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Intercooler

Car culture term

Intercooler
Photo: 先従隗始 / Wikimedia Commons · CC0

What is Intercooler?

A heat exchanger that cools the air leaving a turbocharger or supercharger before entering the engine, increasing density and power.

Intercooler is a heat exchanger placed between a forced induction system (turbo or supercharger) and the engine intake. The compression process heats the intake air; cooler air is denser and contains more oxygen molecules per volume, allowing the engine to make more power. The intercooler reduces intake air temperature, increasing density and improving combustion efficiency.

Two main types exist. Air-to-air intercoolers use ambient airflow over a finned heat exchanger to cool the intake charge. They are simpler, lighter, and more reliable. Most factory turbo applications use air-to-air. Air-to-water intercoolers use a coolant loop with its own radiator, allowing the heat exchanger to be packaged anywhere in the car. They are more efficient at low speeds (no airflow needed for cooling) but more complex.

Aftermarket intercooler upgrades are common on turbocharged cars. Larger intercooler cores reduce charge temperatures more effectively, improve consistency under sustained boost, and allow safer running at higher boost levels. The trade-off is added piping length (which can slightly increase turbo lag) and front-end weight. Popular intercooler brands include Mishimoto, AEM, Greddy, Spearco, and Garrett.

Related terms

TurboSuperchargerBOV

Frequently asked questions

Why is a bigger intercooler better?
More intercooler core volume can absorb more heat from the charge air, lowering temperatures more effectively. Cooler charge air is denser, contains more oxygen, and produces more power. A larger intercooler also maintains consistent temperatures under sustained boost where a smaller intercooler might heat soak.
What is heat soak?
When the intercooler core (or the surrounding components) becomes saturated with heat from sustained turbo use, charge temperatures climb and power decreases. Smaller intercoolers heat soak faster than larger ones. Heat soak is most apparent in stop-and-go driving or after hard acceleration runs.
Is air-to-water better than air-to-air?
Different applications. Air-to-water is more compact (the heat exchanger is small; the radiator can be remote-mounted), provides instant cooling at low speeds, and is preferred in many supercharged applications. Air-to-air is simpler, lighter, and adequate for most turbo applications. Modern factory cars use both depending on packaging requirements.
Do all turbo cars have intercoolers?
Most do. Some early or low-boost turbocharged cars omitted intercoolers (the Ford Mustang SVO of the 1980s used boost only at low levels, and the original Saab 99 Turbo had a small or no intercooler). Modern turbocharged cars universally use intercoolers because boost levels and power outputs require the cooling.
How much power does an intercooler upgrade add?
On a turbocharged car at moderate boost, typically 10-25 horsepower from a quality intercooler upgrade alone. The bigger benefit is consistency: maintaining peak power across multiple acceleration runs and reducing knock risk under sustained boost.

Intercooler on the blog

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