RSR Intercoolers
Charge Cooling
RB Racing has been turbocharging vehicles since 1979 but is only since 1985 that we have employed charge air cooling, or is more commonly referred to as "intercooling", as prior to 1985 most of our applications involved draw through carburetion which precluded the use of intercoolers. For those of you who are new to intercooling you do not blow an air/fuel mixture through an intercooler because; (a) It's not safe to have an explosive mixture in an enclosed vessel and; (b) Intercoolers were meant to flow dry, not wet mixtures.
RSR Intercooler Cores
Intercoolers are manufactured in one of two ways: Stacked Plate or Tube construction. All RB Racing intercoolers are of the Stacked Plate style of construction. To simplify this choice: (a) Stacked Plate designs are more efficient, heavier, sturdier; (b) Tube designs are less efficient, lighter, less sturdy. As they say "two out of three ain't bad" so we go with the stacked plate design. Core sizes available are 3" x 6" x 9" and 3 1/2" x 6" x 9". These cores can be welded together to form larger units and can be sliced and diced to create about any form factor to include a Borg Cube if you so desire. Welding of the cores to either join them or to create inlet and outlet "hats" is easily done with a Heliarc (TIG) welder and aluminim welding rod. Hats can be fabricated out of 1/8" aluminum plate or by splitting the appropriate size aluminum seamless tube.
Design considerations: Airflow needs to be considered in the construction of the intercooler inlet and outlets. Keep distances short. Minimize bends. Taper the hats downward from point of entry i.e. if you blow into one edge of the core taper the hat down to the other end and if you blow into the center taper it to both ends. Don't construct hats so some passages are partially blocked because there aren't that many of them. Typical entry/exit tube sizes are 1 3/4", 2". 2 1/4", 2 1/2". RB Racing has silicone/fiberglass turbo hose for these sizes. 90 Degree aluminum weld elbows are available for 1 3/4", 2", 2 1/4", 2 1/2" entry / exits.
Calculating Intercooler Efficiency
To see what the effect of boost pressure, ambient temperature, and intercooler efficiency is on the temperature of the air entering your motor we have written up the following calculator. Simply enter the three variables and the calculator will display the results in a new pop-up window.
Part Numbers and Prices
The following core sizes are available:
| Stacked Plate Intercooler Core; 3" x 6" x 9" | $ 158.00 each | Ambient 68 Deg F | 15 PSI Boost | .6 PSI Pressure Drop | One Core 250 Hp | Two Cores 500 Hp | Discharge 100 Deg F | 03-1023 |
| Stacked Plate Intercooler Core; 3 1/2" x 6" x 9" | $ 172.00 each | Ambient 68 Deg F | 15 PSI Boost | .6 PSI Pressure Drop | One Core 300 Hp | Two Cores 600 Hp | Discharge 100 Deg F | 03-1024 |
Silicone Turbo Hose
Silicone turbo hose is mandatory for all connections. Nomex reinforced, this hose is the toughest stuff you can buy. Do not use common black rubber hoses as they were not designed for turbocharger use. Be sure to use long enough pieces of hose on all junctions so placement is less critical. We can't tell you how many times we have seen hoses "blown off" because the installer used two short a piece of hose or placed the clamps in the wrong place...Remember, you can't see where the seam is when you slide the hose over it. We saw one of our bikes go from 210 mph to 180 mph in an instant when a hose that was cut too short and had the clamps tightened in the wrong place popped off.
| 1 3/4" | Orange | Silicone Nomex | 3 Foot Length $ 54.95 | One Foot Length $ 19.95 | 3 Feet 03-1026 | One Foot 03-1010 |
| 2" | Orange | Silicone Nomex | 3 Foot Length $59.95 | One Foot Length $ 23.95 | 3 Feet 03-1027 | One Foot 03-1011 |
| 2 1/4" | Orange | Silicone Nomex | 3 Foot Length $ 65.95 | One Foot Length $ 25.95 | 3 Feet 03-1028 | One Foot 03-1012 |
| 2 1/2" | Orange | Silicone Nomex | 3 Foot Length $ 71.95 | One Foot Length $ 28.95 | 3 Feet 03-1029 | One Foot 03-1025 |
Aluminum 90 Degree Weld Elbows
Aluminum weld elbows for custom intercooler and turbo projects. Four Sizes are available. Material is 6061-T6. Dimensions are indicated.
| O.D. 1.660 Inches | I.D. 1.380 Inches | Center of Tube to Face 1.875 In. | Each $ 27.95 | 03-1030 |
| O.D. 1.900 Inches | I.D. 1.610 Inches | Center of Tube to Face 2.25 In. | Each $ 23.95 | 03-1031 |
| O.D. 2.375 Inches | I.D. 2.067 Inches | Center of Tube to Face 3.0 In. | Each $ 27.95 | 03-1032 |
| O.D. 2.875 Inches | I.D. 2.469 Inches | Center of Tube to Face 3.75 In. | Each $ 47.95 | 03-1033 |
