So I am building my 88 gta. I am planning an ls swap and thinking it would be nice to go turbo as well. This is a weekend warrior with occasional track use. I am trying to decide if i should go a2a or a2w on the intercooler setup. Would like to hear opinions and see some setups. I have plans to be a regular hot rod power tour long hauler with this car. Did it a few years back in a good freinds 79 c10 and want to do it again.

 

Air air is simpler and less maintenance over air water. Air water cooler can be smaller tho but have to add a big tank and pump for it which takes up space elsewhere, like trunk space.

Normal street cruise air to air sized right will be better for iats. Air water has the advantage at the track with ice tank. On the street water will eventually heat up above ambient but its generally still ok for intake air temps. 110-130 deg water still can cool boosted air well enough to be safe.

 

Pretty much all the OEM's now are using air/water, but I suspect the systems are quite a bit better than the stuff we are buying on ebay.

I have an A2W system in the shop, brand new, which I'd like to use on something but I'm just nervous about the chinese heat exchanger failing and pumping a gallon of water into the intake..

It would be a great system for a boat, but we have a 45mph limit on the lake now so building a 1,000hp boat doesn't make sense anymore.

-- Joe

 

Havent seen any china coolers fail from cx racing or frozen boost. No different core than a air to air generally and most have good luck with them.

Oems may have heat exchangers on the system for daily driving use. Good in cool ambient air but not good in an ice tank drag system

 

Neither have I, but bad things happen to me.

-- Joe

 

One of the benefits not touted here is that it's probably easier to cram an air to water into a car, it seems like to me that you have to hack the nose of an F-body up pretty considerably to get an air to air in. I think that's why OEMs like air to water. Obviously that's your judgment call though.

 

The OEM's like water because the heat exchanger is built into the supercharger, and water transfers thermal energy better than air (to a degree).

Twin_Turbo has probably the best example I've seen on his blown fbody.

Then this other guy on a turbo application.




-- Joe

 

That setup looks nice and I'm guessing a lot less cutting than an air to air. It always seems like it's a lot of fitting to put one in.

 

Thanks for the kind words

 

Only thing i dont like on that setup is it will heatsoak badly from header/engine heat, reducing effectiveness of the cooler.

I stuck my twin coolers under the headlights on each corner of the nose. Fit like a glove

New single cooler will be mounted in the back seats

 

There's heat shielding under the aw intercooler and the headers are wrapped. The cire remains cold to the touch at all times.

 

Whats your water temps like after driving around for an hr?

How big is your water tank reservoir?

 

How hot does the air filter/incoming air get?

I was having some epic problems with mine at idle, but I wonder if it would be a problem while driving. I had my filter roughly in the same spot, but on the passenger side. I moved it to the front battery try by using some 90* bends, but that requires me to run a cowl hood.




I wonder if I should just run it over the valve cover with some heat wrap and call it a day.

-- Joe

 

I measured the temps a long time ago but can't find what they were. I still intend to get a cold air setup for it. I had one but I didn't like it.