Dmax intercooler.....the jury is still out
#1
Dmax intercooler.....the jury is still out
Okay I went to the track yesterday and was pretty disapointed. The best i could muster was a 14.5@92mph, thats almost a half second worse than my best time. It was about 86* and a little humid there, but i really thought i would at least do as well as before the I/C was installed. The truck feels strong on the road but it just doesnt seem like it helped out as much as it should have. Im not throwing in the towel on this sucker yet, i put to much time into it....but there are a few things that have bothered me a little from the get go. The one that bothers me the most is the ECT's. I posted about it before, but when this truck sits at idle for more than 5 minutes the ECT's creep up to about 200*-205*, and thats with a 160* stat in there. Before i installed the I/C and Dmax radiator, the ECT' never got above 175*. It sucks in the staging lanes trying to keep the ECT's down so the clutch fan doesnt come on. I am going to wait till it cools off a little before i decide to do anything though, i also want to try and work on the tune a little. Not sure if either of those will help out as much as i would like though considering my WOT tuning is pretty much complete, its just my mid range that need touching up. I am at 13* right now and seeing a little KR, so i dont think i can go much higher than that. With all that said, here is my plan, i figure i will try to wait on some cooler air and try to tweak the tune a little and give it a few more shots. I dont see either of those helping me out more than a half a second but i owe it to myself to at least give it a shot after all the time i put into this thing. I also want to see how the lower temps react with the ECT's because that is really a sore spot for me. If that doesnt bring me back down to where i want to be, i will probably take the I/C and radiator back off and go back to where i was before. Then take the money i get from selling the I/C stuff and put towards a W2A Whipple I/C and see how that does. Its a shame because this thing REALLY cools off the charge, but at the expense of some other things i just dont want to give up. So there it is, i am glad i tried it but i might be switching back before to long if things dont improve. I am not dead set on the Whipple I/C, but definately something that will allow me to keep my original radiator in place so my ECT's stay where they need to be. If anyone has any suggestions, im all ears.
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I never really thought about the ECT with a d-max cooler, that does suck. I thing e-fans would pull more air than the clutch fan at idle,but I think you would have over heating issuse all other times..... I wonder if the D-max has I higher piched fan or something?
#3
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Is your intercooler piping restricting the amount of boost you are making?Do you have a boost gauge?And did you decrease your pulley size to increase the boost to compensate for the increased length intake track and restriction of adding an intercooer?Did you add timing?
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Do you remember what the density altitude (DA) was for your first run, and for this one? That can make a big difference (it slowed me down by 1/2 a second ). If you ever do go to e-fans, one thing to consider is that the controllers are designed to run the fans based on coolant temperature, not charge air temperature. You can have IAT's of 300°F, but if your coolant temp is low, the fans won't come on. I am still fighting this issue. Actually, I am seriously considering a water/meth spray kit. This might be something to think about. Good luck .
#5
Originally Posted by Wilde Racing
I never really thought about the ECT with a d-max cooler, that does suck. I thing e-fans would pull more air than the clutch fan at idle,but I think you would have over heating issuse all other times..... I wonder if the D-max has I higher piched fan or something?
Originally Posted by whitt1
Is your intercooler piping restricting the amount of boost you are making?Do you have a boost gauge?And did you decrease your pulley size to increase the boost to compensate for the increased length intake track and restriction of adding an intercooer?Did you add timing?
#6
Originally Posted by GMC_DUDE
Do you remember what the density altitude (DA) was for your first run, and for this one? That can make a big difference (it slowed me down by 1/2 a second ). If you ever do go to e-fans, one thing to consider is that the controllers are designed to run the fans based on coolant temperature, not charge air temperature. You can have IAT's of 300°F, but if your coolant temp is low, the fans won't come on. I am still fighting this issue. Actually, I am seriously considering a water/meth spray kit. This might be something to think about. Good luck .
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Ahhh! Then there is something that might help. It's rare, but I have seen vehicles that use both engine-driven fans and electric fans. They use a "pusher fan" which mounts in front of the radiator, and pushes air through when the engine fan is inadequate, e.g. during idling. It may be worth checking out.
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i have the 05 efans on mine and my temps stay the same as before the ic install. i say get some good e-fans and do away with that clutch fan. and as far as fans not being on if coolant temp is down you have a few options there: if you hpt then just turn them on that way and if not put a manual switch in cab for those rare time when you may need it. mine stays around 179 sitting still and 175 or so down the highway. with the d-max ic right infront of my rad just the same.
#9
Originally Posted by GMC_DUDE
Ahhh! Then there is something that might help. It's rare, but I have seen vehicles that use both engine-driven fans and electric fans. They use a "pusher fan" which mounts in front of the radiator, and pushes air through when the engine fan is inadequate, e.g. during idling. It may be worth checking out.
okay, then i must direct you to the above thread to answer the question i have there...LOL. I have thought about that route as well. Still, i am not going to go through a lot more here until i figure out why my performance has decreased. ECT's aside, the bottom line is im still slower after the install than i was before it. So how the hell am I losing performance by installing an intercooler? Everything i hear says use an I/C and your performace will go way up. Maybe i dont run enough boost to justify an I/C at just 6 or 7psi. I cant run anymore timing with the I/C than i could without it....im still right at 13*, any more and i see to much KR. Very wierd to say the least.
Last edited by Whippled 496; 08-12-2006 at 01:27 PM.
#10
Originally Posted by 4.8T
i have the 05 efans on mine and my temps stay the same as before the ic install. i say get some good e-fans and do away with that clutch fan. and as far as fans not being on if coolant temp is down you have a few options there: if you hpt then just turn them on that way and if not put a manual switch in cab for those rare time when you may need it. mine stays around 179 sitting still and 175 or so down the highway. with the d-max ic right infront of my rad just the same.