Really Light Stuff Intercooler

[dmh]

Originally Posted by MaineLotus

Does DMH still have his for sale?

Yes, and at an unbelievably low price: $1100 with carbon fiber shroud. See rls intercooler w/shroud & tubes

(At some point I reckon Thomas or one of his dealers will buy it back, don't you think? )

[Mag]

some relevant info from another thread on this forum.

Installed an oil catch can. Appears to make a difference.
1) when took the inlet side pipe off, it was dry inside. In the past there was always oil inside.
2) Notice the max preIC temps when hard driving, high rpm, this is when the most oil would come through. Shows in the comparison between MAX temps at pre IC. However, RLS IC effectively takes out most of the heat from blowback according to data with or with out catch can. Didn't run the w/o can + stocker test.



Prior to current run, car hot from sitting after previous run to gas station & parked for about 30mins: roof 29C, pre 50C, post 50C

Compared to previous test with out catch can:
Ambient 26~28C, Relative humidity 87%
Prior to run, cold car: roof 28C, pre 30C, post 30C

(To mimick the previous test, I drove the car around for 15 mins on hwy to get similar base temps/conditions on both runs. Interesting to note RLS test was in late afternoon. Stocker at night. It was cooler at night. I couldnt work fast enough )



Tests with oil catch:
RLS
Ambient 30C
Humidity 74%
Stock
Ambient 28C
Humidity 78%

Hard drive top speed 117mph, 5mins, 2nd ~4th to 8krpm (same route last test). Didn't do the hwy test again as difficult to mimick a similar run with traffic. In anycase we are probably more interested in how the IC performs during spirited driving. Heat soak properties can be inferred from the data and applied to efficiency in stop and go conditions. Later when I get the fans on, will do a comparison for stop and go.



Here is an overlay of pull #2 of each hard drive log file. The shift points are almost identical, so the overlay is for the two VSS traces over time, rls vs stock. Same road, similar temps (see details in "intercooler flow study" post).

You can see that the rls Intercooler VSS (solid) gets to a given speed faster than the stock intercooler does (dashed line).

[dmh]

Since you guys have now "proven" how wonderfully well the rls intercooler performs how come nobody is buying mine? It practiaccly new!

See rls intercooler w/shroud & tubes

[Thomasio]

Originally Posted by Mag

some relevant info from another thread on this forum.


Installed an oil catch can. Appears to make a difference.

1) when took the inlet side pipe off, it was dry inside. In the past there was always oil inside.
2) Notice the max preIC temps when hard driving, high rpm, this is when the most oil would come through. Shows in the comparison between MAX temps at pre IC. However, RLS IC effectively takes out most of the heat from blowback according to data with or with out catch can. Didn't run the w/o can + stocker test.

How much blowby are you getting in the catch can? How many miles on your car? Still breaking in?

[Mag]

Originally Posted by Thomasio

How much blowby are you getting in the catch can? How many miles on your car? Still breaking in?

not sure how to measure how much blow by. But it's not that much. less than a full tank after installing the can and car's still relatively new at 6000 something kms... consider broken in by my standards, drive the pi55 outta her.

[Thomasio]

The rls Intercooler Mk II is back in stock!

The improved Mk II rls Intercooler has redesigned end-tanks for even better airflow, and ships with the new carbon fiber mounting bracket.

[Thomasio]

Here is a detail of the Mk II tapered end-tank. (Shown in clear anodized finish).

[Thomasio]

Comparison of the original rls Intercooler, and the new rls Intercooler Mk II.

(Intercooler on left is non-anodized, intercooler on right is clear anodized.)

[Shorty111R]

killer!!! I just need an Exige to go with this

[Shorty111R]

killer!!! I just need an Exige to go with this

[Thomasio]

I did some data acquisition at Autohbahn raceway in Joliet, IL yesterday.

This graph shows charge air temperature, both pre and post intercooler. This data is after 20+ minutes of full out running, and shows the maximum temperatures achieved in a 30 minute session.

Pre-intercooler charge air temperatures are the red and dashed-red curves (top two curves).

Post-intercooler charge air temperatures are the blue and dashed-black curves.

The dashed-black curve is without water/methanol injection, the solid blue curve is with water/methanol injection.

As you can see, the rls Intercooler alone took out up to 100 degrees F. The rls Injection took up to an additional 30+ degrees F out of the temperature.

The hotter things got, the better the equipment worked...

[Smoky]

Data from all sources points to good things Thomas.

And folks, the clear anodized is gorgious. And it's nice knowing it'll last forever without any possibility for rust spots and other signs of ageing. Highly recommended.

Thx Thomas! (Ya, the i/c arrived... hurricane delayed it a few days, but it's here safe and sound!)

[Streetracer80]

Dear Thomasio
I'm interested in the intercooler where I can find it?

Ciao

[Thomasio]

Originally Posted by Streetracer80

Dear Thomasio
I'm interested in the intercooler where I can find it?

Ciao

I'm not sure how I missed this one...

You can purchase from BWR, FVMC, or myself.

[Thomasio]

Listen up, naysayers and those who are spewers of misinformation and innuendo!

The rls Intercooler has been proven on the dyno, at the track... now an independent race shop has benchmarked the flow of the stock Exige S, the rls Intercooler, and the Lotus Cup intercooler.

Stay tuned...

[dmh]

Originally Posted by Thomasio

Listen up, naysayers and those who are spewers of misinformation and innuendo!

The rls Intercooler has been proven on the dyno, at the track... now an independent race shop has benchmarked the flow of the stock Exige S, the rls Intercooler, and the Lotus Cup intercooler.

Stay tuned...

You must be speaking about us!

We had the rls flowed at 28" and got 320 cfm.

We tested the stock to rls A:B style at Watkins Glen this past summer. The crew did the work, I did the driving. It was unknown to me which intercooler was on the car.
On average, the stock intercooler was 1.524 seconds a lap faster than the rls with an average time of 2:10.640 (8 laps).
The reason probably is due to the increased volume of the rls which lowers the boost over the stock intercooler. The rls is also heavier which is not good in terms of performance because heat dissipation is harder to accomplish, i.e., its heat soak is harder to overcome.

Both the stock and rls took out about 105* F of charge temperature.

[Thomasio]

Originally Posted by dmh

You must be speaking about us!

We had the rls flowed at 28" and got 320 cfm.

Don - put your money where your mouth is. $10,000 challenge: you have 48 hours from the time stamp of this message to put up or shut up Don. [Offer goes to anyone, not just Don... naysayers: pool your money together?]

We will have a neutral party, say Randy Chase, hold my $5,000 and your $5,000. If the following is not true, you will take the $10,000. If the following is true, I will take the $10,000.

An independent professional race shop, with no affiliation with me or my company, using a SuperFlo SF-600, flow tested these three intercoolers, and reported the following:

Stock (OEM) Lotus Exige S intercooler: flowed 363.9 cfm at 48" of water.

Lotus Cup intercooler: flowed 407.0 cfm at 48" of water.

rls Intercooler: flowed 409.7 cfm at 48" of water.

What do you say Don? Randy, are you willing to hold the $5,000 for each of us and decide on the evidence?

[Edit: expand offer to all naysayers.]

[Thomasio]

P.S. Increased mass and volume are partially responsible for the increased efficiency of the intercooler. There are few people in the world that will argue otherwise.

The dyno, data logging, and flow benches all point to one conclusion: the rls Intercooler is superior to the stock intercooler, and on par with the $2,200 Lotus Cup intercooler.

Don - please explain how an intercooler that flows more, dynos more power, and lowers IAT's more, can be slower on the track (when you are driving).

[Thomasio]

The race shop has been in business since 1983. Here is the flowbench machine:

[Thomasio]

$10,000 challenge time remaining: