Honda Engineer States Adding a Bigger IC Won't Combat Overheating

fiend busa

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According to the engineer at honda research and development, adding a bigger IC just reduces the airflow that will hit the radiator, will lower intake temps briefly but increase water temp which will increase the temps of the whole engine thus will just raise the intake temps again. He's saying to keep the stock IC.

What they did to combat overheating at the track is just increase the radiator size and cut some ducts for airflow to the engine
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7:40


According to the engineer at honda research and development, adding a bigger IC just reduces the airflow that will hit the radiator, will lower intake temps briefly but increase water temp which will increase the temps of the whole engine thus will just raise the intake temps again. He's saying to keep the stock IC.

What they did to combat overheating at the track is just increase the radiator size and cut some ducts for airflow to the engine
Nice video find!

Gosh, that looks like a blast - awesome track conditions in Santa Clarita!

Their analysis on a larger intercooler is on point, especially for the track on hot days. I think Mishimoto makes an external radiator add-on that mounts behind the engine, which is a mod that I may consider getting this summer.

This vid is packed with a lot of great notes on mods. Like the HPD rep stated, the OEM setup has a lot of potential for most operators, and transitioning to a track setup is manageable with the existing OEM parts.
 
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Coming from the Mazdaspeed3/6 platform, I could tell you every single person tracking their car saw their coolant temp skyrocket when they switched from a TMIC to a FMIC.
 


Hollywoo0220

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Uh, NO. The Upgraded IC lowers the Intake Charge Temp; the over heating derives from running more at sustained High load levels for extended durations.
If someone were racing the way they were, they could use an addt’l 10% of E85 in the pump gas mixture to combat a little more heat dispersion. Besides, they put in another radiator that holds more fluid but they will eventually overheat the same way, just a bit further down the way.
 
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fiend busa

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Uh, NO. The Upgraded IC lowers the Intake Charge Temp; the over heating derives from running more at sustained High load levels for extended durations.
If someone were racing the way they were, they could use an addt’l 10% of E85 in the pump gas mixture to combat a little more heat dispersion. Besides, they put in another radiator that holds more fluid but they will eventually overheat the same way, just a bit further down the way.
Did you watch the video
 

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Did you watch the video
Yes. It is claimed that the IC blocks air to the radiator, but they still upgraded the radiator? What wasn’t measured was How Much extra time did they get with an upgraded IC vs w/o one or an upgraded radiator.
 
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fiend busa

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Yes. It is claimed that the IC blocks air to the radiator, but they still upgraded the radiator? What wasn’t measured was How Much extra time did they get with an upgraded IC vs w/o one or an upgraded radiator.
Ah ok my bad.

Hmm...he did say they had no problems but you're right they don't state how long they were running for.

I think for street though at least a bigger IC would still help, especially in stop and go traffic, when you finally get room to breathe. As you won't be pushing it like you would on the track, at least with the bigger IC you can get more consistent power.
 


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Yes. It is claimed that the IC blocks air to the radiator, but they still upgraded the radiator? What wasn’t measured was How Much extra time did they get with an upgraded IC vs w/o one or an upgraded radiator.
I'd actually want to see the following comparisons to make a definitive answer:
  • AC + upgraded radiator
  • Upgraded radiator without AC
  • Intercooler + AC + upgraded radiator
  • Intercooler + upgraded radiator without AC.
I'm assuming that race car has no AC, as it would make no sense to keep it. But now we're comparing the street car to the race car. And while an intercooler might block airflow to the radiator, so does the AC core. If the larger intercooler blocks as much air as the AC core, then for the street cars equipped with AC, the intercooler would probably make no difference in the water temps. But I could see that if you removed the AC, a bigger intercooler would increase water temps which would eventually increase intake temps. But based on the wording of the video, they did test the upgraded intercooler without AC vs stock intercooler without AC and found that the stock intercooler performed better.

Ah ok my bad.

Hmm...he did say they had no problems but you're right they don't state how long they were running for.

I think for street though at least a bigger IC would still help, especially in stop and go traffic, when you finally get room to breathe. As you won't be pushing it like you would on the track, at least with the bigger IC you can get more consistent power.
This is a race car, it needs to last at least the duration of the race. So far longer than your average track day?

Edit: Races are 40 minutes each with 2 per race weekend (2 races for TC and 2 races for TCR). Though practice sessions may be longer.

Edit 2: Though it also doesn't seem like the TC and TCR are doing so hot in the series as a whole... Very close to bottom of the rankings.
 
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I'd actually want to see the following comparisons to make a definitive answer:
  • AC + upgraded radiator
  • Upgraded radiator without AC
  • Intercooler + AC + upgraded radiator
  • Intercooler + upgraded radiator without AC.
I'm assuming that race car has no AC, as it would make no sense to keep it. But now we're comparing the street car to the race car. And while an intercooler might block airflow to the radiator, so does the AC core. If the larger intercooler blocks as much air as the AC core, then for the street cars equipped with AC, the intercooler would probably make no difference in the water temps. But I could see that if you removed the AC, a bigger intercooler would increase water temps which would eventually increase intake temps. But based on the wording of the video, they did test the upgraded intercooler without AC vs stock intercooler without AC and found that the stock intercooler performed better.



This is a race car, it needs to last at least the duration of the race. So far longer than your average track day?

Edit: Races are 40 minutes each with 2 per race weekend (2 races for TC and 2 races for TCR). Though practice sessions may be longer.

Edit 2: Though it also doesn't seem like the TC and TCR are doing so hot in the series as a whole... Very close to bottom of the rankings.
Seems like everyone who seriously tracks their Rs agrees with this video. The aftermarket intercoolers give you an extra couple of laps but once you start heat soaking, it's game over anyway. The main solution is getting more air flow with by opening the hood.
 

AdamD19DFK8

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"So in a lot of ways it's better to keep the stock intercooler, anyway this car has a little bit bigger radiator... and look at all these vents! (especially the wider grille)" lol

Most of the aftermarket intercoolers aren't much taller aside from the Greddy and Mishimoto ones. Though their thickness and density surely block more. bumper, bumper beam, ac condenser and grille ('17-'19) block a ton of air from the radiator too.
 
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The Vyzitor

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So what about a bigger intercooler, and a grill like the J’s Racing grill?
 

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So what about a bigger intercooler, and a grill like the J’s Racing grill?
The Type R TC already has a bigger grill, just not bigger intercooler since the engineer says it's not necessary and an improved radiator is more than enough. For racing purposes the bigger intercooler doesn't help much. It might also be more track dependent as well since if you have enough air feeding the stock intercooler it can be adequate for what it's supposed to do.
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