The Importance of Your Rental Car’s Intercooler

Just as with other machines, a car’s engines are likely to produce an enormous amount of heat, particularly if it has worked for considerably long hours. As a result, the friction, and heat can compromise your vehicle’s horsepower, deeming the performance dormant, and ineffective. This is where your car intercooler comes into play, acting as a heat-transporting medium, decreasing your engine’s temperature, and improving your rental car’s performance.

Many people confuse car intercoolers with radiators. However, there are key differences between the two. Let’s examine.

Car Intercooler vs Radiator

The core difference between a car intercooler and a radiator is that the former is used to cool down the water which gets heated up while absorbing the engine cylinder’s heat while the latter is used to cool down the hot congested air.

Secondly, radiators are used for nearly all types of automobiles whereas, intercoolers are exclusively used for turbo engines only. It’s important to note that turbo engines require the usage of radiators as well.
Thirdly, radiators have a water-to-air flow, while intercoolers either work air-to-air or air-to-water.

Finally, radiators can function on their own without having to get the intercoolers installed. However, for intercoolers to function, radiators need to be placed in the engine system.

Does a Car Need an Intercooler?

The answer is a resounding yes! In addition to producing increased horsepower, and effortless performance, there are various other benefits that intercoolers offer.

1- Efficient Engine Performance

As explained above, intercooler functions in a car by constantly transferring heat from the compressed air in the engine, replacing it with cool air which plays a vital role in improving the total engine performance.

Factually speaking, with every 10% decline in the engine’s temperature, the horsepower is increased by 1%. This pretty much tells us why having an intercooler is important for the efficient performance of your turbo-charged vehicle.

High temperatures are detrimental to your rental car’s engine, pertaining to their reduced density, and concentration of oxygen which is a critical factor for burning fuel.

2- Simple Installation

Another advantage of a car intercooler is that it is easy to install, so much so that you can also do it yourself, given that you know the deal. Intercoolers occupy a small area in the engine, making their installation a relatively simpler task.

However, the placement matters. If intercoolers are placed at the front or top of the car, the job becomes easy, as they do not need much tweaking and adjustment. If you’re doubtful, getting it installed is your best bet to avoid any potential damage to your rental car.

3-  Affordability

Intercoolers are pretty economical since they do not demand much maintenance. Likewise, their initial cost is quite affordable as well, particularly for the air-to-air variant.

It means that if you’re on a budget, getting your intercoolers installed will not only boost your vehicle’s performance but also save you a lot of money in the long haul.

While having an intercooler is imperative for great vehicle performance, there are several elements causing premature intercooler failure that need to be taken into consideration.

1. Exposure to road debris and external damage in any form can lead to untimely damage to your vehicle’s intercooler.
2. Impaired or jammed hoses generate extremely high pressures, resulting in a depleted or ruptured intercooler.
3. Last and most obvious, an improper attempt at installing a car’s turbocharger can lead to intercooler damage.

Final Thoughts

With the myriad of benefits that this device offers, it is no wonder that they have become a necessity for any high-performing vehicle.

However, in case of any issue or intercooler failure, it is requisite to get it replaced by a trusted automotive shop to avoid horsepower decline, gas mileage problems, and emissions.

For further information and expert opinion, get in touch with our representatives at Deinfa Motors.