Ae101 GTZ Levin Intercooler Options

[waternolo]

As above guys, what are my options for an upgraded intercooler on my GTZ? I'm running a bigger crank pulley and was told it is a good idea to upgrade the intercooler to reduce intake temperatures on the supercharger itself.

Is this totally necessary?

I hear a lot of people speaking about a water to air intercooler. What does this consist of?

I purchased a front mount intercooler quite some time ago but the water to air setup seems to be the preferred choice.

What is the best way to route the piping as the engine bay is tight enough as it is. Has anyone got some example pictures? I was thinking of installing a Mishimoto Aluminium half radiator from a Honda Civic to free up some more room. Would removing the air-con also free up some space?

I also heard that 2" diameter piping will suffice?

All work is being carried out by a reputal fabricator.

Any help greatly appreciated guys. GTZ tuning in Ireland is non existent so nobody has a clue.

@mods - Please feel free to place this in the correct sub forum

[The Witzl]

you're in the right forum for this question, so dont worry there.

As for your question - well it would come down to how you use the car I rekon.
If you are only ever getting it on boost for short bursts (eg, traffic light grand prix), then you can probably survive with the standard top mount.
If you are getting in on boost for longer stints, like circuit, drag racing, or you are just a "fast" driver.... then you might want to consider an upgrade to help keep intake air temps down.

There are upgrade top-mount coolers available for the AE101 GTZ... or at least there was once upon a time. Basically they replace the stock top mount with a thicker, meatier alloy air-to-air top mount in the stock location, filling up as much space as possible to get most cooling possible.

The next type of upgrade i would consider is a front mount air-to-air cooler. It might require a little bit of hacking of the front bumper supports and headlight panels to fit the cooler and the pipework... but it can be done.

Water-to-air is generally more expensive, and requires a heat exhanger (basically another radiator) up the front to keep the water cool, which keeps your intake air cool.
These are basically a normal intercooler, wrapped up and filled with water.... so that water is cooling the fins of the cooler, rather than air cooling the fins.