Stealth Intercooler

[Bass Junky]

Hi there ppls.

I've recently purchased an Apexi GT Spec Cooler kit., the usual 600 x 400 etc etc.

I want it to be a stealth fitment, so it needs to be black.

I'm tossing up between powder coating it or anodising it.

Does anybody have any experience in doing either of these things to their cooler.

Regarding powder coating, I'm not sure whether I will block up any parts of the frontal area of the cooler.

Regarding the anodising, I'm not sure whether it will adversly effect the surface of the cooler, and it there is any coating already on it that the anodising will destroy. Will I be able to submerge the cooler in the anodising liquid without any troubles??

All help appreciated

BASS OUT

[Jimbo2000]

andosing will be easiest i'd say,

[rev210]

Don't do either!

just very lightly spray the cooler black with engine paint.

the other methods reduce heat transfer.

[predator]

The other option that works fairly well for stealth is just keeping the intercooler silver and going for the aluminium mesh. Basically from a metre away it will be hard to impossible to spot.

Mine is pretty difficult to see that it has a FMIC unless you get up close (where they are going to see a black one anyhow)

[rev210]

painting it black will make the intercooler more efficient (black body radiator). You make slightly more power because the intake charge temp is dropped by as much as 5 degrees over a bare and shiny metal one (thats why your engine radiator is black).

[predator]

I've always wondered that. Is black more efficient even if its not reflecting ambient light?

The reason I understand black is more efficienent at absorbing heat when exposed to light, is that it aborbs all of the visible colour spectrum. How does this actually apply to heat absorbtion in a closed environment (e.g. under bonnet or the like) ?

[predator]

I found this snippet..

Actually, rather than thinking of them as absorbers of heat, darker colors are

better absorbers of light and thereby become better radiators of heat.

Consider the following:

The color of an object depends on the wavelengths of colors reflected from the

object. A red apple is red because red wavelengths in white light are

reflected and other wavelengths are absorbed. In fact, if a red apple were to be

illuminated by light that had no red wavelengths, the apple would appear

almost black.

When a black object is illuminated by white light, all wavelengths are absorbed

and none are reflected -- that's why the object appears black. I learned this

the hard way one dark night when I tried to use my flashlight locate a Black

Angus steer that had escaped our pen. All I could see when I shined the light

on the steer were two glowing eyes.

Getting back to the point; when light is absorbed by a black object, the energy

carried by the light doesn't just disappear. Rather, it raises the energy of

the object doing the absorbing. The object, in turn, releases the absorbed

energy by emitting longer wavelength, lower energy infrared (heat). This

transformation of light into heat is the key to understanding the process

because it accounts for the law of conservation of energy. Light just doesn't

disappear when it strikes a black object -- it's transformed into another kind

of radiation that is either radiated from or retained within the black

object.

The darker the object, the better its emission of heat because it is a better

absorber of light.

[meggala]

I painted mine black

meggala

[rev210]

The absorbtion of light is a test and characteristic of a black body radiator not the reason it is a better absorber of heat (hence a better heat sink). For that you need to ask 'how' it absorbs heat (do a search under black body radiator theory). We can measure the surface temperature under load of the black and standard intercooler with an optical pyrometer and see the difference in a pitch black (no external visable light source) enviroment for example. Bottom line is there is the same benifit at night time.

[predator]

the reason i ask.. is i have some under bonnet intercooler piping that i may get powdercoated soon. The obvious choice would be silver to match everything else. But if black was inherently more efficient at dissipating heat then maybe it would be a better idea to go black. I think you have answered my question rev210.

yes, i know HPC would be the most efficient.. but the extra cost probably isn't worth it in my car.

[rev210]

intercooler piping is a different sort of issue.

Since black is good at radiating heat and absorbing it you really only want it on the intercooler. Black pipes after the intercooler (the colder ones) will absorb more heat than if they were silver (only a little more heat). The turbo to intercooler pipe can get very hot so insulation is the name of the game in both cases. If you don't want to thermal tape them both then stick with silver.

I hope that helps

[dangerous_daveo]

But out of interest doesnt hot gas (ie air) flow faster? Obviouly there is a happy medium, because if you go too hot the air will be useless, and too cold wont flow. Sooo wouldnt you want some sort of heat in the piping???

[wreckedhead]

your best option is to chrome your cooler, as this will keep your cooler colder and therfore keeping the air running through it cooler.

the colder the air the beter the flow and beter for your engine

[Ronin 09]

your best option is to chrome your cooler, as this will keep your cooler colder and therfore keeping the air running through it cooler.

the colder the air the beter the flow and beter for your engine

:confused:

...stealthy, that.

[MANWHORE]

rev, i'm actually sort of half stuck in between. I am familiar with black body radiators. But if you just think back to basic everyday concepts, wouldn't the paint just act as an insulator for the heat to transfer to the air?

[Turbo Tits]

When it comes to coating a surface that you want to radiate heat from, you want the thinnest coating possible as to avoid creating any kind of insulating barrier. Personally, i would avoid painting it, even a thin coat. My reasons being a light coat of paint from a pressure pack never gives a good consistent professional finish. The smoother you want the finish to be, the more layers you have to build up.

The best thing to do is to have it anodized. Sure, it will cost more, but the end result will be a professional finish with flawless coverage consistency, much better than youll ever get with a pressure pack, and its thickness will be in the order of microns.

Sure there are some things you can do yourself, and enjoy doing at the same time, but nothing is better than a done job right, even if you didnt do it.

[SLY33]

But out of interest doesnt hot gas (ie air) flow faster?  Obviouly there is a happy medium, because if you go too hot the air will be useless, and too cold wont flow.  Sooo wouldnt you want some sort of heat in the piping???

NO.

Ideally you would want the complete intake tract supercooled so that the air is denser and you can burn more fuel and make more power.

Just look at things like the Nitrous Express Intercooler spray kits, as used on 2fast2furious r34, by using super cold gas to really chill the cooler and drop intake temps.

[SLY33]

But out of interest doesnt hot gas (ie air) flow faster?  Obviouly there is a happy medium, because if you go too hot the air will be useless, and too cold wont flow.  Sooo wouldnt you want some sort of heat in the piping???

NO.

Ideally you would want the complete intake tract supercooled so that the air is denser and you can burn more fuel and make more power.

Just look at things like the Nitrous Express Intercooler spray kits, as used on 2fast2furious r34, by using super cold gas to really chill the cooler and drop intake temps. There is not an issue of air not flowing because it gets too cold.

[Bass Junky]

Turbo Tits.

Can't anodise an intercooler.

I spoke to my aluminum guys about it.

Too many fins and little nooks and crannys that the chemicals they use wouldn't be able to get in there properly.

I just got a pressure pack and sprayed mine and it looke great, works great.

Remember, on a road car an intercooler is just a heat sink anyway.

BASS OUT

[funkymonkey]

have you considered horizontally mounting the intercooler or on an angle? 100% stealth