Understanding the importance of the intercooler and its benefits

The intercooler, also called an exchanger, is of paramount importance within a car’s supercharging system. To fully understand its role, it is essential first to understand how a vehicle’s turbocharger works.

After the combustion phase in the engine, the exhaust fumes feed the turbine of the turbo, which, in turn, sets the compression wheel in motion. The latter is securely connected to the turbine by a shaft.

At this point, previously filtered air from outside reaches the compression wheel. The mission of this compression wheel is to compress the air, as its name suggests, before injecting it into the engine intake. This process allows the engine to receive increased oxygen, resulting in a significant increase in power.

However, it should be noted that compressing a gas causes it to heat, which is why the turbocharger increases the temperature of the air at the engine inlet. Unfortunately, hot air, by expanding and occupying a greater volume, becomes less dense, which limits the amount of air that can be sucked in by the engine.

The introduction of an intercooler effectively solves this problem. The intercooler is entrusted to cool the compressed air, thus making it denser (because cool air takes up less space). As a result, more air can be sent to the engine, resulting in more efficient combustion and optimized engine performance.

Development of WOT intercoolers

At WOT, our expertise extends far beyond engine electronics as we have extensive experience designing high-performance parts. With this in mind, we have developed intercoolers specifically designed to allow higher pressure while maintaining controlled temperatures that guarantee unwavering reliability. Each intercooler is meticulously designed to meet the highest quality standards. The sizing of these intercoolers is by no means an insignificant task because an excessively large intercooler can lengthen the turbo lag (spool), which would compromise the everyday responsiveness of the vehicle. Conversely, too small an intercooler or one that is poorly designed would fail to significantly lower the intake temperature, thus reducing its efficiency. It is important to note that most of our WOT-2 and WOT-3 upgrades come standard with a WOT intercooler.

Conclusion

As mentioned earlier, intercoolers play a vital role in optimizing your vehicle’s performance. Intercooler developments at WOT, designed for improved heat dissipation, can turn your car into a more powerful, more responsive machine, while remaining 100% compliant with the legislation.