Hi everyone I have recently joined the forum but have been reading for quite some time..
My question is in regards to the NeedsWings supercooler.

I have added the following mods:
178, CAI, Ford lightning I/C pump, and pulley saver kit.

I don't race my car but would like to take it to the track and run a few 1/4 miles this spring/summer..

Do the mods I have necessitate a supercooler? or coolant isolation kit??
I don't know if I have or will ever have the heat soak issue where the supercharger shuts off. I do not have an IAT guage so I don't know those temps nor have i had the car long.

The price for the supercooler pretty steep righ now and i am determining how helpful it would be for me as not being a race person. On the flip side I don't want to have the supercharger shut down while running a few 1/4 miles or long cruise.

I also understand the engine fan will run more due to the supercooler blocking radiator, is this factual??
Will the supercooler be of value if the thermostat is not also changed?

I searched the forum and did not find my answer most seem to relate to racing..

I would like to thank everyone for all the information in advance.

 

if you just want to go down the track and see how she does.... no problem at all. I just ran my SSB with just a SL55 intake last weekend and did pretty well. That car is stock except for the intake.

Any improvement to keep your IAT's down is a good thing.... with the stock IC cooling, you will get heat soak eventually and it will cause your ECU to start intervening and slowing you down to get the IAT's lower....

Go play, enjoy it and hope you dont get addicted.......

 

Do you or anyone for that matter now how long or to what extend the supercharger would have to be taxed prior to teh ECU intervening??
For example if I ran 5 1/4 miles would i have an issue?
Will I encounter the issue after driving 80 on 95 for an hour?
Will any of my mods increase the IAT's extensively??

 

I have the code3 pulley instead of the 178, but they are supposed to be pretty comparable as far as boost increases.

I've ran 5 1/4 mile runs within a short period of time, and didn't have the supercharger shut off.

I've also driven 85-95 mph for a couple hours straight with no problems.

My question though, which may also be what you're wondering, is how long can you run 125-155 mph without it shutting off. I'd have already bought the NW supercooler if it seemed like an easy install.

 

I think you articulated much better than I.

Plus spending $450 for something I don't need isn't realistic.

 

I do not have any cooling mods, and the few times that I have been to the track, I have not had any problems. I have not run mid summer yet though.

 

You will be fine, but can't go wrong with anything NW sells. I don't have any cooling mods except the bosch lightning pump. Which is the same as factory. You are off to a great start with your current mods. My best with your same mods before my InMotion tune was 12.52 with drag radials. You didn't say if you have the NW single or dual CAI? At that time I had the single. As MikeR said it's addicting. Also take notice of what your density altitude is when you run, so you can compare to other parts of the country.

 

Just to clear things up a bit. The supercharger doesn't shutdown unless it is way hot, like with the IC pump not working to circulate cooler temps. The ECU will cut timing, and you probably won't notice. While at the track, your times will be a direct reflection of how much you are able to cool her down between runs, ie... if you run her on a cool night she shoudl be consistant until the third run, on a warm night the second run will be slower due to timing being pulled cause she is hot. So a couple of hotlaps won't matter much, but better to let her rest and cool in between.

Like most have said, any cooling mods will be beneficial as the powertrain is temperature tempermental.

 

When Thumper and I compare Iat's after runs I am consistently 20 to 30 degree's cooler and my cruising temps run about 15 deg above ambient temps. Is it expensive yes is it a challenge to install yes it it worth it I firmly believe that depending on where you live it is a must have.

 

I have a supercooler and a separated system. I never, ever had a problem with over temps or any other anomaly stock. But, I live where it's hot year round and I participate in track events. Three 20 minute sessions for two days in a row. With the supercooler my IAT's with an ambient temperature of 95º + o- run from the upper 130's to lower 170's. I have no idea what they were stock. Also the coolant temps max out at 235º.

All I can tell you for sure is the car is faster in the middle and end of a session than before. So, if your going to run really hard or have the need for every 1/10 at the drag strip, something like the supercooler or similar mod will yield good results. Another point to make is that the IAT's and coolant temps. stay cooler with the air conditioner running. Why? Because the fans run with the A/C on. So get the -10º fan modification if you can with or without a supercooler. (I don't have it yet)

Les

 

Wow you guys are great..
Thanks for the input..
Now I just have to decide.. lol.

 

Two quick points as I'm busy doing taxes right now.

1. The SuperCooler isn't a hard install. Especially when you have a handy How To guide GUIDE.

2. The supercharger can shut down even with a stock system if driven hard enough depending on the car. Every car will have a different level of heat it will take before/if the car goes into "NA" mode. Some may never reach it.
Seems the majority do just fine.

Been there, done that!

 

Yeah, I saw the guide, and stopped where it said drill holes, because I wasn't sure where it was talking about, lol.

Anyone nearby want to help me out, I'll pay you, heh

 

tighed1 - unbelievable man. I just purchased the SC and was looking to put this on in the next week or two and this guide will be a huge help. I was feeling a little anxious as this will be the biggest auto project that I have taken on to date. So far with yours and others assistance on the forum I am slowly becoming a mechanic. HA! Thanks for doing this.

 

Wow thanks again I knew joining and posting on this forum was a good idea..
Tighed - Great pics and directions.. much appreciated..

 

bill i have dj's supercooler. were the needswings is tie wrapped in place dj has welded 2 tabs on the cooler. you mock the cooler in place and mark the tabs were the oem bracket is. then remove and drill the tabs so you can bolt the cooler in place.
its well worth any price. its the first mod i dod along with a flush and i/c pump. i highly recommend it above any other mod!

 

Where exactly is "dj's supercooler" ? I saw in a thread he said something about $300 + shipping, whereas the NW supercooler is $450.

Why aren't they already drilled? Is the NW supercooler predrilled? The mounting locations are the same for all, aren't they?

 

..........

 

a couple of the differences in dj's (tighed1) cooler from the needswings are that the needswings is a single pass design and dj has a dual pass design.
the needswings has inlet and outlet on opposite sides and dj has them both on the pass side.
needswings uses large tiewraps to secure the cooler and dj has tabs that are welded to the unit and drilled for a better fit.
both units start with the same radiator. both are very good quality and you would be happy with either. i went with dj's unit for the dual pass and the cost. (and i knew he really wanted this on a black car!! )

 

I designed a single pass in the supercooler to increase cooling of the return water, more latency in the core. The idea is to have lower restriction to the flow and greater cooling surface area to insure that the intercooler rejects as much heat as possible, and since I autocross the design that worked for me in the end is the SC one. I run in the course in first gear for up to 60 seconds doing full throttle at EVERY possible point staying between 4 and 6000 RPM and I ran out of cooling before I got this working well enough to give to Rob at Needswings.

For the history buffs there is a full writeup and even utube film on the progress and testing, great for you shut ins........Ha.

Woody