Dont worry My half-assed attempted to put a lip on the end of the tubes works perfectly. I've been pushing 20psi through them and they haven't popped off at all. Although I agree, I think the bead roll shoulda been there to begin with. Oh well. Jason said he's making sure that the rest of their kits are all bead rolled.

 

I have to correct some blatantly incorrect information here.

-Cores longer than 22" do not lose performance exponentially. There is no magic # of inches in which something happens. The formula for pressure drop does not use 22" or any fixed number. That's like saying a hose longer than 3' loses pressure. Anything will cause pressure drop if it's a restriction but in this case it's negligible. Expanding on that, you have to look at cross sectional area. Obviously a core 6" high and 3" deep will have a lot more pressure loss than one 8" high and 4" deep. Even if the later is longer.

-Temp drop does not occur in the first 6-9 inches of a core. If that were true you could run a 6" long core and have 90% of your IC performance. Do you really believe that to be true? A 6" long core providing 90% of the performance of a 28" core? Why not just run two 6" cores then? lol
The truth is that the temp drop happens highest at one end of the core and tapers off to the other but the ratio is dependent on the inlet temp and core length as well as IC size. If the core is oversized, most of the temp drop happens early on and the air reaches ambient before exiting the core so there is no more heat to remove by mid core or 3/4 through. However under high load, or with an undersized IC, the temp drop could easily happen over the entire core. If you're air is not reaching ambient by IC exit, then cooling is taking place over the entire IC.

-Cooling air reduces it's pressure at the same volume. Many people confuse reduced pressure for reduced flow. You need to use the MAF, not MAP readings if the temp difference of two IC units is not comparable.


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On the ZZP IC being too low. We have sold a lot of units and haven't had a single complaint. I'm willing to repair/replace any ZZP IC damaged from a ground clearance issue at no charge. It's just not going to happen.

 

let the war begin!

 

There are many factors that will influence the performance of an intercooler. In general, the number of internal fins per inch combined with the type of core (bar-and-plate or tube-and-fin) can be used to calculate the pressure drop across the core and general efficiency of removing heat. The external core size doesn't always matter as much as you'd think when comparing different intercoolers. For example, take two identical sized intercoolers where one uses a tube-and-fin construction for the core and the other a bar-and-plate core. Generally the bar-and-plate will cool better and remove more heat in the same packaging size while tube-and-fin cores have less pressure drop, but just by changing the specification of the internal fin count, the internal air inlet passage design inside the end tank, and even the end tank design themselves can play a big part and make that rule not applicable.

Unless you can get the exact core information from the different vendor/companies from their core supplier to include information like number of internal and external fins per inch, type of core, etc. run a lot of heavy calculations, then try to do some computational fluid dynamics on end tank design it's very difficult for a consumer to compare intercoolers off specs alone. It may not be cheap, but the easiest way would be to purchase different intercoolers, install thermocouple temperature probes at the inlet and outlet as well as pressure gauges on both sides of the intercoolers which would then give you a good idea on the cooling abilities and pressure drops across the intercoolers.

There's also more to buying an intercooler than just performance alone. You need to take into consideration packaging (is it going to arrived damaged with bent brackets and debris in the core), installation/fitment (does anything need modified and how does it fit in the given space available on your car), and the quality of the welding to ensure you're going to get a long service life, as well as the support and warranty should something happen down the road. In most cases it comes down to a balance between cost, performance, and all of those other variables. And until there's some independent testing done under controlled environment it is hard to say what is "best" for performance and what is the best given what of those factors are most important.

 

ZZP IC waiting to go on here

 

All of my Treadstone pipe ends are rolled. Maybe they just didn't on the intercooler only kit. I run 24 psi through mine daily and often and I can tell you that it cools very well for its size.

Honestly threads like this are like beating a dead horse. Everyone has their preference one way or the other. I would say look at your car as a whole. Are you going to be racing every weekend and beating the hell out of it? Get the biggest intercooler you can find. Are you going for added performance for your daily driver... just find one without plastic end tanks. ZZP has alot of experience with the cobalt and Treadstone has build other cars that make huge numbers... Both companies are good just flip a coin and pick one... that would be the most fair choice.

 

well i got under the car today just to see how much the zzp one would hang down. i had no scratches/dings on the intercooler itself, but the bottom of my front bumper did have some curb/road rash on it.

this was at stock height, now i have pedders springs so i am even lower....i dont think the zzp is the best bet for me.

i think i will call mpx in the morning and place an order

 

Can somebody please measure the distance between the inlet and outlet of the stock IC, please please please

 

I like zzp, wish I could get hahn but they're too expensive.. zzp has z killer deal for their ic and ic piping set comes with couplers and tbolt clamps.

 

Well I got my aftermarket IC and Im happy with it for the price I paid, It does what I need it too and no threat of blown end tanks. Thats all that matters.

Choose your vendor depending on how much you want to spend and what flaws you dont mind having, lol.

Recap of "flaws" :

-ZZP IC hangs outside of bumper and front lip. (Not ideal for a daily driver on bad roads)
-Treadstone is 22" long and does not fill entire grill area, 2 extra points for boost leak.
-MPx has smaller diameter inlet and outlets than stock from what I gathered on this forum.
-Crazy Steves massive tall IC with huge fitment issues for some from what I gather on this forum.
-Hahn is 3x's the cost of competitor ICs that do the same amount of cooling...

Someone else want to continue the list? I dont know about the other ICs out there for our car...

-Synapse IC? whats the flaw with that one?

 

why are some of yall concerned about how each i.c. looks???
its about functionality people........

 

With synapse the welds crack. Fitment isn't very good either.

 

Apple does form over function... why can't we?

 

Troof.

But they all look good with the providing vendors emblem on them

 

I like my ZZP Intercooler on my coupe. I noticed no pressure drop over stock, and my IAT2's stay right at ambient. I may see a 6 degree rise above ambient on a 1/4 mile sprint. Clearence wise it has never hit. And my driveway is a pain in the ass to get in and out of.

 

so if i buy one from you guys and it scraps due to being too low i get it fixed or replaced for free? if so i will order now, i was just about to buy my mpx one then reread your post

 

ive never had a problem with zzp, very intelligent people

 

I'm 1" drop in the front from my CM springs. As many speed bumps I have in my area. Do you know how many scratches that I have from my ZZP Intercooler since Dec 10?



000000000000000.......................



So stop being paranoid of how much the ZZP Intercooler hangs down, I actually like it the way it is.

 

well i went ahead and ordered the zzp intercooler, from reading on here i have noticed that A LOT of people have complained about it hanging low BUT NOT ONE PERSON has ever made a post saying that they had damage due to it hanging low.

on top of that zoomer and matt both pmed me and answered all my questions and issues.

it also seems to be the best performing one out of the batch

THANKS ZZP!

 

I <3 my ZZP Intercooler

 

well just throwing in my .02 i love my mpx! looks great and does what its supposed to!

 

I'd love to pick up the ZZP intercooler but it's quite a bit more expensive than the GP of the TR8 right now. Maybe a GP on the ZZP?

 

Its much larger than the TR8, hence the larger price. ZZP also gives military discounts too which I like.

 

can we get some pics of treadstone. I am leaning that way. also What all do i need to buy if I get that intercooler. I have injen hot side piping right now. Do i get all new piping I am definitely a noob when it comes to this stuff. Thanks

 

also some of the zzp... i am tourn. Does it sit lower then the lip or just the bumper? i want to see some pictures. Thanks