Home SCIENCE The Differences Between Air-to-Air and Air-to-Water Intercoolers

The Differences Between Air-to-Air and Air-to-Water Intercoolers

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Modern engines are trending towards downsized turbocharger solutions. In order to make power efficiently, air temperatures need to be cool before entering the engine./Engineering Explained

source/image: Engineering Explained

Check out the video to learn more about how these systems work, and perhaps decide which solution might be best for your own projects!

Turbochargers compress air, and doing so increases the air’s temperature, decreasing density. That’s where intercoolers come in, which use ambient air to reduce the temperature of the air used for combustion.

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There are two main styles of intercoolers, air-to-air and air-to-water. Both are effective, but they each have their own distinct advantages with regards to packaging, efficiency, turbo lag, throttle response, and of course cost.

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