT. I plan to increase the size of the heat exchanger soon to see if that makes a difference but I still feel the issue is the flow path thru the intercooler.

 

I think a large part of it may be the actual IC thickness. I also think when you upgrade system flow you have to upgrade the heat exchanger as well. It's a function of time. You need to allow the water enough time to cool off. By speeding up flow you cut its cool time in half.

How hard would it be to upgrade the intercooler core? As we know magnuson designs their blowers with a very specific tolerance in mind in regards to the intercooler and the tub. Maybe the phenolic spacer made you take a step backwards in some ways. After talking with them I think .700 os probably a good distance for our goals. If you can do that, add s thicker core, and allow the blower an easierair path while using more of the intercooler I think you have a winning combination.

 

On the same note, if the fluid spends too much time in the intercooler, it adds more heat to the fluid while reducing the amount of heat pulled from the air stream. Even though the fluid is spending more time in the heat exhanger to cool, it has to pull out more heat. So increasing flow without upsizing the heat exchanger could prove beneficial.

I have to pull the compressor soon to fix a bad fuel pressure sender so I am thinking I may remove the spacer to see if that changes anything. It doesn't seem to be reducing temps as I had hoped.

 

For the street I would use a hi flow pump push the water faster.
And add an HX as large as possible (radiator size) this will give you the effect of the water staying in the hx longer (slower) through that core.
While the flowing through your inter cooler as fast as possible. (Since sits a much smaller core) giving you the largest temp difference boost air to water temp possible.

 

That's the plan. However, if the coolant is not passing the length of the intercooler as I suspect, upgrading the pump and heat exchanger are all for naught.

 

Why would water not be going through the length?

 

From the first post...

I have done some testing with the intercooler tipped up on end. When adding water to one inlet, it nearly instantly appears on the other confirming the bars are not separated as the end tank is. For it to work properly as a dual pass, the end tank needs to be divided vertically between the inlets rather than horizontally or there needs to be two separate cores top/bottom.

 

Lightning cores are divided on the horizontal.
Basically 2 thin cores stacked.
On the vertical you would be cooling one side of the air sooner then the other.

The tubes should have fins in side. Also if like the lightning stock cores.
The tubes are not solid top to bottom. There is a stack of tubes an area no tube. Then more tubes.
That area with no tube. Is the separation point top to bottom.

You could always get a snake camera and take a look inside.

 

So based upon your findings, Rob's, and talking to the maggie guys.... It seems safe to say that the phenolic spacers may be detrimental to performance, without the addition of a thicker intercooler.

That added space between tub and IC is actually hurting you rather than helping, who woulda guessed