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Running a charge cooler on methanol??

2K views 24 replies 13 participants last post by  JohnA 
#1 ·
rite i have a fmic for my nova turbo but still like the idea of the hidden charge cooler, tho i know that ive been told that there not that good for me as im on phase 3.5 etc
but the other day some one told me you can do a water/methanol? mix which keeps the charge temp alot cooler is this bull or not?
and would methonal eat and rubber seals etc?
dan:(
 
#5 ·
dan-j said:
rite i have a fmic for my nova turbo but still like the idea of the hidden charge cooler, tho i know that ive been told that there not that good for me as im on phase 3.5 etc
who said that - its not true, charge coolers are fine if you get a decent one, although I would expand the capacity of the water reservoir.
They are especially good for Dyno runs and quarter mile sprints where the water in the reservoir has cooled right down.
Obviously its good to run water injection aswell - remember, the jet isnt a fountain - it sprays a very fine mist which shouldn't condense, so the methanol eating rubber seals shouldnt happen.
 
#6 ·
will a c/c give the same power as a i/c? and yes i will be running aqua mist any way regardless, its hard to decide as i realy like the idea of a c/c but i can see why most prefere the i/c, would there be any point that the charge cooler could not suficiently cool the temp ie when the water canot cool fast enough?
 
#7 ·
think of the charge cooler like this:

its a water:air cooler, which infact is better than an air:air cooler (an intercooler).
Of course, as the water warms up, then it becomes worse, but with a decent Chargecooler kit you should get a decent rad to cool down the water going through the CC.
In a Nova I would be tempted by the CC as it would keep my car looking stealth, and might be easier to instal than a large FMIC.

Disadvantage is a CC can fail due to having a pump and plumbing - a large Intercooler is much less likley to fail, as its so simple.
 
#11 ·
Adding methanol to the water in a chargecooler is bad from the point of view of heat transfer, as it doesn't transfer heat as well as pure water. However it will act as antifreeze.

For best heat transfer use water plus water wetter, but remember to drain and refill using antifreeze when the weather gets colder.
 
#12 ·
ronald said:
I'd say the i/c is better.

I would think the c/c would warm the air up cause the whole c/c would warm up by the coolant.

c/c are also rare (but I could be wrong on that)


No, it has its own water system, with its own 'header tank', and its own little radiator which you need to locate behind the bumper (its nothing like trying to locate a FMIC though).
 
#13 ·
hmm decisions decisions! also if i got a larger rad for the c/c that would help 2right?
as i mentioned before will it give the same sort of bhp as a i/c? and why doesnt it get affected by the heat in the engine bay?
 
#14 ·
I chuck ice cubes in mine, fill the pot if i can. Its good for short runs until the ice melts, or have water spray onto the cc rad or ic.

I have got a large computer server fan running constantly running on the back of my std intercooler and this seems to help with the cooling seen as its situated behind the rad.
 
#15 ·
scooby said:
I have got a large computer server fan running constantly running on the back of my std intercooler and this seems to help with the cooling seen as its situated behind the rad.
you are joking.... only when your standing still it will... once the car is above 30mph the air flow will be stronger than the fan.... and the fan will just be a restriction
 
#16 ·
dan-j said:
hmm decisions decisions! also if i got a larger rad for the c/c that would help 2right?
as i mentioned before will it give the same sort of bhp as a i/c? and why doesnt it get affected by the heat in the engine bay?
well, I reckon you should leave the rad and just expand the water reservoir - have a look at the products here:

http://www.paceproducts.co.uk/automotive-parts.shtml

as you can see the reservoir is tiny, and with a decent alloy tank you could increase it a hell of a lot.
 
#17 ·
Yes it will restrict the fan, id didnt say it wouldn't did i?, but the concept behind it is to cool the i/c when the car is standing as you cleverly pointed out. Just like a rad fan cooling when driving along, it will get to a point where the air will restict that, but in every repect you dont need a fan after 40 mph.

Im having a racing fan constantly on next to my existing one on the rad seen as the turbo's a knats tagger away from it and the engine bay get hot.

Also my i/c is behind the rad so the air will have to go through that and the i/c to get to the fan.

Its each to own and it works well for me.

:D
 
#18 ·
#20 ·
this is confusing!lmao
mainly coz i know certain peps running the c/c with no probs and then other peps say there no gud and wont cool the inlet charge enuff! i take it aslong as the inlet charge is the same temp as the inlet charge a i/c can give the bhp gianed will be even? and if the c/c will get the same temp as a i/c then there should be no worries with reliability?:rolleyes:
 
#21 ·
According to Allard turbo sport,

for every 4 deg c drop at the inlet manifold you will get a 1 BHP rise,

In power boat racing, c/coolers are used, due to the large amount of cold water available (the sea) the inlet charge after the turbo is colder than the surrounding air!


I think that a good solution would be is to have a large removable container put in the boot, filled with anti-freeze and water with hoses running into the heat exchanger.


Then put the container in the freezer to get the whole container really cold i.e below zero .........................
 
#23 ·
Rich T said:
I think that a good solution would be is to have a large removable container put in the boot, filled with anti-freeze and water with hoses running into the heat exchanger.


Then put the container in the freezer to get the whole container really cold i.e below zero .........................

lmao, well it would make the car more reliable but would kill any performance you'd gain unless it was used on a tuned beast.

I wouldn't fancy a large container of water slushing around in the boot, although it would make quick cornering interesting lmao
 
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