Vibrant

Complete intercoolers. Ready-to-install air-to-air intercoolers with end tanks, sized by width, height, and thickness, such as 26 x 6.5 x 3.25 in., 30 x 9.25 x 3.25 in., and 33 x 12 x 3.5 in. Matching mounting brackets are sold separately for each size.

Intercooler cores. Bar and plate cores without end tanks, for fabricators building a custom intercooler. Cores can be set up for any orientation and inlet and outlet layout. Options include vertical flow cores in several sizes.

Water-to-air intercooler cores. Compact cores for air-to-water systems, such as 10 x 4 x 4 in. and 12 x 5 x 5 in. These are cooled by liquid rather than outside air.

Forced induction components and a boost controller. Supporting parts for custom charge air systems.

Air-to-air or water-to-air?

Air-to-air intercoolers use outside airflow to cool the charge. They're simple, need no pump or coolant, and are the most common choice when there's room at the front of the car.

Water-to-air intercoolers use coolant to carry heat away from the charge, then reject it through a separate heat exchanger. They fit in tight spaces and allow short charge piping, but need a pump, reservoir, heat exchanger, and lines.

• Measure your space first. Check the width, height, and depth available, and leave room for end tanks and piping.
• Size the core to your power level. A larger core, especially a thicker one, typically cools better and resists heat soak but adds weight and internal volume. Match the core to your power goals rather than choosing the largest that fits.
• Choose flow direction. Horizontal flow cores move air side to side, while vertical flow cores move it top to bottom. Pick the layout that gives the shortest, cleanest piping in your engine bay.
• Match inlet and outlet size to your charge piping.
• Consider complete vs core only. A complete intercooler is ready to install. A core suits builders who'll weld their own end tanks for a custom fit.
• For water-to-air, plan the heat exchanger, pump, and reservoir along with the core.

Installation notes

• Mount the intercooler securely with brackets sized for it, and isolate it from vibration where possible.
• Keep airflow clear across air-to-air cores. Seal gaps around the core so air goes through it, not around it.
• Pressure-test the system after installing piping and couplers.
• For water-to-air systems, fill and bleed the coolant circuit fully and confirm the pump runs.
• Recheck clamps and brackets after the first few drives.

Common problems Vibrant parts address

Heat soak on custom turbo or supercharger builds running a small or undersized intercooler.

No factory intercooler to upgrade, such as on swaps and custom builds, where a universal unit is the starting point.

Tight engine bays where a compact water-to-air core fits but an air-to-air unit won't.