I've been looking at my car and have been looking for ways to get more power and a more consistant power. I've decided to have a new heat exchanger built which i will be starting tomorrow. The stock one seems poorly designed since its inbetween the radiator and the condensor and it collects heat from them. I'm going to mount it infront of the condenser so that it sits directly behind the large opening. I'm going to test this prototype and see if its more efficient than using just the stock one. I will be testing it different ways to see which is the best like using it w/ the stock heat exchanger, bypassing the stock one completely and just running the new one. With summer coming around it would be nice to have a way to keep those intake temps down and i think this might do the trick. I'm also considering having a fan installed on it with a manual switch that can be install in the car.

There is a possibility of drilling to install the unit but there might be a way to get aroud it. Other than that all it would require is the install which would come with all the hardware and more coolant since i inticipate more capacity.

So what i want to know is, will anyone be interested in a product like this if it showed a good temp. drop that inturn showed a increase in boost preasure or even a consistant boost preasure under different conditions? I have no idea what the cost might be but if this can go into production, not considering cost, would you be willing to purchase something like this if it worked?

 

Thats a definite maybe . Let me know how this all works out.

 

I'm excited to get started in hopes of some good gains or i should say some good losses in temp. I think this would be a very good mod for those who autocross and/or drag.

 

Im sorry to say but there is no need for a bigger heat exchanger on these cars. The intercooler is so efficent and can handle so much more that there would be no need for any of us to ever, save 1 or 2 guys, to upgrade this part of our cars. Other guys can elaborate. Sinister, JMC...

 

Yes but if you can lower the temps in the intercooler youre in turn going to lower intake air temps.... I think this coupled with modification to the intercooler to make it multi-pass should net some significantly lower intake air temps.

 

true...although I believe that a multi-pass requires losing the A/C not too many people are that hardcore. (the one mentioned from the build book)

 

I mean the one mentioned in the 4 part, 300hp build up.... This will be my next project.

 

 

I think that the heat exchanger that cools the air after the supercharger is very efficient but i believe that the heat exchange that cools the water can use some improvement since its sandwitched between two much hotter units. Like i said i'm going to test it and see what it has to offer, if it does nothing then i'm out some money and have a nice front mount intercooler type unit, if it works then its one more thing that can help. Someone has to come up with ideas and test them otherwise we won't get anywhere, i'm ready to do my part and see where this can go.

 

Once I get some major modding done on this car, i plan on going to some sort of ice box IC. Those things are just unbeatable at the track. Place a bag of ice in the box, and a bag of ice on top of the blower. Works wonders.

 

AC is lost in the build book for a couple reason I believe.

1) It adds weight to the car.
2) The condensor sits in front of the intercooler heat exchanger and reduces effiency.

I think it's possible to upgrade to a multi pass unit and keep the AC.

 

This is what I was thinking of pluss the multi pass intercooler. Another technic is to add windsheild sprayers in front of the heat exchangers.

 

I do too....

 

hey idk if this would help, but i saw on the jbp website that they have a set of flex-lite fans that sit in front of the condensor. That would cool things down a bit.

 

Check out the wbodystore and see what they do for the Grand Prix. Different pumps etc. Might get some good ideas there.

 

The only thing that needs improvement on our set-up is to relocate the heat exchanger in front of the condensor. No need to reinvent the wheel here since the stock set-up works so well. I was planning on doing this mod as well as soon as i get some free time.

Should help the IC temps stay more consistent during the summer months. During the winter there is no benefit as i see temps out of the SC with-in 30degs ambient all the time with a 2.7" pulley

 

I see why you guys are set on changing the heat exchanger, but man why go thrue all that work when a simple icebox will supplement all that is needed. If I recall corectly someone last summer in a redline and was equiped with a interceptor was reading barley over 100 degrees post intercooler. This may sound like alot but due to outside temp being in the 80's it is extremely efficiant, and thats with the ac on!

Now by useing a alternative cooler to supplement after the factory heat exchanger, like a ice box filled with ice and water (water conducts the heat to the ice, remember you cant make something cold but you can take the heat energy away giving a cold situation. I was a refridgeration tech for 6 years). Or what I built using some paintball co2 tanks and a co2 solonoid used for competition airbag suspensions and some aluminum pipe of two different sizes. It flows the output water from the heat exchanger between the two tubes that have ends welded on. Then I open the solonoid with a switch that releases the co2 into the center tube that is open on the opposite end.

This way I can purge a little co2 that is cheap and easy to refill just before a race. After all that the water ice cooler would be easier I just have it on demand.

 

maybe a newb with this but what is a ice box IC??? what does it do and how would idk just let me know wth it is.

 

Its really not that much work, i would estimate the cost to be $250 shipped if it works out. Right now when its 30-40* out my temp stay about 40* warmer after the S/C while cruising, when i got to WOT it jumps to 60-70* hotter than the atmosphere temp. I this doesn't work then we can scratch it off as another design that doesn't work and we can move on to another idea, like i said before someone has to take the first step and i'm ready to.

 

check out http://www.pfabrication.com/cobrareservoir.html, for info on an ice tank. I think it's a perfect idea for these cars, especially for those who are overboosting. I've seen cobra's gain 40 rwhp with ice. The cobalts won't gain nearly that much, but on these cars any bit helps.

 

Ok finally i purchased a heat exchanger that should work, when i get it i will make some brackets for it and move on from there!!! Oh and its all alunimum 24" X 7" X 3" I can;t wait to see some results.

 

nice keep us updated

 

can you post a picture or share where you got it?

 

There is a reason the heat exchanger is sandwiched betweent the radiator and the ac condensor. The ac condensor needs the cool air more to run the ac system properly. Once the programming software is available lower fan settings will help the heat exchanger and the engine out, should be more than enough for a street cobalt.

 

I will get some pics as soon as i get it, I don't use AC so that doesn't matter but what i bought won't effect the AC cooling anyways.