Process West VERTICOOLER Intercooler System

As you can see from the pictures the new Process West Verticooler certainly looks the part, and with a forward facing slanted design promises so much more than the stock flat-pack Subaru arrangement. Looks can be deceiving though so we decided to install a latest generation AIM Data Logging system and head to the track to see how good the Verticooler really is.

Our own Process West test car was used for all testing. It’s an ADM MY13 WRX that’s had some fairly representative light mods done, as most of you normally would for the street. Full turbo back exhaust, a small compressor upgrade, and an off the shelf Ecutek tune make our test car stress the cooling a little more than stock setup, and in theory should show off all the benefits of the Verticooler.

TRACK

With logging probes installed to measure Verticooler inlet and outlet pressures/temperatures it was time to head to the Wakefield Park race track in New South Wales and put the cooling system under some real pressure to see what results we can generate. We couldn’t have picked a better day for it either with the weather turning up the heat at 32 degrees Celsius ambient (90F) to make sure we got some big temperature numbers and a true real-world result.

The data shown is from one of our many track sessions for the day, a 4.5 minute burst at absolutely full pace, and one that pushed the limits of our brakes and tyres. In short we couldn’t have gone any harder at making temperature…and make it we did…but as you can see only an 11 degree Celsius rise over ambient, which is an amazing result. In fact going through data we have gathered over the years from other test sessions tends to show that Verticooler is as effective in charge-air cooling under race conditions as a traditional front mount setup….but all without the inherent response delay that long inlet tracts deliver.

IC inlet temperature vs IC outlet temperature vs speed

IC pressure in vs IC pressure out vs speed

DYNO

The flow rate of Verticooler is just as impressive as its cooling capability. Scanning the data again shows approximately 1psi (at worst) of pressure loss across the core. At the racetrack then Verticooler is a clear winner at keeping the flat four not only well cooled but also supplied with the largest amount of chilled turbocharged air, but let’s have a look at what happens on the dyno when it’s compared to the stock intercooler.

With Verticooler removed and the stock intercooler bolted into place we performed three power runs on the Mainline chassis dyno to not only measure the power generated through the factory intercooler core, but also to measure its heat rejection. Once this data was gathered the Verticooler was re-installed and the same test repeated. It’s pretty clear to see that Verticooler keeps the inlet charge colder than stock, but Verticooler also has the extra added advantage of reaching a stabilized ‘hold-point’ for air temperature, where the stock intercooler continues to let the temperatures spiral out of control.

Comparison of horse power, torque and intercooler outlet temperature.

Comparison of kilowatt, torque and intercooler outlet temperature.

Comparison of intercooler outlet temperatures after 3 back-to-back dyno pulls