Excuse my ignorance but is the purpose of an aftermarket intercooler to allow more airflow or to cool the airflow more? or both? Thx,

 

there's only one aftermarket intercooler for the RDX anyway.
its the ETS intercooler.
I believe its bigger(think heat sink) so it cools the air more.

there are different types of intercoolers with different types of technologies employed.
the one for the RDX is, i believe bigger and acts as a better heat sink.

 

And excuse my simple question, why a different intercooler. I know more HP and TQ, but does it hurt the engine at all if the air is cooler. Can it become too cold. Sorry for the naive questions, but I am under Acura Warranty, so am not going to change anything yet, but one day...... Just trying to get a layman's understanding. Thanks

 

cooler air is more dense air.
denser air can be packed into the engine quicker.
cooler denser air = POWER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

you'll get a smoother driving experience with cooler air.
think of autumn and spring.
once these seasons hit, my car wants to respond faster,quicker, etc.

 

The IC can never make your air too cold, only cool it back to ambient. When the turbo compresses the air it makes it much warmer, and the purpose of the IC is to try and bring it back to ambient. As noted above, this leads to denser air charge, and it also contributes to a smoother running engine. If the air/fuel mixture in the cylinders is too hot, it might pre-ignite before the spark plug fires and that is no bueno.

 

Thanks guys, I appreciate the freedback and understand the cooler/denser air bit but it must also have a higher airflow, no?

 

the air is being sucked up by the air intake.
you can only flow as much as the intake allows.

colder air is much denser and can be packed in more closely.

 

Combustion engines produce more power and become more efficient the greater the temp difference between ambient outside temps and the combustion temps. I think it falls under the second law of thermodynamics. It is hard to tell with winter blend gas; but, the RDX will have better fuel efficiency and more power in cold/cooler temps of fall/winter months compared to warmer temps of spring/summer. My combined MPGs went up .5 to .7 mpg combined once I installed my ETC intercooler (and Hondata heatshield gasket).

Some of those folks who try to break land speed records use air to water intercoolers and pack them in ice to get more hp.

 

From stock to adding the ETS intercooler it made a world of a difference. You can hear the turbo spool, spools quicker, and hear the BOV more
Now to find a CPE intake and get the Hondata Flash!

 

it's well worth it...i did it with the DP and HONDATA, and it's been awesome. Can't wait to see difference in the summer months too....

 

ets intercooler is a bar and plate core which is much more efficient at reducing IAT. they're both the same size. Stock is tube and fin

 

anyone measured the intake temp difference between the stock and ETS intercooler?

 

I think ETS may have in their initial threads...
but it's basic IC science, bar and plate work much better to efficiently cool than the fin design; yes you get a little more weight, but it's great in the summer to have a "larger" heat sink than a smaller one.