im just starting to look around at my cooling options, I was going to run a small intercooler on my set up that’s going to be between 7 and 10 lbs of boost. I’m now thinking of just using a water/meth just for cooling instead, which brings me to my question, what kit should I look into? The car is mainly street driven and I do take it out of town occasionally on 100 mile or so trips.

 

I'm using a ProMeth Sniper II kit: https://prometh.com/collections/sniper-ii-nozzle-system

It is mounted after my IC, and I also have a small nozzle at the turbo inlet.

 

those are some pricey kits, I was thinking about Snow or AEM or something along those lines.

 

The question is how much do you really want from your kit and how much work are you willing to do?


Kits can be as complex or simple as you make them. 90% of the kits are overpriced IMO. They spray very little volume and try to dress up a $3 nozzle, some tubing, and a pump into a $1000++ purchase.


Just like anything performance there is no “1 kit fits all”. The volume and mixture someone needs to prevent detonation at their specific power/boost level is going to differ a ton.


I’d suggest being realistic with your power goals. And the boost level it will take to get you there. If I have that information, I can estimate your charge temps and the amount of fluid needed to keep them in check.

 

I'd like to start at 7 psi, may go up to 10 after i get used to having the turbo and make sure everything is running ok, I'm hoping to be between 400 and 500hp all said and done. Current the motor is a bone stock 5.9 Magnum i think making around 250hp, thats what my research has turned up anyway.

 

So a 250hp NA engine will make roughly 17 hp per pound of boost on an efficient setup at sea level with standard humidity and temps. Intercooler-less setups aren't super efficient. So say 16hp per pound. 9.4lbs to hit 400ish... I'd round up to 10. So say 10lbs of boost should net you about 400 HP.

10 lbs at standard altitude density with the usual underhood temps of say 100* will net you 228* charge temps.

You get about a 30* temp drop for each 8gph of straight meth injected. So to be most effective you'd want to spray about 20gph pre-turbo knocking roughly 78* off the charge temps. Putting you around 150*. Thats the boiling point of the fluid so you can't efficiently cool well below that point... and I doubt you'd actually even hit 150* but a little extra meth/octane never hurts either. You'd need to then tune around all this extra enrichment.

That should add plenty of octane and keep charge temps cool enough for 10lbs easy (15+ should be fine IMO) without an IC. You can also mix a very tiny amount of water in the mix for additional cooling. I'm talking like 1-2% by volume. Larger percentages usually cause problems with spark when injecting large volumes.

A poly fuel tank of some sort (about 10-$50)
Simple shur-flo 100psi 8000 series pump($70-100),
2 5gph misting nozzles ($5 each)
Alcohol safe lines fittings (really depends how far U wanna go money wise)

You can use an on/off pressure switch ($30) but Ideally a progressive controller would be used. (mega squirt will also do this)

That's the all out most effective approach IMO.

The other option is to just grab a cheap high pressure ebay $20 pump, $20 worth of push lock lines/fittings, $5 10gph nozzle, $30 pressure switch, and tap your washer fluid reservoir. Spray straight washer fluid or a 50/50 water alky mix pre-turbo and be done. Start with 4-5lbs of boost and watch your plugs. Then bump boost up a pound at a time till the plugs tell you to quit.

 

^ Some good info. ^

FWIW,I'm spraying 17 gph of 50/50 on 20psi boost with no spark probs. I've been considering 100% meth,but not sure. Short block is a stock assy,and thinking theres a need to keep combustion temps down in regard to ring end gaps. The water doing most of the cooling in the camber according to what I've read. Your thoughts?

 

Larger volumes of water are ok, esp for very basic kits.

This example is outside the norm since it is making relatively low power and relatively low boost. So a max effort straight meth deal is pretty feasible.

More water may help keep you out of detonation, but it's not going to do near as much for charge cooling or upping the efficiency of the turbo. So at like boost 100% meth (if enough is sprayed) will make more power than 50/50 or washer fluid mixes. 100% meth (if enough is sprayed) will always net you more power a tlike boost levels.

But on standard V8's at 20lbs of boost you'd need a TON more meth. It's ability to cool directly relates to the amount of air the engine/turbo is flowing it's not linear. So at big power you need retardo amounts of methanol to get charge temps down into that 150* charge temp range. More volume than the typical meth pump can handle. The nice pumps generally max out around 40gph and 100psi and flow much less at the rated 200-300.

 

so this would get sprayed through the turbo and not after? what benifit does spraying through the turbo give vs after turbo?

 

It ups the efficiency of the turbo itself cooling the air as it is compressed. It actually shifts the whole compressor map to the right. Effectively making your turbo “act” like a larger unit. An intercooler is still better, but you are leaving free power on the table spraying at the TB. You don’t do this with intercooled setups as fuel will puddle in the IC making it dangerous and corroding the alum in the IC.

 

So spray through the turbo without intercooler and after the intercooler if I ever decided to install one, good to know. I'm going to try with the intercooler for now and see how that goes, how long does a fill up of water/meth last usually, I do occasionally drive the car on 100 mile or so trips and would hate to run out in the middle of a trip, probably best to get a 1+ gallon tank I'd imagine.

 

You only need to spray when in boost,so you don't really need too big of a tank. I only have a 3qt tank on mine and dont spay until 10psi.

 

I'm looking at the snow v2 kit with the guage controller, any input on this kit?