Intercooler
Turbo Mini Forums

When installing intercoolers or changing the turbo outlet and carb inlet plumbing, is there an optimum size to use?

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c248/spe...er1/mini007.jpg

If it a'nt broke don't fix it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

50mm seems to be a popular size, with stainless pipe and silicone bends etc being easily available in this size.
Whether this is optimum i don't know ? To find out what size is optimum i guess you need to know how much air your engine will consume, then what size pipe you need to flow this much air.

I wouldn't worry to much, slighty to big is going to be better than to small.

Phil.

WWW.TURBO-MINI.COM

I seem to remember TD (and not Fab) writing a load of blurb about ideal hose sizes, and that if you increase the size (say to go onto an intercooler) you shouldn't reduce it after that. I think he suggested that the ideal size was smaller than 50mm, but as Phil says 50mm is easy to get hold of.

btw, I broke all of the suggested rules in my intercooler installation, but the car still went ok.

Wil

Edited by wil_h on 9th Jan, 2006.

Fastest 998 mini in the world? 13.05 1/4 mile 106mph

Think it was me wrote all the blurb? Not a clue where it is though...

You know what, when I think about it, it probably was you. See edit

Fastest 998 mini in the world? 13.05 1/4 mile 106mph

http://www.manchester-minis.cwc.net/techni...ntercoolers.htm

Turbo Dave wrote this ages ago however i am unsure where I got it from

Intercooler Pipe sizes are an interesting issue. Everyone seems to use 50mm or 60mm size hoses. However, i have done some calculations, and have found that for a straight pipe, optimum internal pipe diameter is around 35mm for a 150bhp engine. Of course, as soon as bends come into the equation, we have a reduction in flow, varying on the actual sharpness of the bend. Despite this, i believe that the optimum pipe size is around 40mm ID. But lets face it, it's easier just to use 50mm, as this size is the most common, and has a huge availability of bends ready available!!

Bugger just realised it at the bottom of the page vagard has linked to

Edited by Stig on 9th Jan, 2006.

Wow, wrote that four years ago - and i've subsequently been proven wrong about the cosworth intercooler - I believe TurboTim was the first?