How does an intercooler turbo work?
Turbochargers are great at enhancing the power of internal combustion engines, but they do have one very basic problem–unintentional fuel pre-ignition. Intercoolers are designed to address this serious drawback.Air HeatingTurbochargers make power by compressing air and shoving it into the engine. Compressing air makes it hotter.NecessityHot air contains less oxygen per cubic foot and increases the odds of unintentional fuel pre-ignition (“knock” or “ping”). This can have some devastating effects on the engine.DescriptionAn intercooler is a radiator that sits in the ducting between the turbocharger outlet and the engine inlet.TypesIntercoolers can either be air-to-air (which resemble a regular car radiator with turbo boost inside instead of water) or air-to-water (which are functionally the same as an air-to-air, but are surrounded by a jacket of cooling water).ComparisonAir-to-water intercoolers usually use 200 degree engine coolant to cool the incoming air charge, which makes them le
