my MCS is at 215bhp after being tuned by west tuning, now i want to get a bigger intercooler to deal with the hotter boosted air, which one would you recommend ????
ive been looking at the forge motor sport one for £375 polished
I liked dealing with Graham at GR Sport, and I did a little research on him before I got the unit. He definetely has the experience and knows his stuff. Have yet to install it though, as I am not one to believe in numbers other than my lap times.........
Hope this helps.
Remember to add vat to the price above, if you're buying the Forge unit.
My intercooler is the only one thats had extensive testing, ie rolling road, road tests and deserting early this year in the USA, all testing done were comparing the original unit against the GRS, and came out with very good results. Its the same thickness as the original, but has a bigger surface area with well designed end tank.
Fom personal experience, I would say steer clear of the Alta unit. Overpriced and poor overall quality compared with the likes of units available from GT-Tuning and GRS motorsports for example. You are lucky in that you live in the UK, so in fact the choice of quality intercoolers for the MINI is pretty extensive. The GTT is the largest Air-to-Air intercooler currently out there, being 16 tubes length-ways. It also has a very precise fit and finish.
Check out:GTT intercooler
The intercooler is the product right at the end.
You will also find that Forge builds alot of intercoolers for tuning companies to their spec. They can also custom fabricate any intercooler and diffuser that you want by going direct, but it doesn't save you any money unless you know someone who works there of course...
First of all..Good Choice...
Yes its a good idea to use an OCC but and I cant stress this enough..DO NOT use the Alta one like I did because it leaks air all over the place...Now I am waiting for the GRS to be finnished to go with the IC....Come on Graham get your finger out..
What you have to realise is not just how many tubes are being used, but how the core is constructed and the type of tube used . This is 50% of the total efficiently of the intercooler, the other 50% is end tank design.
I only use vacuum brazed core’s and nothing else, why? well vacuum brazed cores dissipate the heat better. The vains are brazed to the tubes and then brazed to the end plates These are more expensive to manufacture because of the process involved but worth it!
The other type of construction is to ‘glued’ version, these are cheaper to make, and are less efficient, why? The glue holds the heat in and doesn't’t release to the atmosphere as quick. The usual method is to glue the vains to the tubes, then the end plates are hand welded to the tubes, if these were glued the glue would melt when welding the end tanks on
My intercooler was tested in America against a larger version well only an 1” deeper in the desert this year the result showed that my intercooler was as good as the very slightly larger version….
Here's some interesting reading on types of core's and good and bad end tank design.
Very informative Graham. Thanks for clearing that up for me
And also congrats on the desert testing results. That's a mighty fine achievement and it's good to see that your intercooler works well in possibly the harshest hot environment on earth!
The AutoGuide.com network consists of the largest network of enthusiast-owned enthusiast-operated automotive communities.
AutoGuide.com provides the latest car reviews, auto show coverage, new car prices, and automotive news. The AutoGuide network operates more than 100 automotive forums where our users consult peers for shopping information and advice, and share opinions as a community.
