IMPORTANCE OF INTERCOOLING
COOLER AIR. MORE POWER. MORE CONSISTENCY.
Colder air is more dense. The denser the air going into your engine, the more horsepower it can make.
A centrifugal supercharger, alone, is a potent power adder with lower discharge temps than other styles of superchargers. When paired with an intercooler, it becomes a power multiplier! ProCharger intercoolers are engineered to:
- Lower intake air temperatures dramatically
- Increase air density for more power
- Improve engine safety and detonation resistance
- Deliver consistent performance pass after pass
From street-driven builds to 4,500+ horsepower race applications, intercooling is critical—and ProCharger leads the industry in core size and efficiency.
THERMAL ADVANTAGES OF INTERCOOLING
If your goal is to produce maximum reliable power, then you want the coolest charge air temperatures possible. Compressing air increases its temperature (Boyle’s Gas Law), and excessive combustion temps can cause detonation, an engine’s worst enemy. An intercooler removes heat from the air, increases its density, and gets more air into the cylinder. More air in the cylinder means you can allow more spark advance and yield more power.
Put another way, using an intercooler with forced induction means you can achieve the same power levels with much less boost. Boost, alone, isn’t the goal. It’s boost PLUS increased air density that drives maximum power gains.
EXAMPLE: A 350 HP, 9:1 compression engine can hit 540 HP with 10 psi non-intercooled boost on pump gas. Add an intercooler, run 14–16 psi, and you’ll see 700 HP—still on 91–93 octane, without sacrificing reliability!
AIR-TO-AIR: SIMPLICITY AND DURABILITY
On street driven vehicles, including those that will see occasional duty at the track, air-to-air intercooling delivers consistent, trouble-free performance. Mounted at the front of the vehicle, where it is exposed to a constant supply of cooling airflow, air-to-air intercoolers are simple and reliable. There are no complex intercooler cores, extra hoses, fittings, electrical connections, or pumps required. Engineered with large-volume air plenums, ProCharger’s air-to-air intercoolers utilize a highly effective and extremely durable bar and plate intercooler core design that provides large surface areas for superior levels of heat dispersion.
HOW DOES AIT-TO-AIR INTERCOOLING WORK?
Compressed air enters one side of the intercooler, making its way into the bar and plate core. Once in the core, the compressed air is cooled by the airflow moving through the passages or fins of the intercooler. Next, this cooler, denser air is routed into the throttle body and into the engine. ProCharger intercoolers typically feature best in class effectiveness of 70-80%.
WHAT SIZE AIR-TO-AIR INTERCOOLER SHOULD YOU USE?
In order to deliver the full benefit, an intercooler must also be appropriately sized. Use of an intercooler that is too small for your application will result in inferior performance as it will restrict airflow and/or fail to remove a sufficient amount of heat from the air charge. Though there is no harm in doing so, little benefit will be observed when using a larger than recommended intercooler.
TYPES OF INTERCOOLERS
Beyond air-to-air intercoolers, there are several different types of air-to-water intercoolers. The best one depends on the application.
TIGHT ENGINE BAYS & LOW HOOD CLEARANCES
For tight engine bays and low hood clearance vehicles, ProCharger’s intercooled intake manifold systems integrate the intercooler directly into a low-profile, billet intake design, allowing high-horsepower builds to maintain proper charge-air cooling without the need for large front-mounted heat exchangers. These systems are engineered to support well beyond 1,250 horsepower while maintaining one of the slimmest profiles in the industry, making them ideal for modern platforms and swap applications where space is limited.
RACING APPLICATIONS
On the racing side, several of ProCharger’s race kits offer an air-to-water intercooler option, where chilled coolant or ice water is used to aggressively reduce intake air temperatures for short-duration, maximum-performance scenarios. These setups prioritize peak cooling efficiency and consistency under extreme boost levels, commonly supporting well over 2,000 horsepower in dedicated race applications.
INTERCOOLED INTAKE MANIFOLDS
Some applications require maximum cooling and have tight engine bays or low hood clearance. In these cases, ProCharger’s air-to-water intercooled intake manifold is the perfect solution. Capable of cooling 1,250+hp and available as a stand-alone product or as a full kit, the ProCharger Intercooled Intake Manifold is available for LS and LT engines now, and coming soon will be fitment for SBC, BBC, Gen III HEMI, and Coyote engines.
EMISSIONS COMPLIANCE
ProCharger offers Executive Orders for Emissions Compliance (EO) from California Air Resources Board (CARB) for many of our most popular car, truck and SUV applications. If you live in California, we can only sell you products with EO certification. Check out our full list of EO offerings.
