Hello All,
I have a standard ( so far) Exige S. With previous turbocharged and supercharged cars I have owned I usually uprated the intercooler and software but after seeing the price of the Lotus Cup intercooler I would welcome feedback from anyone who has carried out this upgrade or who can point me towards alternatives from other manufacturers.
many thanks
Going to a (water to air) intercooler will be the ideal upgrade for SC 2ZZ-GEs. It is also the weakest link in the power chain once upgrades start to happen.
The CUP car intercooler is only useful if you intend to run an Aquamist water-spray type system. But then again, there is no need to go with the CUP intercooler for that either.
Proalloy Chargecooler is a respectable upgrade IMO.
There is a guy in the US on LotusTalk who is selling uprated intercoolers, they are supposed to be better than the cup version, he has so far not delivered any reasonable proof they work, the biggest issue you face is the very small holes that run from the roof scoop to the IC. This is why I went down the route of having a charge cooler made. The only downside is cost to buy and fit the benefits are huge, I am now running about 10psi of boost and my charge temps are still only just over ambient, you pay your money and make your choice…
There are a couple of people in the US who have fitted fans onto the IC, one person has done it behind in open view and another infront in the ducting. Seems to be a good budget option perhaps?
Gav
Thanks for the links and information.
I will let you know what I end up with. The charge cooler seems to do the business, I was just trying to keep the weight down by going for an air to air intercooler.
Fitty silly computer fans on an air-to-air intercooler is dumb and pointless. There is no proven gains just like bigger sized air-to-air intercoolers and it also impedes on the basic airflow required by the intercooler because fans are now fitted instead.
This one is a major fail.
Option 1 - Get a water-to-air intercooler aka chargecooler.
Option 2 - Get a water misting system aka Aquamist.
Option 3 - Do all sorts of silly DIY only to realize you’re still at square one.
Or spend your money learning to drive quicker.
Or spend your money learning to drive quicker.
Tried that, relised i had no talent so used HP and better brakes to make up for it a bit
Noel, I belive they are proper fans. I get what you are saying about them restricting flow but ultimateley the line of thought is that they restrict less than the air intake. They can then be run at slower speeds to keep airflow up and continue to help heat disipation when normally you would just get the heat building up.
No it wont be as effective as the other options but its still an option.
Gav
I can see that you can argue ( no discuss ) the case for going for the charge cooler ( seems to offer the best cooling but more involved install, more cost and more weight) or for the larger intercooler ( no significant weight gain, easy install, costs less but limited in efficiency by the lack of air ducted through it )
From the posts and info I have been directed to ( thanks) and read recently, it also appears that there are many other factors including the use of the vehicle, state of tune of the egine or indeed the engine used. I think for a high boost pressure or even a turbo ( Audi engine) the only real solution would be a charge cooler. In my case I am just trying to increase the 220 bhp to 240 ish so I was looking at copying or emulating the Cup models ( injectors, pump, software and intercooler. Lotus clearly know a thing or two and chose to upgrade the intercooler along with a redesign of the roof. I bet as with most manufacturers this is a trade off though against expense, weight and efficiency. Originally I was simply going to buy the Cup intercooler, but when I discover the price ( good old Lotus) I think that is is possibly overpriced and that I could obtain the same , similar or better from one of the aftermarket tuners. If the Lotus Cup intercooler only reduces temperature slightly for �850 then it may not be the best option. If however I can find an intercooler that will do the same job or better for half the price, then that will do for me.
Please let me thank you all for your input. I am certain that what I am after or the way I finally go , may not be the choice or the reasoning of others, but so long as it does not cause offence I will let you know what I do. This may benefit others. Hopefully not by showing you all what not to do and how I wasted my money.
Now, looking out the window here it is sunny and dry, and I am going to leave work early and have some fun in my Exige.
Glad you found all the stuff we posted useful, the only aftermarket intercooler I know of is sold by a guy on Lotustalk in the USA his username is thomasio, whatever you do let us know how it goes.
Most things you do will need to be tuned for, the IC will be ok and so will an exhaust box, however induction kits and exhaust manifolds generally do so be careful and get the AFR checked after and then several months later. To get over 220hp is quite easy with a Gotham tune available from Sinclair as Lotus only allow 60% throttle opening to limit the HP of the S.
Anyway enjoy the car and let us know how it goes
no better time to learn your skills! CC KNOW WHAT I MEAN!