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Some people confuse intercoolers with cold air intakes, think they’re the same, and sometimes use them interchangeably. However, they are pretty different, not just in name but also in what they do.
So, if you’ve been confusing them for a while, you should shake that idea off and get to know both products differently. I’ll be reviewing both products to help you understand their differences and which would be better for your car.
So, in my intercooler vs cold air intake review article, I’ll talk about their features and compare them, their pros and cons, and recommend a few products. Should you get an intercooler instead of a cold air intake?
Let’s find out in this article as I break them down.
Contents
Intercooler vs Cold Air Intake: Features Comparison
First, you should know how they differ in their functions. So, I’ll start with that before I compare their features.
Intercoolers usually cool down compressed air that your car’s turbo emits and release them into the combustion chamber. On the other hand, cold air intakes suck in fresh cool air into your car’s combustion chamber.
Now that we’ve cleared the air on their differences let’s get into their features.
Features | Intercooler | Cold air intake |
Horsepower gains | None | At least 5 |
Improved engine sound | No | Yes |
Better fuel usage | Yes | Yes |
Functionality | Cools down hot air from the turbo into the combustion chamber | Sucks in cool air into the combustion chamber |
Installation | Hard to install | Easy to install |
Tuning | Need to tune for turbo | None |
Needed for turbo | Yes | Nope |
Pros |
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Cons |
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Price |
Features of Intercooler and Cold Air Intake
When deciding whether to go for intercoolers or cold air intakes, you need to consider their features, compare, and see which one would serve you better. Now, let’s examine them based on the features above.
1. Horsepower gains
Intercooler doesn’t produce horsepower for your car. But, on the other hand, cold air intakes deliver at least 5 and up to 20+ horsepower gains if you get a good one with that feature.
For intercoolers to produce horsepower gains, you’d have to use them without turbo, which may impede the engine’s performance. This is so because you ought to use them with turbo.
So, if you need better horsepower gains for your car, you’re better off with a cold air intake.
2. Improved engine sound
Intercoolers don’t improve a car’s engine sound; you would hardly notice any difference after installing it. However, cold air intakes improve the car’s engine sound and make them more pronounced in a better way.
This is because cold air intakes allow better oxygen flow in your car, and they have filters wide enough to take in enough oxygen. Since that is present, you can enjoy riding without getting irked by annoying engine sounds.
Better engine sound wins if you’re like me, so I’d go for a cold air intake.
3. Better fuel usage
Both intercoolers and cold air intake help car engines use up gas more efficiently. Intercoolers, to an extent, help engines use less gas; however, sometimes, they can be barely noticeable.
Some users even complain that it makes them didn’t notice any significant change that their mpg got worse. But, on the other hand, cold air intakes have better fuel usage.
For example, a cold air intake could have at least 4mpg and up to 25mpg, depending on the manufacturer. So, if you want your car to use up gas more efficiently, you should go for cold air intakes.
4. Installation
Intercoolers are more complicated to install than cold air intakes. Within 30 minutes or at most one hour, you can have a cold air intake sitting pretty in your car. However, intercoolers take about 4 to 5 to install. If you install intercoolers regularly, you’d be lucky to be done in 3 hours.
Since they can be complicated, you may spend more on hiring a professional to help with installation. Apart from that, you’d still have to decide whether to install them in the car’s hood or outside.
If you want to save yourself some installation stress and fees, you should go for cold air intakes. They don’t take time as long as you have the right tools to use.
5. Tuning
You need to tune your car after installing an Intercooler; else, it causes your car to overheat and ruin its performance. On the other hand, you might not need to do that at all for cold air intakes.
Tuning costs some money, so cold air intakes seem a cheaper option for intercoolers. So, for less cost and better results, you should opt for cold air intakes.
6. Needed for turbo
Cold air intakes can work just fine without turbos. However, intercoolers need turbos to function properly. So it seems cold air intakes win under this feature as well.
Best Intercooler and Cold Air Intake
Let’s examine some of the best cold air intakes and intercoolers that can help improve a car’s performance.
Best Intercooler
1. Mishimoto Universal Intercooler Z-Line, Black
This intercooler is one of the best intercoolers you can ever use. It has excellent power to withstand heat, cool the hot air, and release it into the combustion chamber.
This intercooler can fit in most compact cars and can withstand high boost pressures. Its cooling system is good to protect cars from overheating and ensures better fuel usage.
- It has an excellent cooling system.
- It’s a good fit for compact cars.
- Can survive high horsepower and weather conditions.
- It’s more expensive than other intercooler brands.
- It may require customizations to fit in some cars’ turbos.
- It adds no hp gains to cars.
Best Cold Air Intakes
1. Genuine Mopar 77060003AC Cold Air Intake System
This cold air intake is a product of one of the popular cold air intake manufacturers. This particular product helps to improve a car’s performance.
It sucks cool air into the car’s engine and ensures free and better oxygen flow. One notable thing about this cold air intake is that it has a washable and reusable filter.
Also, they can last for at least 5 years at 60,000 miles, although there are other cold air intakes with a better mileage warranty. More importantly, it’s easy to install and ensures a better gas economy, noticeable horsepower gains, and an mpg increase.
- IIt is easy to install.
- It has a washable filter.
- It helps improve engine performance.
- It ensures better oxygen flow into car engines.
- It adds a 4mpg fuel mileage increase for better fuel economy.
- It’s expensive.
2. K&N Cold Air Intake Kit: High Performance, Increase Horsepower: 50-State Lega 57-3078
This is another good cold air intake that you can use for your car. K&N, a famous manufacturer, produces this cold air intake for some specific cars.
The first thing you should have in mind is that they can last 10 years at 1 million miles before you’d need to replace them.
They breathe better air into car engines, making them perform better. In addition, they add noticeable hp gains to cars at 15+. Another thing is that its filter is washable, and you can wash and replace them at 100,000 miles for better performance.
Also, they add about a 2mpg increase to cars and make them use fuel more efficiently.
- They can last an extended period.
- They add noticeable horsepower gains and improve engine performance.
- They improve fuel mileage by at least a 2mpg increase.
- The filter is washable.
- It doesn’t fit in every car.
- Sometimes, it could make cars growl before the sound returns to normal.
3. Banks 42180 Cold Air Intake
This cold air intake ranks as one of the best cold air intakes at #77. This product helps improve turbo sounds and makes cars’ engines sound and perform better.
It adds noticeable horsepower gains and mpg increase to cars and makes car functions better. Also, they are easy to install, and you can be done installing within an hour or less.
- It’s easy to install.
- It ensures better throttle sounds.
- Its filter is washable and reusable.
- It adds good hp gains and mpg increase to cars.
- Compared to other cold air intake types, it has a lesser mile warranty.
Intercooler Vs Cold Air Intake: Which is better?
After examining their features, examples, pros, and cons, cold air intakes seem to be the better option for cooling a car’s engine. They also add hp gains, mpg increases and can last for as long as 1 million miles.
Also, you can easily install them in your car. For example, you could get the Bank’s, K&N, or Mopar cold air intakes for your car since they have high performance.
Frequently Asking Questions
Can you use an intercooler as a cold air intake?
Is an intercooler the same as a cold air intake? No, an intercooler is different from a cold air intake. The intercooler cools air from the turbo and releases it into the combustion chamber, while cold air intakes suck cool air into the combustion chamber.
Will an intercooler give more power?
Yes, an Intercooler can give about 10 to 20% power increase to cars.
Do cold air intakes make a difference?
Yes, they do. They ensure better oxygen flow, increase mpg, add hp gains and ensure overall car engine performance.
How much does an intercooler cool the air?
An intercooler cools the air at a 70% efficiency rate.
Does a bigger intercooler increase turbo lag?
Yes, a bigger intercooler increases turbo lag.
Conclusion
Some people have thought that intercoolers and cold air intakes are the same, raising some intercooler vs cold air intakes discussions online. So the first thing I corrected in this review article is their difference.
After that, I then reviewed them based on their features. While reviewing them, you would notice that cold air intakes are better cooling systems than intercoolers.
Cold air intakes add hp gains to cars and better mpg increase while intercoolers add no hp gains. Also, cold air intakes are easier to install than intercoolers.
In conclusion, if you are better off with a cold air intake than an intercooler, or you could use both. However, cold air intakes are your best bet if you’re trying to save money.
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