photo request: Perrin "stealth" FMIC
Evolving Member
iTrader: (9)
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 176
Likes: 0
From: If you're not 1st...You're last
So you're saying that you insulated your front mount with a nice coat of paint? While I don't know the specifics (difference in temps, etc), it's seems like you're working against the efficiency, and entire theory behind a front mount.
Air directly on the metal is going to be more efficient at cooling than air on metal with layers of paint on it. On a turbo car, I want the coldest air possible to get into the motor.
Aside from that, the Perrin Stealth looks great, I plan on getting one; I think it will look great on an Electric Blue VIII w /Gunmetal wheels.
Air directly on the metal is going to be more efficient at cooling than air on metal with layers of paint on it. On a turbo car, I want the coldest air possible to get into the motor.
Aside from that, the Perrin Stealth looks great, I plan on getting one; I think it will look great on an Electric Blue VIII w /Gunmetal wheels.
Have you ever experienced this? Or done it yourself and tested it to see whether it made a difference with temps,etc?
Because when the air hits the metal with paint on it....it's not as cold of air? I don't understand how the paint affects the air temperature. And $1000 down the drain? No it served its purpose and I never saw a problem with the air temps.
Have you ever experienced this? Or done it yourself and tested it to see whether it made a difference with temps,etc?
Have you ever experienced this? Or done it yourself and tested it to see whether it made a difference with temps,etc?
Common sense.
EvoM Guru
iTrader: (50)
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 9,675
Likes: 132
From: Tri-Cities, WA // Portland, OR
The paint is an insulating barrier. Its not a huge barrier, but it is nonetheless a barrier. The heat in the intercooler cannot reach the air passing over the intercooler because of the paint.
SOme people dont think all that well.
Do you understand how an intercooler works? A painted intercooler won't cool the charged air inside the intercooler as efficiently as a non-painted one. You're adding a layer of insulation over the core (bare metal) Think about it. You want that ambient air to hit the metal directly, not have to go through a few layers of paint before it can help cool the charge.
Common sense.
Common sense.
Sure, paint is an insulator. Misted on it's probably a few mils thick...
Care to guess what aluminum oxide is and how thick it is?
Then there is the whole idea that you are only painting the first few fins into the core, where anodizing thickens the oxide layer on every bit of the aluminum. It's kind of like using a blanket to cover your head vs. a blanket to cover your whole body. I suppose this could reduce the reflectivity of the core for improved radiant heat transfer...
Until I see proof either way, I think this whole insulating it with paint and improving efficiency with black coating is a complete wash and it does come down to cosmetics.
Anodizing does offer the fact that it provides a harder surface that will likely stay looking good for longer.
Thread Starter
Evolved Member
iTrader: (3)
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 1,179
Likes: 0
From: Livermore, CA
FWIW...I bought and installed this particular FMIC on Monday. The car is with my tuner getting a new clutch and some other minor hardware upgrades before being tuned tomorrow. Once I have it back I'll take some pics. Stealth is a pretty good way to describe it BTW. I like it.
The installation wasn't exactly plug-and-play (nothing ever is) but with a dremel and a little elbow grease is wasn't too bad. Once the holes in the mounting brackets had been sufficiently manipulated overall fitment was excellent. There was about a 1/4 inch of clearance for that mess of hardware between the radiator and the IC and there was another 1/4 inch of clearance between the IC and the crash bar. I'd give the install and aesthetic appeal an 7.5 out of 10. We'll see how the performance is tomorrow.
The installation wasn't exactly plug-and-play (nothing ever is) but with a dremel and a little elbow grease is wasn't too bad. Once the holes in the mounting brackets had been sufficiently manipulated overall fitment was excellent. There was about a 1/4 inch of clearance for that mess of hardware between the radiator and the IC and there was another 1/4 inch of clearance between the IC and the crash bar. I'd give the install and aesthetic appeal an 7.5 out of 10. We'll see how the performance is tomorrow.
Ah...
Sure, paint is an insulator. Misted on it's probably a few mils thick...
Care to guess what aluminum oxide is and how thick it is?
Then there is the whole idea that you are only painting the first few fins into the core, where anodizing thickens the oxide layer on every bit of the aluminum. . I suppose this could reduce the reflectivity of the core for improved radiant heat transfer...
Until I see proof either way, I think this whole insulating it with paint and improving efficiency with black coating is a complete wash and it does come down to cosmetics.
Sure, paint is an insulator. Misted on it's probably a few mils thick...
Care to guess what aluminum oxide is and how thick it is?
Then there is the whole idea that you are only painting the first few fins into the core, where anodizing thickens the oxide layer on every bit of the aluminum. . I suppose this could reduce the reflectivity of the core for improved radiant heat transfer...
Until I see proof either way, I think this whole insulating it with paint and improving efficiency with black coating is a complete wash and it does come down to cosmetics.
http://www.defelsko.com/applications.../Anodizing.htm
Anodizing can add 0.1 mm, it can add 5mm; it all depends on the type of process Perrin uses. The only way we will know is in a side-by-side comparison. We could go on and on about it. I really don't know much about the anodizing technique used, but it just seems that the aluminum oxide would transfer the cool air better than paint, since it is based from aluminum to begin with.
What type of rattle-can paint did Holyfrikster use? Flat black paint could be High Heat BBQ grill paint for all I know.
Last edited by RichC; Apr 2, 2008 at 07:20 PM.
I think that that looks awesome. Tom (from ETS), do you have other pictures of the intercoolers anodized in other colors? I want to see what would look the best with my Electric blue IX (probably black, but I'm still curious).
We've yet to have a request for any color beside black for the anodizing so I don't have any pictures of other colors, but you can have just about any color you'd like!
Tom
Tom
Thread Starter
Evolved Member
iTrader: (3)
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 1,179
Likes: 0
From: Livermore, CA