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[Surfnut]

Is this intercooler an upgrade from the stock XR-2?

It's taller and wider but it's not as thick..

My XR-2 intercooler's effective area measures :  10.5" X 5.25" X 2.5"thick.
This intercooler (it says, "Volvo" on the bottom) measures :
17.75 X 16.25 X 1.25"thick.

 
 
wit

Should I bother with this or is it not worth my time as an upgrade?

Dave

[CapriTypeR]

The stock IC has a surface area of 55 1/8 inches. The Volvo IC has a surface area of 292 7/8 inches!  With the thickness being half as the stock unit, you should still be almost 3X the effective area than stock!
It may be to tall for the Capri, though.
I say go for it, make it fit, and let us know how it works....!!

[Rocketman]

Idk, I've read very mixed things about using IC such as the volvo's - basically they're "better than nothing" and sometimes "better than stock" and are very good for low or no budget builds.

But if you're looking for a good IC for power, you can't go wrong with a bar-and-plate aluminum intercooler, and the prices have come waaaaaaay down over the last few years on them.

My 2¢'s
-Rocket

[CapriTypeR]

Guess it would depend on cost and budget.  If the volvo is way cheap, or free, I'd use it, but the aftermarket IC I used was somewhere around $170 with all the silicone connectors, clamps and aluminum tubing.

[Phillip]

Some of the other thing you need to look at in an IC are mass and pressure drop. More mass will take longer to heat soak in traffic and a lower pressure drop means less restriction in the air flow. These are efficiency concepts. Bigger isn't always better.

Some of these "Chinese" IC's coming in aren't really efficient. They are just mass produced by disgruntled political prisoners and the quality in materials, design and construction are less than desirable.

[Gostlrs]

Kit like this is all you need...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2-5-INTERCOOLER-PIPING-KIT-MERCURY-Capri-Cougar-Cobalt-/390256946387?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item5add206cd3

[CapriTypeR]

I'm pretty sure that is the one I got - HUGE difference!!!

[Gostlrs]

Agree, my car was night and day with just that

[Surfnut]

So the general consensus is that the Volvo intercooler is probably better than the stock XR-2 intercooler but probably not as good as the new Ebay intercoolers ?

Does that sound correct ?

Dave

[CapriTypeR]

Sounds right to me!  I would go with the eBay IC myself, but that is only because I already have one, and I know the difference it makes!

--Russ

[Gostlrs]

plus it will be easier to install

that other one is way too big to put in with out cutting up a bunch of stuff...

i just had to make a 3in hole on one side and trim up a bit on the other...

i also removed the AC. if you wanted to keep the ac find one with the endtanks on the same side. like this...

http://www.siliconeintakes.com/product_info.php?cPath=7&products_id=208&osCsid=6783a0233c5a45624f0ff5ed9f5d928d

[Rocketman]

Well he's putting it into his Kelmark so its going to be custom regardless.

I would vote for an eBay style intercooler, if you can spare the cash for it.

[shoeish]

How much difference will an ebay FMI make?

[Surfnut]

I've been mocking stuff up for my Kelmark project.  

Because of size/space issues, what about two smaller intercoolers in series ?

For the sake of argument, let's just say two stock XR-2 intercoolers side by side and ducted accordingly.  Would something weird like that work well ?

Dave

[Surfnut]

Let me try to re-explain that so it makes a bit more sense.  

Let's say one of the XR-2 intercoolers is mounted to the far left of the engine and one is mounted to the far right of the engine and they are connected with the appropriate size tubing.  

Does that make sense ?
Will a setup like that work well ?

Dave