Painting A FMIC Flat Black intercooler paint ic [Merged 12-6]

[focusedrage]

i wish the original posters claim were true. Cause then you could put a black block of metal in some ones house and they coudl never heat it up . anodizing i belive does not reduce theremal conductivity that much, as compared to say painting your intercooler, which would be silly.

i have though about anodizing whatever ic i get, but sometimes it is nice to have it out there scaring people, not to mention it is hellova lot cheeper not to anodize it.

 

[boostedinaz]

Acually, if it were black it would get rid of heat faster than if it were polished. I did an experiment in Physics with two bottle that were exactly the same. One was coated black and one was polished. We boiled water and and filled each can with the same amount and put a thermometer in each and watched and timmed the cooling. The black bottle cooled the water faster. Black color does attract heat and heat will go to the cooler area when it can, even if that is from the inside out.

Ever wonder why all radiators are black???

Ever look at a motor that is built just for racing??? I bet the block is painted black. If I could find a place that would anodize a core I woudl do it, but I would imagine it is expensive and I, like most, like the bling factor of a big FMIC.

Michael

 

[azkikr10]

i liked the bling factor of my fmictoo, till my car got stolen and someone took it. my next fmic will be black. what so bad about painting it?

 

[blcknspo0ln]

anodizing it adds a colored layer of aluminum on the FMIC

painting it will inhibit it's cooling capabilities

 

[focusedrage]

oh yeah i just rembered, that anodizing is just dying the aluminum oxide layer that is grown on the aluminum. Like ^^^ said.

 

[azkikr10]

but will a thin coat make that big of a difference?

 

[Blk_99gst]

but will a thin coat make that big of a difference?

Once again:

painting it will inhibit it's cooling capabilities

 

[blcknspo0ln]

Once again:

go anodized or just polish the crap out of it with some high grit sandpaper and mothers mag polish

 

[My96AWD]

i read somewhere about a coating that made itwork betterand it was black. i have no idea where to get it and if it was even true though.

 

[Defiant]

The "right" way to do it would be to anodize the insides of the intercooler, and polish the outside.

Most plating shops do (or have done) anodizing.

 

[DSMJim]

You can just spray paint it black. There are guys at our local track running 10's with intercooler that are painted black. If there is any loss in thermal conductivity it's so small that it's not gonna make a friggin difference in any way shape or form to your setup or 1/4 mile run.

Fact of the matter is painting them has been done 10000x over and nobody has ever reported a blown motor or slower 1/4 times because of it. Were talking about such a small thing that it's hardly worth the room on the internet.

Break out the tremclad and have at it, you won't tell a difference.

 

[ITSME4G63]

I do not have a fmic yet, thing is I do like th bling factor but here in chicago there is a lot of ricers/haters. I wouldnt like to come out of a mall(shops etc) one day and come to my car to find that my fmic has a huge nike or sketchers shoe imprint in it. When it black its less noticable and It gives me way more of a sleeper look.

 

[RuBiCaNT5X]

I've read that a thin layer of paint won't hurt at all, anodized or not...

 

[jake98gst]

Depending on the kind of paint you use, it will actually dissipate heat better than before. Not to mention looking stealthy.

Jake

 

[talonted_one]

Straight from the man Himself Corky Bell...Intercooler FAQ

For those too lazy to click the link ...Can an intercooler be painted?
Certainly. One might find a small loss of efficiency if the core is painted, but likely this would be less of a difference than the repeatability of measurement. By all means, paint the end tanks, but preference suggests the core remain exposed.


I say paint the biotch. I'm about a second from painting mine.

 

[focusedrage]

yeah i was planing to paint the end tanks of mine so that it looks right in a smily 96

 

[Morphius]

Ever wonder why all radiators are black???

99.9% of the time, it's simply for appearance. Some DCX products don't have black radiators. Those that do, it's to hide it behind the grill.

Every year, the HVAC group pushes the envelope and pursues having no coating on them, and year and year again, upper managment mandates they coat them for appearance. In some cases, they've been succcesfull. Afterall, it costs extra money to coat them and all for no real added benifit.

 

[boostedinaz]

99.9% of the time, it's simply for appearance. Some DCX products don't have black radiators. Those that do, it's to hide it behind the grill.

Every year, the HVAC group pushes the envelope and pursues having no coating on them, and year and year again, upper managment mandates they coat them for appearance. In some cases, they've been succcesfull. Afterall, it costs extra money to coat them and all for no real added benifit.

So how do you explain my experiment???

So every radiator company in the world in just throwing away there money to look nice?? I doubt it. A good majority of people could care less what there radiator looks like or even know what it is, so why would they try to appeal to them with that? The color of the paint IS helpful.

Michael

 

[dsmayhem]

I would imagine if there was any true noticeable benefit to coloring something like a radiator black that big name radiator companies like Fluidyne etc would probably be making them in black instead of polished aluminum. However upon looking into this I came upon this page:

http://home.howstuffworks.com/question32.htm

And a quote from Encyclopedia Britannica

...The rate at which a body radiates (or absorbs) thermal radiation depends upon the nature of the surface as well. Objects that are good emitters are also good absorbers (Kirchhoff's radiation law). A blackened surface is an excellent emitter as well as an excellent absorber. If the same surface is silvered, it becomes a poor emitter and a poor absorber.

Apparently it can make a difference in cooling and absorbing heat.

Eh either way polished FMIC's are way sexy.

 

[Morphius]

So how do you explain my experiment???

So every radiator company in the world in just throwing away there money to look nice?? I doubt it. A good majority of people could care less what there radiator looks like or even know what it is, so why would they try to appeal to them with that? The color of the paint IS helpful.

Michael

Let me just ask this, which contridicts the 'black' theory.

As dsmayhem pointed out, why don't aftermarket compaines make radiators black.

Why doesn't every IC company out there make their IC's black?

 

[boostedinaz]

Fluidyne makes aluminum radiators not brass and copper like the ones that come stoock in alot of cars, so there is a difference.

Michael

 

[dsmayhem]

They could anodize them though. Either way I think the effects either way are so minimal that it really comes down to an aesthetic choice. That and the $$$ needed to anodize.

 

[boostedinaz]

Let me just ask this, which contridicts the 'black' theory.

As dsmayhem pointed out, why don't aftermarket compaines make radiators black.

After market companies make aluminum radiators. Aluminum will disapate heat alot better then most other metals. I would bet in a back to back test coating an aluminum radiator would yeild alot less gain becasue of its conductivity than other materials. On a copper and brass I bet the gain is much more and that is why they are coated.

Why doesn't every IC company out there make their IC's black?

Like I and others have already said we like the bling factor. Even knowing this I bet no one on this board will do it to gain the benefits. If we have this knowledge and dont use it then why would a company spend the money to make a product that wont sell. You could probably call any company and ask if they will anodize there core for you and I bet they will, at a price. That is the other factor. How much would it be to anodize something the size of a 2-216 core. Probably a decent amount again why companies dont do it. They would have to pass that cost off on us, the consumer, to still make a profit.

I never said that this was the best thing you could do for your FMIC or that it will drop your IAT by 50 degree's I just answered the question. Yes it will drop the IAT's. How much, not sure sounds like a good test.


Michael

 

[dsmayhem]

I never said that this was the best thing you could do for your FMIC or that it will drop your IAT by 50 degree's I just answered the question. Yes it will drop the IAT's. How much, not sure sounds like a good test.

YES exactly! Take not all you FMIC producers. Send them to boosted or myself and we will do tests.

But really on a serious note you all need to send me FMICs.

 

[j_woody]

i have talked to some very knowledgeable metal workers and all of them said the same thing: ceramic disapating coating. it is a coating that aids in the dissipation of heat. it is commonly used on cranks, pistons, and other internals. It might not help the intercooler with its efficiency, but IT WILL NOT HURT IT like many other methods might. ie painting, anodizing, etc.