S3 intercooler plastic end and metal end - Differences

[gazon69]

Handbags at 20 paces

[Sammy]

Its not nonsense you dont have proof to back your point, With the people that already have it they dont complain about heatsoak

[56OctyVRS]

What i said is that the plastic wouldnt be worse than the metal ended ic. People automatically think the all aluminium S3 ics are better than the newer ones. But they arent. What i said about the plastic ones is true that the performance wont suffer because of the material they are made of. I wouldnt have any issues with fitting a new S3 ic to my car. Hotter countries use them and get good results. I really dont know what the issue is. The issue isnt with what the end caps or tanks are made of and they dont do anything to aid cooling. They simply guide the air into the radiator core which does the cooling. If you follow the route of the air it goes from the ic into hoses and then a plastic throttle pipe to help keep the charged air cool in the engine bay. If the throttle pipe was made of metal it would heat up being so close to the engine. So having plastic in certain parts of the engine does help. I have never stated that the plastic would cool the air. I said the plastic wouldnt absorb as much heat from the engine temps. But as I stated the end caps dont do anything to aid cooling.  The key point is flow rates. Both clearly cool the air the same so there is no advantage over fitting the metal one over the plastic one.

Gazon i agree. Though my missis has an endless supply of handbags to choose from

[Sammy]

And also dont forget we are in the UK, so intercooler would prove most usefull at summer time and i dont see the plastic ends limiting the cooling

[martziniuk]

Let's face it given a choice I'm sure 90% of us would choose a cooler with metal end tanks over plastic. My opinion is metal is a better conductor of heat than plastic and because of that it means the end tanks of an all metal cooler will stay much hotter than plastic, I think we all agree on this. Therefore this means the metal tanks are dissipating heat better than the plastic ones would, so more heat is retained in the cooler by the plastic ones.

I expect the differences to be very small as the end tanks aren't supposed to cool, so I would buy either, but given a choice and if they were the same price metal would be my choice.

[Jussa]

This discussion is crazy  I run a stage 2+ 2010 Audi S3 and have never had issues with heat soak etc. and my performance is staggering   
I can't see why Audi would bring out a facelift model and bring out an IC that would perform worse than the older 1??? 

[56OctyVRS]

I will at some point be fitting an S3 cooler to my Stage 2+ car and will be fitting the newer one.  However trying to convince the missis that my car needs one is a different ball game altogether 
Most reputable after market ics are very over engineered and thats a testament to the company producing them. 

[the bruce]

Hey, you already forgot you wrote this nonsense?

My point about the plastic end caps is that they will not absorb heat as much as the aluminium (not alloy) end ic when driving slowly in town traffic. I know plastic wont cool air flow but it wont allow it to get warmer than metal would either.  

And this:

Alloy will actually retain more heat than the plastic. The plastic used on cars is heat resistant and actually has better thermal properties than alloy. If you touch any plastic plug or loom on a car it will be warm. You touch any alloy part on a car and it will be a lot hotter than the plastic. Id be more concerned about if there is any flow rate difference between the two ic rather than which has what on the ends.

And this:

I disagree bruce. The plastic is heat resistant else it would melt and deform. It is a hardned plastic which name i forget. I know why they use alloy but the end caps are not in the direct air flow so wouldnt really aid in the cooling of the charge air. I was after back to back tests comparing the old s3 ic to the new ic. End caps dont mean a great deal unless by design they impede the flow of charged air. If the cores are the same size and the same internal design then they should have the same cooling properties. The newer cars dont have any issues when tuned with the ic with plastic ends.

 

This discussion is crazy  I run a stage 2+ 2010 Audi S3 and have never had issues with heat soak etc. and my performance is staggering   
I can't see why Audi would bring out a facelift model and bring out an IC that would perform worse than the older 1??? 

You really believe 'newer is better'? 

There where dozens of detail getting worse on the Golf the last couple of years.
Blue to green tinted window, cheaper rear lid hinges, no anodized lid gas pressure springs,
vinyl instead of leather shiift boot and many many more.

[56OctyVRS]

So whats your point Bruce. The fact is the older isnt better and both do the job equally as well. What cant you understand. The quotes you have so keenly copied above to prove I dont know what. The points raised just state that the plastic wont affect performance. But you seem blinded by not seeing the wood for the trees. Explain what is nonsense about what I stated. You cant seem to accept that the older isnt better and both perform equally. If you can bring some solid proof that the older is better then please feel free to do so. You seem to not understand that the end tanks or caps have nothing to do with cooling so it doesnt matter what they are made of. Plastic wont get heatsoaked and thats what i tried to explain so it wont detract from the performance of the ic.

 

[daz_pd]

The reason for my upgrade is simple, an S3 cooler is proven to flow better and I can get the plastic end caps version for I've 50% less, no brainer for me!

[the bruce]

So whats your point Bruce.

The point is you said and still say wrong things. You said plastic was better.

Guess you went for the newer S3 IC (without knowing about the difference)
an now you search for arguments. Can't you stand you made a mistake?

The fact is the older isnt better and both do the job equally as well.

Fact? Any prove? No. You know my understanding is different.

What cant you understand.

I do understand if somebody honestly says he gets the plastic end IC für 50 % less
and is able to fit it on his own, but I don't understand somebody telling there aren't
any differences in physical properties (based on tellings and hearsay).

Get what you want if it's cheap (or not), but don't tell other forum members myths.
If the older S3 IC is almost the same price I'd only go for this.

Just my 0.02 $.

 

[vRS Carl]

Maybe this will settle the argument between you both 

http://www.are.com.au/techtalk/intecoolersMR.htm#Tanks

[56OctyVRS]

So if anyone puts anything on here or other forums about what they have experienced is hearsay and myth. Hmmmmm
If you do research on the topic will find what i said about the plastic is accurate. That why its used on cars for standard intakes, looms, plugs, clips etc. Plastic doesnt absorb heat like metal and has the ability to keep cooler. Try touching your oe engine cover after a drive and then try touching an aftermarket intake pipe. See which retains the heat more. I know my intake pipe got very very hot to touch. That isnt saying the plastic cools the air better. Thats saying the plastic doesnt absorb heat like metal and as such wont affect the performance of the ic
I havent purchased an S3 cooler yet but will do later in the year.
It has been fun holding a conversation with you Bruce and it hasnt resorted to name calling. But i do feel the need to do this  

Thanks Carl as what it says in there is that it is more about design than material and what I said about heatsoak was correct.

[vRS Carl]

FWIW i have the Alloy ended S3 Intercooler which i will be installing next week. But i have had it for about 4 years now and kept it from my last car.

[gazon69]

This thread gets funnier everytime i read it. Keep up the good work guys