'97 Turbo Miata Build - Water-toAir IC

[Alejo_NIN]

so, i've always been fascinated with the water to air intercoolers.
they are more common than you think, for instance, the bugatti veyron has water to air, so does the fordGT and even the ford focus RS in eurpe, equipped with a water-to-air intercooler from factory...
so, i must ask...
is it worth it?

the pros i see are:
shorten piping, basically, on the miata is two 90 degree bends and the intercooler...simple enough...no pressure drop.
adding ice to water significantly reduces the temp to below ambient, quick.
water removed heat much betetr than air....why do you think they have water in the radiator?

cons
complicated setup with pumps and water lines, and heat exchangers
may be more expensive than fmic


so, that's my debate...i think it would look so much cleaner if done properly.

any ideas

here is an example:

[chuckms6]

I approve! Water to air its so much more efficient and space friendly, not to mention shorter piping. If I was too do my setup right the first time instead of parts swapping to find the right combo it would have cost me $600, and that's with -an fittings and the shitty cobra pump. If you have any questions feel free to ask.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727

[kritz]

@kmac; Ran on in his MS3. Living where you don't have to worry about freezing is a plus. Just an added pump and heat exchanger that's it.

[Alejo_NIN]

well, one thing to note though, is that heatsoak is much, much worse on a water to air than air to air.
it can be countered by having more water, but now you are adding more weight to the car.
it can also be countered by using different chemicals, or even using dry ice around the water container to keep it from becoming too hot...but then, how long would it take to melt?

i think the beenfits outweight the cons...

i just need to convince my brother...

[kritz]

Brownie faggot!

[chuckms6]

Once you have the right combo of parts and everything is working right heatsoak is a non issue. My car always finds a delta about 20% over ambient and stays there as long as the pump is running. It heats up during a pull simply because of stock turbo inefficiency but the temps are on par with the best air to air setups on the market, with the exception that at the beginning of a pull I'm already at the coldest bat that the air to air will reach. After a pull it goes right back to the delta temp within 10 seconds.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727

[Alejo_NIN]

Originally Posted by chuckms6 Once you have the right combo of parts and everything is working right heatsoak is a non issue. My car always finds a delta about 20% over ambient and stays there as long as the pump is running. It heats up during a pull simply because of stock turbo inefficiency but the temps are on par with the best air to air setups on the market, with the exception that at the beginning of a pull I'm already at the coldest bat that the air to air will reach. After a pull it goes right back to the delta temp within 10 seconds. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727

what pump are you using?

[Mochi]

sub

[Lex]

Originally Posted by chuckms6 Once you have the right combo of parts and everything is working right heatsoak is a non issue. My car always finds a delta about 20% over ambient and stays there as long as the pump is running. It heats up during a pull simply because of stock turbo inefficiency but the temps are on par with the best air to air setups on the market, with the exception that at the beginning of a pull I'm already at the coldest bat that the air to air will reach. After a pull it goes right back to the delta temp within 10 seconds. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727

Do you have a build thread for your LAIC setup?

EDIT: Turns out there is a lot of great info here:
LTA Intercooler Concept Thread

In terms of space and efficiency they are great. However the pump is more prone to failure so it's something that has to be watched a little more carefully.

[chuckms6]

Originally Posted by Alejo_NIN what pump are you using?

im using a bilge pump from walmart rated for 800gph. the more gph the better

Originally Posted by Lex Do you have a build thread for your LAIC setup? EDIT: Turns out there is a lot of great info here: LTA Intercooler Concept Thread In terms of space and efficiency they are great. However the pump is more prone to failure so it's something that has to be watched a little more carefully.

yea, a lot of my info is in that thread. i wired my system so that my boost gauge illumination is my on indicator for my pump. cant see boost, pump aint working i have also used the bat flag table in my tune to cut load about like 160° so i feel like i have enough safeguards in place. ive had one pump failure in about two years daily driven.

[kmac]

The more gph not always better. U can move too much fluid and not allow it to cool enough in the heat exchanger. Like if u remove your thermostat u can oveheat due to excessive flow.

[chuckms6]

Originally Posted by kmac The more gph not always better. U can move too much fluid and not allow it to cool enough in the heat exchanger. Like if u remove your thermostat u can oveheat due to excessive flow.

I have had nothing but gains from adding gph, but I may not have reached a point of diminishing returns.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727

Tapatalk fucked me real good tonight...

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727

[Alejo_NIN]

i think the key is on creating a system thwt will cool down water quicky wihtout much effort
as in positioning the radiator in a way that it gets direct, cold air.
a high efficiency, high flow fan, a good flowing radiator that will dissipate heat quickly and a mix of liquid that yields the most cooling while not being corrosive together with a good pump that can move the water quickly...i think the lenght the water has to take will allow to have MORE water while not having an overly large container and lots of aluminum tubbing to allow it to act as a dissipator as well, insulation from hot parts and to keep it away from heat sources as much as possible.

[inglouriousbasterd]

image.jpg my setup heat soaks quickly if I'm at idle in traffic or autox hot laps. I'm gonna try a bigger ic,heat exchanger and switch to straight water with treatment. As of now my reservoir is shared with the coolant overflow.

[Neverlift]

You necro'd this thread to post a shitty sideways picture taken with a potato? WTF brownie?

[Alejo_NIN]

now that he resurrected this, i opted to walk away
not becaus eof the dangers of having a leaking heat exchanger leak water into the intake, but because it takes too much effort to cool down the charge with all the plumbing for water, radiator, fans, etc.

just not worth it.

[inglouriousbasterd]

Originally Posted by Neverlift You necro'd this thread to post a shitty sideways picture taken with a potato? WTF brownie?

Must be hard to turn your head from sucking all that dick.

[Neverlift]

Originally Posted by inglouriousbasterd Must be hard to turn your head from sucking all that dick.

If you spent less time trying to be badass on the internet, and more time (like 15 secs) rotating your photos to ensure your post is both legible and presentable, we wouldn't be having a discussion about what I do when I am not on the internet reading bumped threads from nearly 2 years ago.