Might be a stupid question for many people, but if I don't ask I'll never know.

What does an Intercooler do. What's its use?

 

An intercooler or charge air cooler is an additional component that looks something like a radiator, except air passes through the inside as well as the outside of the intercooler. The intake air passes through sealed passageways inside the cooler, while cooler air from outside is blown across fins by the engine cooling fan.

The intercooler further increases the power of the engine by cooling the pressurized air coming out of the compressor before it goes into the engine. This means that if the turbocharger is operating at a boost of 7 psi, the intercooled system will put in 7 psi of cooler air, which is denser and contains more air molecules than warmer air.

 

Do we absolutly need a turbo setup to use an Intercooler?

 

At low boost levels no. But if you want to boost at a somewhat high level you WILL need one.

 

This is untrue. You are forgetting about pressure drop here. If the turbo is actually putting out 7 psi, your intake presssure is going to be at a different PSI, due to the drop. So if you have a intercooler that has a drop of say 2 PSI and you are reading 7psi at the intake mani the turbo is actually putting out 9psi.

 

i agree

 

Thanks guys!

 

And AN intercooler useless if you're not turbocharged or supercharged. I think they misread your second question.

EDIT: Derf. Much better.