vtech

that mugen kit was pretty sweet....

AaronZ34

How about some comments from someone who actually runs a A/W intercooler, and does so on a daily basis? First let's dispute some ignorance.

Completely wrong, A/W kits are far more efficient than A/A kits. Water has a heat capacity 17 times that of air. So essentially, the amount of heat transferred to the cooling element will be 17 times greater in a A/W intercooler. That's why A/A intercoolers are so big, because they are naturally inefficient. To have the same level of intake cooling, your A/A intercooler needs to be 17 times the size of my A/W. My A/W has a 4" X 4" X 12" core, so 192 cubic inches. Multiply that by 17, and your A/A needs to be 3264 cubic inches. Divide that by 3, the most common depth, and by 16, a common height, and it'd need to be 68" wide! That's over 5 and a half feet wide. So, the A/W intercooler is more efficient, if you can control the cooling element, the water. But this is why you have a good pump, a large heat exchanger, and a large system capacity. I'm using a ZX1000 radiator as my heat exchanger, and it's working great. Now because of my application, I also have a few distinct advantages. I run cooper lines to the back of the car, where my intercooler is. These run exposed underneath the car, so the airflow over them cools the water a lot. Plus, because of these lines, the system's capacity is very large. Lastly, because of my inline "overflow" tank, I can add ice for track days. Lots of ice. Drops the water temperature significantly. Now, back to the fact of water being 17 times better as a mode of heat transfer, that's at the same temperature. Now if the water is half the temperature of the air, there's no question. Fact, if the system is designed and functioning properly, there are very few A/A intercoolers that will come close to the performance level.

That's just ------- stupid right there. How long do fuel pumps last? Oh my God they run constantly. You see, I actually run an A/W, and have run tons of A/A systems. I'm not here to argue which is better, because honestly, it depends on the application. On the Fiero, where the engine is in the back, there is no good way to run a decent sized A/A that will get sufficient airflow. If you have IAT issues, an A/W would cool better if designed properly. But the A/A is easier, cheaper, and plenty sufficient in most applications. By the way, my intercooler pump hasn't failed, and who says it has to run constantly? Hobbe's switch? Manual switch?


Now, if I were you. If you want to be original, go for it, I did. But, in your application, I wouldn't do it. First, they are more expensive. Second, they are more difficult to setup. Third, when all is said and done, they don't save you any space, they just put a number of smaller items in other places. So if you're tight on space in one area of the car, they can work rather well (Fiero), but, in a CRX, you're not. My biggest qualm with that "kit" is where the turbo is. You've got 3-4 feet of exhaust tubing, that air is running right over, cooling the exhaust. Wrap it all you want, you are still going to lose a lot of energy through that heat. This means slower turbo response, slower spool times, more lag, and lower total power. Furthermore, it's been shown God knows how many times that a CRX can have a good system with the turbo right in front of the block. But if you're going for originality, who am I to stop you, go for it. Just don't expect to beat the standard kits, because you won't.

914b16

old school indeed

Louie

i think the owner of heel toe automotive has this kit on his old school restored crx. just in case you need any more info.

powerwheels86

it's cool he's on another site that i frequent... MR. D!!


AaronZ34--- As for mounting the Turbo behind the block, i understand the small amount of space but i really wanted to go for a sleeper look when you're looking in the bay if you have any ideas on how i could keep the turbo low and out of sight or out of the way i'm more than welcome to suggestions...

Thanks!!

I also just realized something that i forgot to mention in the thread... i'll be running ~10.5:1 CR and using a T25 so spool time,lag, and response are not an issue... will i really be missing out on all that much power though if i mount it behind the block using a header?

TAYZAAH

hmmmmmm

boostedblake

thats cool