Problems and Solutions
In the search for better cooling we have tried larger air to air intercoolers with little to no gain in HP. Bigger is not always better! The problem with larger air to air intercoolers for the MINI is this, airflow is limited by the small hood scoop size in the factory hood, compare the MINI Cooper hood scoop to the Subaru STI and you'll get the idea. Once air finally enters the hood scoop it is directed through the intercooler to remove heat that has been absorbed, the problem then becomes poor placement of the intercooler, it sits right on top of the valve cover, fuel rail, injectors and intake manifold. There simply isn't enough clean flowing space underneath the intercooler to provide proper airflow to remove heat from the intercooler. A good execution of this type of intercooler design is once again the Subaru WRX or STI where the intercooler is top mount but the difference it where it's placed, to the rear of the engine where there is plenty of space for incoming air to flow through the intercooler and escape through the empty space below.
The bottom line is that the MINI suffers terrible HP loss from poor airflow over the intercooler and heat soak conditions from its poor placement atop the engine.
Here's where the Madness Water to Air Intercooler differs.
Our unit uses a modified factory intercooler which ensures 0% pressure drop, trouble free fit, low cost and no interference with any other engine components. Water flows in from the top and flows through the intercooler exiting at the bottom. The coolant fluid then is pumped at high speed with our 8 gpm water pump into the front mount radiator. At this point the water makes 3 passes through the radiator before it exits and returns back to the top of the intercooler. Passing the water through the radiator 3 times ensures that most of the heat been removed allowing the cool water to enter the intercooler and reduces intake temperatures dramatically. Other kits on the market use poorly designed radiators to cool the water, some even use the Automatic transmission cooler from the standard MINI. These radiators are simple cross flow designs, small and inefficient and meant to flow transmission fluid. When it comes to cooling the water flowing through the system they simply cannot cool the water fast enough and do not have the necessary volume to maintain cool temperatures under constant use.
Stability and Consistency
In repeated track testing our MINI Cooper Water to air intercooler maintained a 40 degree temperature difference vs ambient temperature. These tests were performed on a Stage 4 modified MINI Cooper S running 5, 30minute track sessions. Speeds in excess of 130mph were consistently reached with no increase from lap to lap as the day grew hotter.
Whats included
Double size 3 pass front mount radiator, Silicone 3 ply hoses, High flow 8gpm continuous run water pump, High polished Intercooler, overflow tank, and full color installation instructions
Additional options include a digital 3-way temperature gauge to monitor the intercooler temperature conditions. This gauge alows you to monitor inlet temperature, outlet temperature and the delta temperature which at a glance shows you how well the intercooler is diong it's job.
Performance
Final testing has shown a whopping 25 hp savings over the stock intercooler! 4 months of testing and prototyping have shown us that this solution provides the best cooling over a wide range of conditions from drag racing to street driving to the race track. Owners of our previous system can easily upgrade to the new kit by purchasing our upgrade kit.
Testimonials
In regards to the IC, I hafta say I have been surprised with the overall performance. Seat of the pants indicates it is a drastic improvement over the stock IC. Especially after it has been severely heatsoaked (long stop light or after sitting for an hour during lunch).
However, what I have found most fascinating is the temp data I've been collecting with the optional temp monitor I installed in the IC.
I'm going to assume the monitor is reasonably accurate to absolute temperature (+/- 1 to 2 degrees?). The Out temp seems to stabilize around 15 degrees above ambient, which around here lately has been 110 degrees (placing the Out temp at 125). I was actually hoping for the Out temp to be closer to ambient with all of the thermal reflective film I placed on the IC, but maybe this is all I could really hope for considering the hot outside air in conjunction with the hot internal air (it will be interesting to see what happens when it is cooler in 6 months). The In/Out delta is typically around 35 degrees while I'm just cruising. What has really amazed me though is what happens when I'm really on it. The In temp just skyrockets almost immediately due to the SC on high rpm. I've seen In temperatures well over 200 degrees during one of these hard charges, yet the Out temp stays glued around 128. This is giving me over 75 degrees of In/Out delta during this time!! Wow. I never really realized how hot the compressed air got during one of these high rpm events, and I've been amazed at how well the new IC worked under those conditions.
Another fascinating observation has occurred when I've let the car sit for about an hour during lunch. On initial check after I hop back into the car, both In/Out temps are around 160 degrees. In about 30-45 secs after startup while still at idle in the parking lot, the Out temp is almost back to 125. Very impressive. This would never happen with the stock IC. Once the stock IC was fully heatsoaked, it never really recovered during these hot summer months. So needless to say, I'm VERY pleased with your IC.
Mike Ferrill
•••Core charge on this product is $199 not included in the advertised price. Fully refunded upon return of your stock intercooler, This is a special order item•••
intercoolers are custom order
