Powdercoating of intercoolers

[aesc]

Hi,

Im looking at getting an intercooler of mine powdercoated basically all over (except the fins etc) and was wondering if there is any reason not to do it? I was thinking that it might affect the heat dissipation of the tanks but I'm not too sure, hence the question.

Your opinions on the matter are welcomed

Cheers

[mr_monkey]

lol. all over but not the fins.

so you just want the endtanks painted?

[evil_si]

should be fine, alot of heavy duty intercoolers in trucks diggers etc are coated, ive seen both black and alloy coatings.

[aesc]

lol. all over but not the fins.

so you just want the endtanks painted?

Must be mising something funny am I? Umm well I'm using this as an alternative to polishing, and its not like you can polish the fins is it.

Yes correct, everything except the core. i.e end tanks, outlets, ends of the core.

should be fine, alot of heavy duty intercoolers in trucks diggers etc are coated, ive seen both black and alloy coatings.

Sweet cheers Si thats good enough for me

[mr_monkey]

because you said " all over but not the fins".. when most of the area IS fins, so its no where close to being all over. You could have just said "i want to powdercoat the end tanks"

Oh nevermind.

-nathan

[adikt]

why dont you want to powdercoat the fins?
if you're going to leave the majority (and the most visible) part standard, whats the point?

[Dell'Orto]

My guess is that powdercoating the tube and fins would reduce their efficiency.

[evil_si]

unless your going for every ounce of power, coating the fins and core wont make a lot of difference.

will make it look a lot better.

[~SlideWays~]

unless your going for every ounce of power, coating the fins and core wont make a lot of difference.

will make it look a lot better.

So if I paint my I/C black (so it can't be seen) it wont make it any less efficient?

[Caveman]

A small black layer will increase effciency. Ever wonder why car radiators are black? Shiney things sell better

[[b|indsp0tt]]

unless your going for every ounce of power, coating the fins and core wont make a lot of difference.

will make it look a lot better.

So if I paint my I/C black (so it can't be seen) it wont make it any less efficient?

My brother has just done this with his intercooler on his integra,just painted it with a can of matt black paint,looks the bizz and is super stealth You wouldn't even know it was there unless he took the front bumper off

[aesc]

The intercooler I have acquired has been painted black but I'm not sure if its a good thing as it is a replacement top mount. Surely being black and being under the bonnet would increase the amount of heat being absorbed into the intercooler, especially in that environment?

[Santa'sBoostinSleigh]

darker colours tend to heat up AND cool down faster

i guess it probably doesnt make sweet f-all difference

[DriftMonkey]

Yes, black heats up and cools down much faster than a shiny object, thats why thermos's are shiny on the inside, and those emergency safety survival blanket things are essentially aluminium foil. Shiny coloured things reflect the heat back at its source. Being a top mount, I don't know whether the increased heat soak would cancel out the increased heat dissipation, but if there was some sort of heat sheild between the engine and intercooler, it should be fine. For a front mount, black is by far better because the air flowing through it can dissipate the heat much faster than if it was shiny.

[KinLoud]

If you want to radiate heat... black is good
If you want to transfer heat to another medium (ie aluminium to air) then you don't want anything between the 2 like paint or powdercoating. This is because the heat will have to go from aluminium to paint to air... the paint will act like thin insulation.
Most modern radiators and aircon condensers have unpainted aluminium cores.
That said a thin coat of paint won't make a huge difference to the efficiency of an intercooler or radiator. I don't know how a layer of powdercoat will affect things.
My (about to be withdrawn from circulation) 5 cents anyway.

Ken
Ham
021 408 863

[DriftMonkey]

Good point Ken, hadn't thought of it in a "heat transfer" sort of way before...

IIRC, anodising aluminium changes the Aluminium oxide colouring, so technically it shouldn't act as a barrier to heat transfer? Like anodising it black would improve its efficiency because black allows the heat to be trasferred faster, but the black colouring isnt another barrier like a coat of paint because it is the actual aluminium being coloured? Does that make any sense?

[Santa'sBoostinSleigh]

yes, it makes sense