Chargecooler Vs Intercooler

[Cupra20]

I'am Looking to get an FMIC in the near future for my ibiza but i have wondered whats the difference betweeen a chargecooler and an intercooler?

Am i right in saying a charge cooler has water involved some how? and would one fit on ibiza as an alternative to an FMIC?

Or there's the compete possibility i'm barking up the wrong tree altogether and they are totally different!!!

 

[jj10]

i might be taking a wrong turn up Wrong St. but i'm sure they're pretty much the same thing... ICBW

 

[Bogwoppit]

An intercooler uses air as it's cooling media and a chargecooler uses water as the cooling media, but then the water uses a radiator to then cool itself. The Chargecooler is more complex because it needs a radiator and a water pump etc but the chargecoolers themselves can be more compact than a front mounted intercooler.
Some of the members on here have used chargecoolers first hand so I'll leave the pros and cons up to them.

 

[jj10]

satnav for me

 

[ibizacupra]

both cool intake charge air. one is an air to water heat exchanger (charge cooler) and one is air to air (intercooler)

Chargecooler uses pumped circulating water to absorb the heat from the turbo outlet air charge. The warmer water then passes thru its own radiator to heat exchange this warm water to ambient air passing through it (usually sits in front of your existing radiator(s)

Intercooler (air to air) is using ambient air to cool the charge air passing through it directly. Usually front mounted (FMIC) is common upgrade as its getting most airflow.

Upside of chargecooler is its compact, and its radiator is slim and can fit where FMIC cores cant. Downside is its more complex, usually = more ££, has a pump which can fail, and needs a big radiator to heat exchange the warm water.

Upside of intercooler (assuming its large enough and well positioned in air stream like an FMIC) is its simple. Pipe charge air in and back out again. Downside is fitting one in available space can sometime require other mods to make room.

{brief explanation. Google it for more info}

 

[Cupra20]

Cheers bill seams a fairly good explantion to me.

with the charge cooler would you need to put a extra header tank/bottle or does it just pump round what water is housed in side the charger cooler?

And i would imagine it would suffer more heatsoak than and fmic because the water would heat up after a while?

 

[Fl@pper]

another advantage of a chargecooler is the ability to add ice or another form of cryo cooling but then you can add that to the front of a intercooler if so required now anyway

 

[DPJ]

You can transfer heat air > water 14 times more effectively than air > air. Where chargecoolers fall down is getting rid of the heat from the water effectively. Fine for one-offs like dragsters and also marine applications

 

[Cupra20]

So all in all then the better option to go for is the FMIC, as i see it anyway, cos there isn't any extra pumps and rads to put in and they can suffer from heatsoak, Where as the intercooler just involves cutting/ modifying the crash bar a bit.

 

[ibizacupra]

Cheers bill seams a fairly good explantion to me.

with the charge cooler would you need to put a extra header tank/bottle or does it just pump round what water is housed in side the charger cooler?

And i would imagine it would suffer more heatsoak than and fmic because the water would heat up after a while?

You can run on its own water system and tank, or even ustilising the washer bottle fluid as its bottle as I have done previously. MrsB lupo 1.8T runs my old ibiza charge cooler system in it. (no space for anything else)

I will eventually be adding a pair of peltier coolers to a boot mounted ally tank at some point which will dramatically improve cooling to sub ambient temps, which is something FMIC's cant do without spray.

 

[Ant FR]

also depends on the car you have. I know on the mini's the best option is to go chargecooler as the intercooler sits on top of the engine. My brothers Fiesta RS Turbo runs a chargecooler as not enough space for the intercooler.

On a mk3 ibiza surely FMIC would be best as lots of different options. Oh yeah also Chatrgecooler is heavier due to the water and pump etc, another thing to bear in mind

 

[Cupra20]

Cheers fella's i will have to save my penny's and look into it a bit nearer the time but i'm swaying towards the FMIC as they are proven to fit and work really well?

I know this has probably been subject to many a thread but what is the main difference between the forge and the jabba FMIC's?

 

[David_smith_909]

I know this has probably been subject to many a thread but what is the main difference between the forge and the jabba FMIC's?

your right, it has
ones made by forge, ones made by jabbasport/pro alloy
-300bhp i would say the forge holds its own just fine
+300bhp id go with the jabbasport one
jabbasport needs more "trimming" to fit than the forge
both have good customer services but forge is 2nd to no-one in this department.
but hey, who am i to give advice as i dont run any of them

 

[Cupra20]

it's personal preference at the end of the day i suppose, but the jabba one will always be ready for IHI if i decide someday to do it!!

 

[David_smith_909]

it's personal preference at the end of the day i suppose, but the jabba one will always be ready for IHI if i decide someday to do it!!

obviously some perform better than others
but at the end of the day its down to YOUR own personal preferance yes

 

[ibizacupra]

... Chargecooler is heavier due to the water and pump etc, another thing to bear in mind

what?
mine certainly was'nt

 

[Fl@pper]

i reckon with the mk3 we need an FMIC partly wrapped as a chargecooler running ice water and a cryo spray

hot ? pah - NEVER ! !

 

[truCido]

I was going to ask that....is it possible to have both?? for the greedy people out there