There is a saying that too much of anything is bad, and this rings true when it comes to how heat affects your engine. As much as heat contributes positively to your car’s performance and function, excessive heat causes drastic changes to the efficiency and performance of one’s vehicle. The right amount of heat is essential to the proper functioning of an internal combustion engine, in cold weather it assists in the ignition process, and it can also improve the engine’s thermal efficiency, and all these contribute positively to the car’s performance. However excessive heat leads to
- Engine Overheating – which is detrimental to performance, causes a reduction in power, and also may cause damage to the components by expansion.
- Reduced Power Output – excessive heat causes a decrease in power output because the engine management system may intervene to protect the engine from damage by limiting performance
- Knocking – also known as pre-ignition, is when the air-fuel mixture ignites prematurely due to excessive heat and pressure in the combustion chamber which may damage the engine and reduce performance
- Lubrication Issues: Excess heat can degrade engine oil and reduce its ability to lubricate effectively, which leads to increased friction and wear on engine components, and the creation of sludge, which in turn affects the engine’s performance and may cause damage in the long term.
Why You Need Water/Methanol Kit and Intercooler Upgrade
Before we mention their differences, water/methanol injection kits and intercoolers are ways used to cool one’s engine, as maintaining the engine’s optimal operating temperature prevents overheating, protects the engine’s parts, maintains the engine’s efficiency, prevents knocking, and improves the engine’s performance. Cooling an engine can also reduce harmful emissions as the right temperature ensures efficient combustion of fuel and air hence reducing the formation of harmful emissions.
Water/Methanol Kit
A Water/Methanol Injection (WMI) kit injects a mixture of water and methanol into the intake air stream or directly into the combustion chamber to improve the performance, efficiency, and reliability of turbocharged, and supercharged engines. If you would like to use the injection method to cool your engine, you should know that it is important to tune your engine to reap the full rewards. Apart from that, this cooling method is preferred by many enthusiasts for several reasons including;
- Its cleaning effect
- Cooling the engine
- Prevention of engine knock
- Reduction of harmful emissions due to complete combustion
- Increased boost pressure
- Advancing ignition timing
Another advantage to this method is the boosting of octane, due to the injection of methanol, which has a higher octane rating resulting in more aggressive timing, and enhanced performance. If you are wondering whether you should upgrade your water/methanol kit, you should know that this is the best method for high-performance, forced-induction engines that are appropriately tuned. We have water/methanol injection kits from different brands in our shop right now, click the blue button below to choose one that will meet your preferences
Intercooler
An intercooler’s job is to cool down the compressed air before it enters the engine’s intake manifold, hence making it a very crucial component in many turbocharged and supercharged engines. Intercoolers help maintain lower intake air temperatures, which in turn improves combustion efficiency, increases power output, and enhances overall engine reliability and longevity hence maximizing the efficiency and performance of the engine. Intercoolers have the same positive effects that water/methanol injection kits have, and more including;
- Reduction of intake air temperature: By cooling down the compressed air with an intercooler, it becomes denser and contains more oxygen which results in efficient combustion.
- Improving fuel efficiency: Since the engine receives cooler air, it uses less fuel to achieve the same power output
- Extending engine life and increasing power output
If you are wondering whether you should upgrade your intercooler, you should know that you need to upgrade to an aftermarket intercooler that can handle higher heat loads if you’re seeking increased power output, better cooling performance, and engine reliability. This upgrade will also benefit you if you have made significant performance modifications to your engine, you have track days, drive-in hot climates, or if use your ride to tow heavy materials. We have intercoolers from different brands in our shop to make sure that you have ample options to choose from so click the blue button to check them out.
Even though we have covered many angles regarding water/methanol injection kits and intercoolers, if you still have any questions or you would love to buy products that improve your ride’s performance and gets the most power out of it, please do not hesitate to contact us. You can reach us by phone at 1-480-966-3040 or via email at sales@vividracing.com.
