plumbing air con into engine air box

[tonyrb]

has any1 done this, plumb up your air con pipes from under the dash back threw the fire wall into your air box, as a secondary air flow option, that's got to lower your air intake temps massively, if your engines sucking more air than the air con is feeding out, that doesn't matter as its been added to the air filter box as a secondary feed, u still have the factory set up as well.

am I on to something

im thinking of connecting it to the bottom feet setting on the switch as I don't use that setting, that way I can still use a/con in the cab when/if I want it, n with a flick of a switch ill have a shit load of below ambient air flow entering the engine ????

[andy666]

1: the a/c uses engine power to drive the compressor, so it's unlikely you will gain more power then it takes to produce it.

2: the engine will draw a lot more air quicker then what the a/c can cool it down.

You are not the first person to think of this and I'm sure that even vehicle manufacturers have tried it at times. But so far, with today's technology it simply doesn't work.

[tonyrb]

1: the a/c uses engine power to drive the compressor, so it's unlikely you will gain more power then it takes to produce it.

2: the engine will draw a lot more air quicker then what the a/c can cool it down.

You are not the first person to think of this and I'm sure that even vehicle manufacturers have tried it at times. But so far, with today's technology it simply doesn't work.

don't some front mount intercooler say they gain an extra 20% in power with the help of a chip n exhaust ?

the air con pumps a heap of constant ice cold air, it only wouldn't keep up when your going full revs, but u would have a mixture of ambient air and ice cold air at full revs, and a chilled intercooler form the air con unit which would also help cool the ambient air down more also..

if a front mount intercooler gained est 20% in power I believe mixed with chip and exhaust,
that power being made to run the air con unit, should defiantly be covered back.

cause there's no way a front mount intercooler would flow air threw it colder than ya air con..

I recon front mount and air con, 80% of the time the air con unit will keep up, and when its not its helping gotta give this a go

[mattwhite]

No, the intercooler won't get as cold as an evaporator but look at the sheer volume of air. Put your hand out the window at 100 and see how much air flows over just that small area. And like Andy said, it's free. But your ac takes energy to drive so that's a false economy. Plus the air your motor sucks compared to the pissy interior fan is massive. I'm sure someone will have some exact cfm measurement but it's is massive compared to the dash fan so that much air wouldn't allow the evaporator to even get cold. A better way would be water spray on your intercooler.

[andy666]

I remember a few years ago hearing about a guy who was going to fit a 12v computer fan into the intake, on a 1.5L lancer, believing it would act as a cheap turbo... It doesn't.

Sorry to be harsh, but it will be a waste of time. Put your time and money towards a better, proven, mod like an exhaust. Or even a proper front mount intercooler.

[davo94]

Dont forget the bilge blower as an electric turbo.

[Big J]

And you will also get outside air smells into your car

[fridgie]

And you will also get outside air smells into your car

Don't see how that works, can only get fresh air or air recirculated from the cab. The air going to the airbox doesn't recirculate back into the cab.

[Jazz]

Isn't it true that the colder the air the better turbo engines run anyway
Just my thoughts

I remember my mates always talking about changing the windscreen wiper jets to throw water at the intercooler to cool it down they would swear by it

[BIGFOOTJR]

Isn't it true that the colder the air the better turbo engines run anyway
Just my thoughts

I remember my mates always talking about changing the windscreen wiper jets to throw water at the intercooler to cool it down they would swear by it

Air has mass, colder air is denser than warm.

Spraying water on the intercooler works its called convection. Jump in a pool on a windy day then get out, feel cold right? Same principle and is used to get a cooler intake temps.

[BIGFOOTJR]

Double post!

[blkrota]

Air-Con will never work.

Try and put your hand infront of a turbo spooling up,,,,, actually, dont do that.
Running your AC into the intake would be like farting out the window at 100km ,
it will probably come back in

If you want lower intake temps, spray water onto the intercooler with a second sprayer bottle,
or run NOS

[TheGreenThing]

Water injection is what you want..
Cleans the intake and exhaust using steam effect
Cools the air instantly
Increases the octane rating of fuel thus preventing dentonation specially hauling or towing some stuffs

Provided, you spray it correctly.

Just my 0.02

[Big J]

Fridgie
Because the air that the air conditioner can push is like 1/100000 of the air that the air box will be sucking in and you will get some air from your air box into your car

[fridgie]

That's the thing mate, the air FLOW is from car to engine, air is SUCKED from the airbox into the engine.

No way in hell will air flow backwards against the ac flow into the cab when it is being drawn by a much stronger force into the engine.

[blkrota]

I meant it will do nothing as its such a small amount of pressure.
the smell of your ass would blow back in , not the AC

[jimmi]

old svt article

The SuperCooler, as Ford calls it, uses the vehicle's air conditioning compressor and an intercooler to lower the temperature of the air going into the engine.

When air is colder and more dense, a greater volume can be packed into the combustion chambers. That enables the engine to produce more power. While the technology is part of a high-profile concept truck, the system can be applied to any engine that uses a turbocharger or supercharger to increase horsepower.

Although different in approach, the SuperCooler aims to do the same thing as a nitrous oxide system, a popular aftermarket addition for enthusiasts.

<SNIP>
The problem with nitrous oxide is that the tank has to be refilled at around $3.50 a pound. Conversely, the SuperCooler is a sealed system that does not need recharging.

The SVT Lightning concept truck - an early look at the next-generation production version based on the 2004 F-150 - delivers between 50 and 60 more horsepower with the SuperCooler, Coletti says.

The SuperCooler system doesn't need any expensive or exotic hardware, just an additional tank and some extra plumbing. But it works only on turbocharged or supercharged engines equipped with a liquid-to-air intercooler. Much of the hardware is already in place on the current F-150 Lightning and Mustang Cobra. Both are equipped with a supercharger and water-to-air intercooler.

The vehicle's air conditioning compressor chills a tank of glycol - antifreeze - to about 30 degrees Fahrenheit.

When the driver opens the throttle, the coolant in the intercooler, which is about 140 degrees, is bypassed by the chilled glycol.

The system lowers the temperature of the intake air from 120 degrees to between 50 and 70 degrees.

Once the glycol passes through the intercooler, it circulates back into the tank, where it is chilled again.

The system never needs refilling, never wears out and requires no additional maintenance. It also has no effect on emissions.

The four drawbacks are slight:

1. The additional horsepower is not available all the time. It lasts only as long as the supply of chilled glycol.

2. The system adds around 25 pounds of weight.

3. Fuel economy is slightly lower because the air conditioning compressor is running more often.

4. The SuperCooler adds around $750 in cost.

"With a 2.5 or 3.0-gallon tank (of glycol) and an engine our size, 5.4-liters, you are talking about 45 seconds where you have an effective superchilling effect," Coletti says.

He says that duration is more than enough since the truck hits 60 mph in around 6 seconds. It would reach 150 mph in about 25 seconds.

Coletti engineered the system so that it doesn't take long for the glycol to get cold again.

"It's under two minutes," Coletti says. "If you think about it, the way we designed it, you can go down the drag strip and by the time you get back to the starting line, you are ready to go again."

Coletti says the standard-issue Ford air conditioning compressor needs no modification.

<snip>
It can be used to boost the performance of small displacement engines, which may have big implications if fuel economy standards are raised.

"It is possible to use the technology in the smaller end of the market," Coletti says.

<SNIP>
He says SVT engineers have tested the SuperCooler and verified that it works well under real-world driving conditions.

Read more: http://mbworld.org/forums/c-class-w203/ ... z2pNzC9Rp3

[mattwhite]

Oh well, Ford thought of it. Must be tops idea!

[blkrota]

If you have a 5.4L engine and find yourself using it for "real-world driving conditions" . I think it would be time for a rebuild.

Cool idea, but not practical.

[tonyrb]

iv fitted it,
what iv done is blocked off the passengers foot fan duct, and blocked of 1 side of the drivers as there is 2ducts on the drivers side, fitted a 65mm rubber pipe with wire in it from the duct, cut a hole in the fire wall buy the break booster fitted it threw n plumbed it straight into the air filter.

first thing I wondered, is that cold ice air flow even going to be enuff to keep up the air flow for idle speed

so I started it up and... I seen a little spider web blowing outwards from the snorkel. PRIMO,

I started to wonder what revs dose the air con run out at keeping up befor it starts sucking xtra air needed, I cut a piece of light paper and held it roughly few mm away for the snorkel grill, I got just over 2000rpm in it started to block the snorkel cover,

the way iv done it is on the foot setting, but wile playing with it the, spring came off on the settings(down the drivers foot well under), it seems to only go 1 way don't no if I got I right.

this result I got with a shit load of air coming out of the window demister vent., and I mean a shit load,

cost to this mod an hour or 2 n 24bux for the pipe

waiting for my etg to turn up and ill put up more results

ICE COLD AIR TO JUST OVER 2000RMP, ICE FARKN COLD AIR.....