As OEMs continue to look for ways to reduce cost in their vehicles, they are constantly turning to plastic. In certain areas, plastic is a great alternative and a good way of reducing cost and weight. For other areas, the trade-off for reduced cost/weight is durability. Over the past decade, we at Diesel Army have been seeing more and more OEMs use plastic tank ends on their intercoolers.
When using the truck for daily driving, plastic tank ends are usually fine for the first few years. After that, the environment can start to wear on that plastic. The constant heating and cooling in the engine compartment and extreme weather conditions, all play a role in the degeneration of plastic. Then you throw in the “hard use” (people constantly towing heavy loads, running chips with increased boost pressure, upgraded turbo and injectors, etc.) and it is only a matter of time before issues start to show up.
This is why companies like Turbonetics have invested heavily in their intercoolers. Durability and efficiency are extremely important in this category for longevity. All of the aftermarket manufacturers who build quality upgrades are using either welded sheet metal tank ends or cast ends (depending on the complexity of design). Either option will feature thick side walls for added rigidity and durability.
When it comes to the efficiency of an intercooler, Turbonetics’ intercooler cores use a W.A.V.E. technology which increases the surface area available to increase efficiently. The Wide Area Vane Effectiveness (W.A.V.E.) design maximizes the surface area which can drop temperatures up to an additional 30 degrees over standard tube and fin designs.
Most intercoolers are roughly the same size (the hole is only so big), so comparing intercooler strictly based on physical size isn’t necessarily a good method. There are slight differences, but most intercoolers are designed to flow more than most systems need and having an extra cubic foot of volume may or may not mean anything to you. The key things to look for are high-quality tank ends, solid cores, quality craftsmanship, and quality materials.
Stay tuned for more on these bad boys, and see it right here on DA first!
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