Whippled 496

iTrader: (4)

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.

Wilde Racing

iTrader: (26)

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?

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?

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 .

Whippled 496

iTrader: (4)

Yes the Dmax has a much higher pitched fan and 4 more blades......it pulls a ton of air. The problem is the Dmax fan and the 8.1L fan do not have the same bolt pattern to bolt onto the clutch. I bought a Dmax clutch so i could use the clutch and fan together, but the nut on the Dmax clutch is 3/16" larger than the 8.1L, so it will not thread on....LOL. I tried all these things a while ago. The only thing i could do is use my 8.1L clutch and make a plate to bolt onto the Dmax fan and drill out the correct bolt pattern, problem with that is i would have to bolt it on because welding it would warp the **** out of the fan. Then i would have to be right on the money when i bolted it on or it would wobble a little and kill the clutch and water pump. My other solution (expensive probably) would be to send the Dmax and 8.1L clutches out to have the nuts and stem swaped out. I have seen the older 6.5L diesel guys do this so they can install the Dmax fans on thier rigs. Problem with that is i dont even know if that would solve my problem, and if it it did, i would still be in the same situation as far as my lack of performace goes. Im not being pesimistic, just thinking out loud here about all my posibilities. If i had ran in the high 13's yesterday, i would have no problem spending some money to find a solution for the ECT's....but i didnt....I actually got worse by a half a second.

Yes, i have a boost gauge. Before i put the I/C on i had just dropped to a 2-3/4" pulley which upped my boost to about 8.5psi. When i installed the I/C, i lost about 2psi through the piping and I/C. So the same pulley that was on giving me 8.5psi is still on now but it gives me about 6.5 now. My best run of 14.1X was done with the original pulley (3") which gave me about 6psi without an intercooler. So yes, i lost some boost, but the smaller pulley made it back plus a little.

Whippled 496

iTrader: (4)

Not sure how to measure DA, but the altitude is about sea level or maybe a 100' above. My IAT's are great, around 105* when ambient temps are 96*-97*. They jump to 116* after a WOT 1/4 mile run from a dig. Thats pretty good in my opinion. Thats why it kills me to think about pulling this stuff back off. I just hate always worrying about the ECT's. When im at a light, or a stop sign, or in the staging lanes.....im always looking at the temp gauge and watching it creep up, it sucks. On the road driving it sits right on 175*-180* no problem.

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.

TURBHOE

iTrader: (4)

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.

Whippled 496

iTrader: (4)

https://www.performancetrucks.net/fo...d.php?t=371730

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.

Whippled 496

iTrader: (4)

well, i still do a little towing from time to time, so i was kinda steering away from the Efans for now. One other thing i thought of, and its probably a long shot, is the Dmax radiator i installed was from "radiator barn" or something like that. Its not an OEM/GM radiator i dont think. It looks identicle, and all the holes are right on the money and everything, but i dont think its a true OEM part. Maybe i got a shitty radiator? The one i bought was $357....the OEM from NEWGMPARTs.com was $487. Obviously i went with the lower priced one thinking they should be the same. Maybe not.