cooling intake air

[beef_bourito]

I saw on a show something that cools oil filters or pumps by attaching a metal doohicky that was all spiky to conduct the heat away from the filter or pump. The spikes looked like the ones on a cpu without a fan or like a motorbikes fins on the engine. Since physics indicate that heat will be conducted to the tip of the metal, it seames logical that this should work.

Now my question is, would this help cool the intake charge (with or without intercooler)? And has anyone ever tried this or sold this? And what kind of gains in horsepower or how much more boost pressure would I be able to run with it if it is produced.

[CBFryman]

This wont give you much HP gain, just keep your oil cool while the engine is under heavy loads. keeps the oil from brakeing down and loosing viscosity...

[beef_bourito]

Sorry, I might not have been specific enough, I meant if you put that kind of thing on the intake tubing, whould it affect it?

[CBFryman]

it might drop it one or two degress. worth about 1/10th of a hp. but its worth a try...

[public]

Maybe if you had a really BIG one it would make some difference. It could probably be made to look pretty cool even if it did not work.

[drdisque]

the extra weight would be worse than the minute power gains

[CBFryman]

not if you made it out of aluminum. ive been thinking. heat will go from an area of high energy to an area of low energy, using one of these on a CAI will actually bring air temps up and on a short ram itwill do nothing. now put dry ice all around it and secure it there and you will drop your intake temps dramaticly, substantial gains, problem is once the dry ice turns to gaseous CO2 then you lost it. so its like constant boost untill its all gone. probably worth an hour or so crusin and at the track you could just put some in their when your laps are up, or your run is up...ill bet a 5-10hp gain would be seen, easily.

[Polygon]

Hehe, I've seen those oil filter heat sinks. They are nothing more than snake oil. That heat sink isn't big enough to make any difference in the temperature of the oil. The biggest problem is heat transfer and the material that the oil filter is made out of will not transfer much heat to the heat sink either.

Now in the case of using this on the intake piping to cool the intake charge, it would be even more ineffective. The problem is that the air is moving far too rapidly for any size heat sink you could place on the pipe to draw any heat from it.

In either case, they are useless.

[-Jayson-]

besides the fact, you trying to cool 72F air with 72F air?? uhhhhhhhhhh. . . .

[CBFryman]

^^ that why i said i may actually rise the temp, on a CAI if its pulling 80F air and the ambient air temp where the heat sink is 100F then all your doing is giving a greater area for the 100F air to coold down to 80F...