Let’s Talk Intercoolers!

Hello everyone! Today we will be talking about intercoolers, and why an upgraded intercooler is probably the #1 modification (right next to a tune). Enjoy!

What does an intercooler do?

First, to understand why you need an upgraded intercooler, let us look at what an intercooler does. Most forced induction vehicles have an intercooler. As a turbocharger or supercharger compresses air into the engine, the air gets hotter. When you compress air, it gets hotter. Hotter air is less dense, so when you force hot air into the engine, it increases the risk for detonation. An intercooler works to cool that air. It is usually mounted on the front of the vehicle for maximum airflow. An intercooler plays a significant role in the overall efficiency and power of an engine. An inadequate intercooler is unable to cool the air going into the engine, which means the engine must pull ignition timing, which means less power. This is referred to as heat soak.

Intercooler Explanation and Efficiency

So, as we previously looked at the extremely undersized intercooler, let us look at how an intercooler works and what makes them efficient. There are two different types of intercoolers. Air to air, and air to water. Our vehicles utilize an air-to-air intercooler. The air-to-air intercooler system is very straightforward. It uses airflow through the intercooler to remove heat from the compressed charge air. Heat is transferred from the charge (air) to the atmosphere (air) – hence the name “air-to-air.”  If you look at the path of the air, it comes through the air intake, then through the turbos, through the intercooler, and then into the engine.

This means that the maximum amount of frontal area of an intercooler means better cooling, although there needs to be a balance with frontal area of an intercooler and aerodynamic efficiency. Here is a great article about this by ZFG Racing:

CV Fab Intercooler upgrade! | Explorer ST Forum

Pretty straightforward comparison sections. All intercoolers from the main brands (everyone but eBay specials) perform the same and are pretty much identical. The CV-Fab unit with Tyler Clark’s code tends to be the cheapest usually, and plus their intercooler + charge pipe bundle is a great deal too.

Something to note is the Whipple is the only intercooler that is CARB-approved, and the extremely expensive price reflects that. Also, I would not recommend the Livernois intercooler, as it is not a direct bolt on, and takes some modification to work.

2025+ Intercooler Installs

2025+ Explorer ST’s have an updated charge pipe connections, so in order to install aftermarket intercoolers you either need to purchase the 2020-24 OE charge pipes, or aftermarket charge pipes. It also goes the other way, if you get aftermarket charge pipes you need an 2020-24 OE intercooler or an aftermarket intercooler.

Grille Shutters

Some people remove their grill shutters when they install their intercoolers. The purpose of grill shutters is supposedly to help the vehicle warm up faster in colder climates, as well as reduce drag when at speeds when the extra air flow is not needed. Whether they help or not is up to debate. Everyone who takes theirs out says they have not noticed difference. If you do want to take the shutters out, you must pop out the shutters and reinstall the frame and the connectors so that you do not get any error codes. I personally would not remove the shutters, as I do not think it will help airflow, and I do believe they help.

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Featured photo credit: Tyler Clark