SL55/63/65/R230 AMG: Has anyone swapped out the water to air for an air to air intercooler?
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Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 148
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2005 SL65 AMG, 04 S600
Very limited space and really no need to. A proper ice box will cool better than any air to air intercooler, even on stock intercooler.
I noticed that I actually had to keep a certain amount of ice in the tank. Too little it would melt quicker, which is not a big deal. One 10lb bag is more than enough for a 1/4 mile pull. While if I were to put 20-30lbs of ice, I would actually lose power since it would cool too much. I logged this on the dyno, and found out a 10lb bag in my huge ice tank was a perfect amount. 20-30lbs of ice, my boost pressure would slightly drop and I actually lost power, that is only because I was maxing out the turbos to the max, every ounce of air they could push.
On a mild tune where the turbos are not maxed out on airflow, more ice the better.
That's why I'm doing the single turbo, so that I can control how much boost I want and make more power with colder IAT/less boost.
I noticed that I actually had to keep a certain amount of ice in the tank. Too little it would melt quicker, which is not a big deal. One 10lb bag is more than enough for a 1/4 mile pull. While if I were to put 20-30lbs of ice, I would actually lose power since it would cool too much. I logged this on the dyno, and found out a 10lb bag in my huge ice tank was a perfect amount. 20-30lbs of ice, my boost pressure would slightly drop and I actually lost power, that is only because I was maxing out the turbos to the max, every ounce of air they could push.
On a mild tune where the turbos are not maxed out on airflow, more ice the better.
That's why I'm doing the single turbo, so that I can control how much boost I want and make more power with colder IAT/less boost.
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E55, GLS450, GL63, GLE350
Colder air equals less boost which would mean more power. I would imagine if you lost power from much colder air it was probably related to lack of fuel and timing isssues or the excess ice prevented the water flow. Colder is always better unless there is a fueling issue. Cold air can hold more molecules of oxygen in a given space.
Boost does not always equate to power. It's a measure of resistance to flow. When someone adds headers, new turbo manifolds, or better/cooler running intercooler that flows better you will typically see a drop in boost but an increase in power. That is, if you have the proper fuel for the increased flow.
Boost does not always equate to power. It's a measure of resistance to flow. When someone adds headers, new turbo manifolds, or better/cooler running intercooler that flows better you will typically see a drop in boost but an increase in power. That is, if you have the proper fuel for the increased flow.
Member
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 148
Likes: 21
2005 SL65 AMG, 04 S600
Colder air equals less boost which would mean more power. I would imagine if you lost power from much colder air it was probably related to lack of fuel and timing isssues or the excess ice prevented the water flow. Colder is always better unless there is a fueling issue. Cold air can hold more molecules of oxygen in a given space.
Boost does not always equate to power. It's a measure of resistance to flow. When someone adds headers, new turbo manifolds, or better/cooler running intercooler that flows better you will typically see a drop in boost but an increase in power. That is, if you have the proper fuel for the increased flow.
Boost does not always equate to power. It's a measure of resistance to flow. When someone adds headers, new turbo manifolds, or better/cooler running intercooler that flows better you will typically see a drop in boost but an increase in power. That is, if you have the proper fuel for the increased flow.
Since I was logging IATs, too much ice was not causing any blockage as then the IATs would go up. We were in the 20degF range, maybe even colder with too much ice.
The issue on my car is the turbos were maxed out, and could not possibly flow any more air. So if I cool the air too much, the pressure drops and power drops with it. When the turbos are not maxed out, the colder the air the more power you will have, because your turbo can now push a little bit more air to make up the loss of boost due to cold air temp.
I've tested it on the dyno, with nothing else but amount of ice is changed, I would lose power with 20-30lbs of ice, while with only 1 10lb bag, it would make the most power.
