SavMan
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The stock system and the limitations
There are a number of issues that hit once you start looking at the how the supercharger is cooled and what effect this has on the intake temperature.
The system itself is pretty simple with 3 main components, Intercooler,
Heat Exchanger & IC pump.
The flow is IC Pump : Intercooler : Heat Exchanger : IC Pump
There are 5 areas to consider
1. Intercooler size and location, situated in the V of the engine below the supercharger. The location means it receives heat from the engine and supercharger but also suffers because if its size.
2. Heat Exchanger on the SL & E class – size is the issue here
3. IC pump – the pump engages once the SC clutch has engaged but then stays active after until the engine is switched off. There efficiency drops over time as well as failing completely both don’t always show up on Star.
4. The diameter of the inlets and outlets are 19mm
5. The system shares the same coolant as the engine, the coolant of the engine sits around 88C.
So what improvements can be made?
There is very little that can be done about the size of the intercooler or the diameter of the inlets without major fabrication.
IC pump
If you don’t know the history of when it was changed its worth fitting a new one as a matter of course if you are going to modify your 55K. There are lots of options but the 3 most popular are the Johnson CM30, Bosch 10 and Bosch 03. I have tried all 3 and could honestly say that I could not see a huge difference between them, they were not flow tested just fitted and put on a dyno and the performance in terms of engine power, intake air temperature and coolant temperature’s were so close it was impossible to say one was better than the other.
The Bosch 10 & 03 are normally a straight fit although they may need a different connector depending on the type that was fitted to your vehicle when manufactured. The Johnson will need a different connector all three are very simple to fit but make sure you bleed the system correctly.
You won’t see a gain by changing the pump.
Heat Exchanger
Upgrade to a larger capacity heat exchanger but just as important is the type of core that is used and the total fin area. Some can be a pain to fit and depending on the model may require adjustments to the bumper. When researching check the capacity, fin area, construction and fitment.
Gains are still modest here but you will see that the power is more repeatable, particularly for those that have fitted an upgraded SC pulley or Crank Pulley.
Split the system from the Engine circuit
This is where the gains really start, I will deal with this in a separate thread.
There are a number of issues that hit once you start looking at the how the supercharger is cooled and what effect this has on the intake temperature.
The system itself is pretty simple with 3 main components, Intercooler,
Heat Exchanger & IC pump.
The flow is IC Pump : Intercooler : Heat Exchanger : IC Pump
There are 5 areas to consider
1. Intercooler size and location, situated in the V of the engine below the supercharger. The location means it receives heat from the engine and supercharger but also suffers because if its size.
2. Heat Exchanger on the SL & E class – size is the issue here
3. IC pump – the pump engages once the SC clutch has engaged but then stays active after until the engine is switched off. There efficiency drops over time as well as failing completely both don’t always show up on Star.
4. The diameter of the inlets and outlets are 19mm
5. The system shares the same coolant as the engine, the coolant of the engine sits around 88C.
So what improvements can be made?
There is very little that can be done about the size of the intercooler or the diameter of the inlets without major fabrication.
IC pump
If you don’t know the history of when it was changed its worth fitting a new one as a matter of course if you are going to modify your 55K. There are lots of options but the 3 most popular are the Johnson CM30, Bosch 10 and Bosch 03. I have tried all 3 and could honestly say that I could not see a huge difference between them, they were not flow tested just fitted and put on a dyno and the performance in terms of engine power, intake air temperature and coolant temperature’s were so close it was impossible to say one was better than the other.
The Bosch 10 & 03 are normally a straight fit although they may need a different connector depending on the type that was fitted to your vehicle when manufactured. The Johnson will need a different connector all three are very simple to fit but make sure you bleed the system correctly.
You won’t see a gain by changing the pump.
Heat Exchanger
Upgrade to a larger capacity heat exchanger but just as important is the type of core that is used and the total fin area. Some can be a pain to fit and depending on the model may require adjustments to the bumper. When researching check the capacity, fin area, construction and fitment.
Gains are still modest here but you will see that the power is more repeatable, particularly for those that have fitted an upgraded SC pulley or Crank Pulley.
Split the system from the Engine circuit
This is where the gains really start, I will deal with this in a separate thread.
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