Intercooler Design (Tube & Fin vs Bar & Plate)

[l2ol3in]

Hi, I have some questions that I need some expert advice on. My SR20DET is being used at no MORE than 280 hp and 15psi. My application does not require me to have a huge intercooler with extreme boost. I just need something that cools the air enough to support a peak boost of 13-15 psi. I am also concerned about engine efficiency and mileage. Since the T25 turbo is so small, I am just looking for something that will work at peak efficiency and has a low pressure drop. While the engine is at low rpm (idling or cruising), I would like to achieve the maximum gas mileage. So, basically I just need something that will decently boost the engine when the turbo is kicking in hardcore, but will not hamper mileage at cruising rpm.

I am pretty naive to what type of intercooler to purchase. Can anyone explain the differences between bar & plate vs tube & fin, and how each one will work on my application. So far, I have heard that bar and plate works better on smaller ICs, and tube fin is vice versa, can someone confirm this.

There is this SPEARCO bar and plate on ebay. Does anyone know the model/part number for that particular IC? Does anyone know where I can find Spearco's official catalog.

Also, why are these ICs being sold for such a cheap price, if the "normal" retail price is 800? Does anyone have any experience with the seller, "boostcoolers".

THanks.

[I H8 UR DSM]

http://www.google.com/search?h...+tube

PS. Yes, you could have done that yourself...

[hokiruu]

schooled. reluctantly. In case yous till havn't figured it out, no, you dont need bar and plate unless you have an extra $400 you're dying to throw away.

[l2ol3in]

Yes, I also searched google. First of all, only the first 3 sites have anything to do with this topic, and second of all they contain alot of contradictory and/or inconclusive posts. That doesn't really help me too much. I just wanted someone who knows what they are talking about to tell me WHY I "don't need bar and plate unless I have 400 dollars i am dying to throw away". Thanks.

[I H8 UR DSM]

Well if you research, you understand the differences correct? And which is more efficient? And from there, i would think you could make a reasonable decision on whats best for you, and your setup. Is the increase in efficiency worth the $ in your case? Thats for you to decide.Apexi Skyline cores are the way to go IMO

[hokiruu]

OK- For under 300hp on an SR, the standard tube and fin core will be more than enough. The common Greddy VSPL or Blitz LM FMIC are rated up to 500hp, for whatever that's worth. Take it as you like, I usually take some manufacturers' claims with a half shaker of salt due to variables in setup, how the car is driven, etc.. However, there are high hp ( around 350-450) SRs in Japan using tube and fin cores, and even small ones at that. Bar and plate is extremely efficient, very nice looking, and also very expensive. With your setup and even upgrades to come, a bar and plate core of equal size would offer little if any actual performance benefit in proportion to price.

[l2ol3in]

Thanks, Hokiruu, but can you look at the spearco IC (i gave the link on my first post). How come this one is so cheap? I know that spearco got bought by Turbonetics, maybe this is one of their original bar and plate ICs and they are going for low prices. I am not sure, does anyone know?

[hokiruu]

Sorry I didn't anser your real question right away. Yes, that should be adequate for your SR. Given it's thickness and that it's bar and plate, it should be efficient at cooling the charge air for what you will be doing (around 15 psi). I can't say I think it will actually perform better than a complete tube and fin kit, but I would guess it should work just fine for you. If you know a good welder (who can weld aluminum) and have some time on your hands, you could save a few bucks though. That's actually a pretty good option, IF you don't mind fabricating your own piping and brakets. That should not be too hard though. http://www.projectnissan.com sells (at least they used to) universal mandrel bent piping sections. Call Robert up and talk to him about them. Make all your measurements and design your setup first though. You may want to basically replicate the design of most popular kits. Good luck.

[l2ol3in]

Thanks alot dude, I was planning to fab my own pipes anyways. Thanks for the link and help.

[BaliLover]

My Hybrid power IC is a bar and plate setup and cost me much less than a Greddy unit. I payed $620 shipped to my door from Australia for it with the piping kit and clamps/couplers. It took 5 days to arrive and its pysically bigger than the Greddy unit. Haven't gotten the install compeleted yet to tell of the efficency, but its supposed to be a very very small pressure drop.

[hokiruu]

...my friend building a KA Turbo project ordered one, and it had mismatched pipes for s14/s13 kits-right ot of the Hybrid box. It is one hefty bar and plate, it weighs about 25-30% more than my Blitz LM. And that's just the core! the pipes are cast, making them also extremely heavy. Seems really sturdy though.

[BaliLover]

Hmm, all my pipes were there and correct, and only the 2 pipes directly connecting to the intercooler are cast, the one from the intercooler to throttle body isn't. Install was pretty simple and the instructions were good.

[LittleBrotherSilvia]

i paid $670 shipped for my greddy vspl, its huge and looks like it would cool better than the bar and plate IC i had on my civic si.