[Mk2] [Turbo] ebay w2a cores ?

[Spidey]

Anyone tried any of the eBay W2A chargecooler cores ?

And preferably anyone with proven dyno'd results : )

I was looking at cores on www.frozenboost.com - but they are working out at twice the price of the eBay UK cores after shipping, taxes etc

TIA
Rob

[bobhatton]

Anyone tried any of the eBay W2A chargecooler cores ?

And preferably anyone with proven dyno'd results : )

I was looking at cores on www.frozenboost.com - but they are working out at twice the price of the eBay UK cores after shipping, taxes etc

TIA
Rob

What do you want, somthing that works very well, or somthing very cheap?

Bell are the best http://www.bellintercoolers.com/index.html

[Spidey]

I know and agree with the "you get what you pay for" mantra. I just thought that with cores, the design is relatively simple and easy to copy.

But, on the other hand, I can see that they might skimp/take shortcuts to cut costs, maybe use cheaper materials which are less efficient at transferring heat etc

I'll take a look at the Bell cores, thanks

[gazrev1tubby]

The eBay cores are very good. I'd be highly surprised if they weren't the exact same ones that frozen boost sell, without the 'mark up'

My core was an eBay jobbie, and was always stone cold, even after lots of boost

[Tsia]

I've heard (albeit not experienced) a lot of people saying the ebay cores are pretty damn good. Worth a shot for the cash at least

[shinny]

My core was an eBay jobbie, and was always stone cold, even after lots of boost

The fact the intercooler is cold says nothing... the important thing about a W2A core is how well it shifts heat from the air into the water. If your core is still cold after a hard run all that says is your pre-rad is shifting the heat being put into the water by the core sufficiently. However if your core isn't shifting much heat into the coolant then it's very easy for the pre-rad to keep the coolant cold and keeping the core itself cold to the touch.

I'm not saying the ebay coolers don't work (and TBH, a big inefficient core will probably work just as well as a small, efficient one), but your logic is flawed there Gaz, sorry

[gazrev1tubby]

How so mark ????

If the core stays cold, it means that the charge heat is transferring efficiently from the core, into the water passages sufficiently.

The intake pipe from the core to the tb was also suitably cool, therefore meaning that the core was efficiently cooling the charge temps.

Yes of course the pre rad plays a part, and likewise the correct pump will also help.

By your logic, you're suggesting that 'any old' core will do, providing your pre rad works well. In which case, an eBay one will more than suffice.

So the answer is still, yes, the eBay cores are fine !

[Driftlimits Performance]

Cheap ebay cores

Tiny cores, oversize end tanks, poor baffling, and design. Just look at the them!

Hunt me a spearco please

[shinny]

If the core stays cold, it means that the charge heat is transferring efficiently from the core, into the water passages sufficiently.

Not remotely... the job of the core is to take heat out of the air, so to prove that's happening you need to see the water temperature rise. Simply putting your hand on the core and saying it's cold says absolutely nothing about how good that core is at taking heat out of the charge air - in an extreme case, you could literally have a cold water jacket around a straight through air pipe and the coolant would remain nice and cold, but its intercooling effect would be minimal.

The intake pipe from the core to the tb was also suitably cool, therefore meaning that the core was efficiently cooling the charge temps.

That's a much better sign

By your logic, you're suggesting that 'any old' core will do, providing your pre rad works well.

No, that's the exact opposite of my logic. A poor core is easier to make "look" right if all you care about is keeping a low coolant temperature. What you really care about is the temperature of the air coming out of the core and feeling how cool the core is says nothing about that unfortunately, although it is an encouraging sign that the rest of the system is working correctly.

[Spidey]

Well - what i am taking from all this is that the ebay cores must work because Gaz's pipe coming out of the core going to the TB is cool.

I've seen guys on mr2oc.com running these type of cores and on (reliable) high hp cars.

I'm going to go for it ! : )

[jimGTS]

my ebay core worked well.......

given i had a powerFC and commander to monitor temps AND a highly responsive OEM style intake temp sensor in the OEM location, i can say, however there designed or were made, my intake temps barely raised a few degrees on boost.
unlike my side mount intercooler which saw temps increase anywhere from 10-20c on a single boosted pull...

[gazrev1tubby]

Yep, even last summer, my hand commander was suggesting intake temps of only circa 37 deg c on full boost

[gazrev1tubby]

Yep, even last summer, my hand commander was suggesting intake temps of only circa 37 deg c on full boost

[ashley]

Yep, even last summer, my hand commander was suggesting intake temps of only circa 37 deg c on full boost

37c sounds too high, especially with a core that large?

[gazrev1tubby]

When the ambient temps were only 10 degrees lower !

[jon_st205]

Doesn't the hand PFC commander take its reading from the IAT sensor rather than the MAT sensor, though?

[jimGTS]

Doesn't the hand PFC commander take its reading from the IAT sensor rather than the MAT sensor, though?

Not on a gen3 power fc.

If it did. I wouldn't have noticed just how slow and laggy the oem mat sensor is compared to the replacement I used.