Haha, shamrock. Good point...If you have an STI or added the STI intercooler sprayer. I guess that would be the standard one. Still makes me wonder why the 08s and above won't have a sprayer. Weird...yet, my silly local dealership still has it on the 08 stis' window stickers as a standard option. Its not a option at all.
To answer the OP, usually it is very worth it, but it mostly depends on how much you pay for it. If you're paying like $500 for it, then i wouldn't do it, but if it is only between $100-$200, then it should be worth it. I don't know the statistics, but typically, they can increase hp by up to 30hp on cars with FMICs... (but then again, those are the more expensive stuff)
To answer the OP, usually it is very worth it, but it mostly depends on how much you pay for it. If you're paying like $500 for it, then i wouldn't do it, but if it is only between $100-$200, then it should be worth it. I don't know the statistics, but typically, they can increase hp by up to 30hp on cars with FMICs... (but then again, those are the more expensive stuff)
Uhhm..this is just a water sprayer for the TMIC's.It's not a cryo kit or meth injection.
____________________________
Aarg matey!
ECU Pirated by RomRaider
I didn't think it did much for hp, but allowed the car to burn fuel more effeciently because of the cooler air going in to the mix. Never read any really positive feedback about it.
____________________________
Still love my 4 rings, but now all I see is stars.
White Collar Hippie
i would think putting like a 1/4 tank of ice and the rest water would be really good! that would be some cold water so i would think it would double the affect on what it would normally do. i don't think i will get one for a long time if i ever do though.
____________________________
O2 PEARL BLACK WAGON with some modds
You guys apparently forgot your physics. Raising the temperature of water is not very energy intensive. Causing it to evaporate is much more energy intensive. In other words, putting 35 degree water through the thing vs 85 degree water does virtually nothing different. If you want to use ice, exploit the phase change to water energy costs: Put the ice on the intercooler.
Water takes 2270 Joules to evaporate per gram (when it's already at 212F). That's heat coming off the intercooler and released into the air in water vapor. To raise liquid water a single degree C, it only takes 4.18 Joules (2.32 Joules for F). In other words:
To evaporate 1 gram of 35 degree water, it pulls 2270 + (212-35)*2.32 = 2681 Joules
To evaporate 1 gram of 85 degree water, it pulls 2270 + (212-85)*2.32 = 2565 Joules
So by using 50 degree cooler water, you have increased the cooling capacity by ((2681-2565)/2565) = 4.5%. DOUBLE my ass. I suggest researching "Specific Heat". Now, if you add in the heat transferred to the water vapor before it escapes the hood along with the fact that your 35 degree ice water in the tank ain't getting to the intercooler without a large drop along the way, 4.5% is way on the high side of the improvement.
No, i never forgot my physics, i've never even TAKEN physics yet! I thought that spraying the colder water onto the intercooler would work just like putting a bag of ice on the intercooler. But I think i know you're getting at. Or I could be just retarded. Are you trying to say, that like, the water ON the I/C will evaporate, therefore it.... nevermind I dont know and i'm just confusing the crap out of myself. I suppose it wouldn't stay cold very long anyway, the water would just evaporate off. Whatever, I'm 99.99% sure you know what you're talking about. So keep on rocking
Ice on the intercooler has to do what to evaporate? It has to MELT! Melting takes energy. Then it gets heated (as shown, not much energy) and then it has to be bioled (as shown, takes a lot of energy). Ice in the tank is not touching the intercooler. It can only melt at it's own pace (perhaps chilling your trunk, big deal) and then travel as liquid water to the intercooler. The heat required to melt it was not pulled out of the intercooler.
Stick the ice on it directly though and the heat needed to melt the ice comes from, you guessed it, the intercooler.
Dispensing ice cubes automatically however is much harder than water. Thus, people generally just spray the thing with room temperature water. Want more cooling? Spray more water.
EDIT: The automatic ice cube dispenser wouldn't do that good anyway because the surface area of the ice touching the intercooler is much much smaller than it would be with liquid water. It would be more effective to put the ice on the intercooler than the water tank it's true, but neither actually make that much sense.
Yeah, I get it now. That would be hilarious though, to have an ice cube dispenser I can see it now... "Dang dude nice WRX! What you got done to it? Automatic Ice cube dispenser." Hahahahaha....
i have no idea about physics so i just assumed that if the water was half the temp it would be double the cooling but now that i actualy take a nano second to think about it your right so sorry for the newb statment.
____________________________
O2 PEARL BLACK WAGON with some modds
AutoForums.com is the premier network of enthusiast-owned
enthusiast-operated automotive communities.
We operate more than 100 automotive forums where our users consult peers for shopping information and advice, and share