Front mount intercooler

[feeex]

Hi guys,
Does anybody know of a straightforward fit upgraded intercooler? Has anybody tried the HPD front mount kit - http://hpdiesel.com.au/mitsubishi-pa...-kit-series-2?
We live in Malaysia so temperature very rarely drop below 32degC and I'm noticing power dropping due to the high temperatures
Thanks.

[old Jack]

The link you posted was for a Pajero and not a Challenger/Pajero Sport with the 2.5CRD engine. However they do list a kit for the Triton with the 2.5 CRD engine and this will most likely fit.

http://hpdiesel.com.au/mitsubishi-triton/mitsubishi-triton-2.5lt-front-mount-intercooler-kit

How well do these kits work ?
I am not sure but the supplier might be able to provide you with some data to support their claims.
I have found that if you are running aftermarket underbody protection then these can decrease the efficiency of the factory front mounted intercooler and have done modifications to improve the airflow through the factory intercooler on the Bushskinz plates.

OJ.

Further reading on the website and the supplier is claiming an increase in rear wheel kW from 96 to 131 when fitted in conjunction with a ECU module, how much of the gains are ECU and how much are intercooler? Also looking at the supplied photo the ATF cooler has also been raised along with the intercooler, this is good news if you have an ARB or split pan bulbar and winch fitted but bad news if you run a large diameter pair of driving lights as these would restrict the airflow. Unknown is the effect of engine coolant temps that will increase and a decrease in air conditioning performance. No such thing as a free lunch!

[feeex]

Thanks OJ. My mistake.

I don't run any kind of aftermarket underbody protection as the vast majority of our driving is on road or tracks so maybe we would see a decent reduction in temperatures. Do you have an aftermarket intercooler fitted?

[old Jack]

Thanks OJ. My mistake.

I don't run any kind of aftermarket underbody protection as the vast majority of our driving is on road or tracks so maybe we would see a decent reduction in temperatures. Do you have an aftermarket intercooler fitted?

I still run the factory intercooler, car is still under warranty and it does have adequate performance for my needs.

OJ.

[littleriver]

seen MRT site ... it's not one of the recommended upgrades ....

...

[Scouter1]

seen MRT site ... it's not one of the recommended upgrades .....

Having done a lot of research both online & talking directly to tuners before starting on upgrading my Pajero, I would not necessarily take the MRT upgrade notes on their website as absolute gospel.

I had a number of dealings with them during ECU remap, exhaust swap & FMIC install, in a few instances their recommendations for vehicles outside the Subaru WRX / Mitsu Lancer focus tended to be somewhat generic, and somewhat based on if they have a matching upgrade kit they can sell...

Cheers,
Stephen

[old Jack]

In regards to reducing engine air inlet temperatures their are 2 critical factors.
1. The size of the intercooler.
2. How efficiently the intercooler works.

The Challenger's factory front mounted intercooler is much more efficient than the Gen 4 Pajero's, it is better positioned so it gets more ram air and is larger in capacity proportional to the engine displacement. On both cars once you put a bulbar and or aftermarket underbody plates on you decrease the airflow through the intercooler, combine this with a dirty intercooler that is filled with bugs and or dried up slit (from driving through dirty water) and you very quickly see inlet air temps elevate when the engine is working hard.

If your inlet air temps are too high and you do not wish to (or can't) ease off on the right foot, then improving the airflow through the intercooler by cleaning it is a good first step.
Next look at if any ram air can escape from the around the intercooler, in an ideal situation every bit of air entering through the top and bottom grilles should go through all 4 heat exchangers (intercooler, ATF, A/C and radiator). In most cases when fitting a bulbar, winch, large driving lights, insect screens and aftermarket underbody plates you stuff up the factory airflow. With a bit of thought, time and little cost you can dramatically improve the airflow through the heat exchangers.

I have done this on my Challenger fitted with Bushskinz plates and a Smartbar with noticible improvements, and recently we did this to "Pajero 12's" NW which has a factory steel bulbar and Bushskinz plates fitted. In the NW's case the reduction in Inlet Air and ATF temps was significant and no detectable lose of efficiency from the A/C or radiator, which is a common by product of fitting a larger FMIC.

There is a thread on the Challenger mods and "Pajero 12" will get harassed to start a thread in the Gen 4 section.

OJ.

[Dicko1]

In regards to reducing engine air inlet temperatures their are 2 critical factors.
1. The size of the intercooler.
2. How efficiently the intercooler works.

The Challenger's factory front mounted intercooler is much more efficient than the Gen 4 Pajero's, it is better positioned so it gets more ram air and is larger in capacity proportional to the engine displacement. On both cars once you put a bulbar and or aftermarket underbody plates on you decrease the airflow through the intercooler, combine this with a dirty intercooler that is filled with bugs and or dried up slit (from driving through dirty water) and you very quickly see inlet air temps elevate when the engine is working hard.

If your inlet air temps are too high and you do not wish to (or can't) ease off on the right foot, then improving the airflow through the intercooler by cleaning it is a good first step.
Next look at if any ram air can escape from the around the intercooler, in an ideal situation every bit of air entering through the top and bottom grilles should go through all 4 heat exchangers (intercooler, ATF, A/C and radiator). In most cases when fitting a bulbar, winch, large driving lights, insect screens and aftermarket underbody plates you stuff up the factory airflow. With a bit of thought, time and little cost you can dramatically improve the airflow through the heat exchangers.

I have done this on my Challenger fitted with Bushskinz plates and a Smartbar with noticible improvements, and recently we did this to "Pajero 12's" NW which has a factory steel bulbar and Bushskinz plates fitted. In the NW's case the reduction in Inlet Air and ATF temps was significant and no detectable lose of efficiency from the A/C or radiator, which is a common by product of fitting a larger FMIC.

There is a thread on the Challenger mods and "Pajero 12" will get harassed to start a thread in the Gen 4 section.

OJ.

Thanks for alerting me to the fact that Pajero 12 has done a mod to his vehicle. Here in FNQ highway temps can get high whilst towing. Reckon you might be right Jack...Pajero 12 will be getting asked for info!

[coughy]

i have a much bigger fmic and it down make that much difference to dyno showed this and it didnt make the wow factor that i was after
dont waste your money

my fmic is 700mm long and 400mm high the whole front of car basically

if i was to do it agian i woulndt bother the original one works just fine

[nj swb]

Thanks for alerting me to the fact that Pajero 12 has done a mod to his vehicle. Here in FNQ highway temps can get high whilst towing. Reckon you might be right Jack...Pajero 12 will be getting asked for info!

Hi Dicko,

After hearing his results (impressive temp reductions) I was eager to do similar on my NT. With a different bull bar and a winch in the way my vehicle doesn't have the same air flow path available. Unfortunately, his success won't be available to everybody.

[rotare]

i have a much bigger fmic and it down make that much difference to dyno showed this and it didnt make the wow factor that i was after
dont waste your money

my fmic is 700mm long and 400mm high the whole front of car basically

if i was to do it agian i woulndt bother the original one works just fine

If you were thinking bolting a larger intercooler on will give you an instant and vastly noticeable increase in power, then you've done it for the wrong reasons. More so if you've simply compared your FMIC to stock on a single dyno run.

I've fitted a larger FMIC on my Paj and have seen a noticeable increase of performance... in particular situations.

In general driving conditions with short periods of load, there probably isn't a whole lot of noticeable difference between the stock IC, and a larger more efficient one. Where they come into play is in sustained load situations, like driving up hills or when towing. In theses situations a larger intercooler will keep and maintain considerably lower inlet temps, where as the stock intercooler heat soaks quickly resulting in runaway inlet temps. Most people would understand the basic principle that lower inlet temperatures bring a host of benefits.

Towing my 2.5T boat up the South eastern freeway in Adelaide on a 25C day, with the stock intercooler my inlet temps reached 115C and were rising, water temp was 103C whilst there was a noticeable drop in power and I was back to 2nd gear near the top of the hill doing 50km/hr. With the larger front mount intercooler I repeated the same trip, again on a 25C day, and could comfortably tow the boat at 85-90km/hr in third gear and inlet temps did not exceed 65C and water temps got no hotter than 98C.

All things being equal I'd say that's a good result and a practical example of the benefits of a larger intercooler.

[feeex]

This is exactly the response I would expect, and was hoping for. More efficient intercoolers won't increase power, but they will ensure that it doesn't drop off on very hot days or under extreme loads.
As mentioned at the start of the post, typical day time temps here are >32degC so heat soak becomes an issue. I was just considering a bigger intercooler as a means of reducing power drop off when temperatures are high
Thanks