Hey all looking for reccomendations and feedback for an aftermarket heat exchanger for a 2012 GT500 that is completely stock as of now. Looking at both the AFCO twin electric and the VMP Triple Pass. Thanks!!
Aftermarket Heat Exchanger
- Thread starter synergydetail
- Start date
I've had both. I'd go triple pass. I think the 11" fans are quieter than the 10" fans on the Afco. Triple also has more capacity. You just have to be a little more creative in routing your hoses, but VMP gives you parts to deal with that.
Running the VMP triple pass for the past 4 years....no complaints.
Running the Steeda triple pass and have no complaints.
Running Steeda triple pass... However the VMP unit is good too.
From an un-named web site:
Heat Exchanger Size Chart/Information:
We have been testing heat exchangers for 10+ years now. As far as we know we are the only ones that test heat exchangers by tracking water temp in/out. Which is the ONLY way to accurately testa a heat exchangers performance. There are too many very large variables in play to use intake air temperatures as a gauge of heat exchanger performance.
In one car alone, we had seven different heat exchanger configurations. Five in another. Three in two more cars. Some of them off the shelf units, some of them completely custom. We’ve tested up to 1500cu in of core volume.
After 10+ years of testing one thing rings true 99% of the time. The bigger the heat exchanger, the better it works. There is an argument that a bigger “face” will make up for lack of core volume a little though. If you have two 800cu in units your comparing but one has more “face”, go with that one.
There is a point where core thickness/density can hurt performance too. A thick/dense core may work better at 120mph. But, if you're not spending a lot of time at those sorts of speeds you're giving up performance at more realistic/every day speeds. If a heat exchanger is achieving it's volume through a thick core it may not perform as well as a thinner core with less volume. A good example of this would be the VMP vs the stock 13' GT500. The VMP will out-perform the 13' GT500 in most situations despite having less volume.
As far as “passes” goes we have also not seen any evidence to suggest that more passes equals better. And there are situations where more passes hurts cooling because they choke down system wide water flow/speed due to the core not being large enough to run that many passes. The results are all over the place. The short version is don’t bet the fam on how many passes a heat exchanger has.
We have yet to see any truth to a small XYZ whammie jammie heat exchanger with its NASA designed space age core with XXX better heat transfer out performing a bigger unit.
Measuring core sizing:
This is the only way we have found to measure them consistently.
Core size, side to side (width), is measured not including tanks, just the core.
Core size, top to bottom (height) is measured from the outside (top side, bottom side) of the last “tubes” open to airflow.
Core thickness is the thickness of the core minus any headers, footers, etc.
-07-09 GT500 Stock Heat Exchanger
Width: 23”
Height: 6”
Thickness : 1.25” (single 1.25” tube)
Frontal Area: 138 sq in
Core Volume: 172.5 cu in
-10-12’ GT500 Stock Heat Exchanger
Width: 22.5”
Height: 5.875”
Thickness : 2” (single 2” tube)
Frontal Area: 132 sq in
Core Volume: 264 cu in
-Roush 3v blower kit Stock Heat Exchanger
Width: 19.5”
Height: 15”
Thickness : .625”
Frontal Area: 292.5 sq in
Core Volume: 182.81 cu in
-Afco Pro Series w/ 10” Fans (new design)
Width: 22.5”
Height: 11.375”
Thickness : 1.25” (single 1.25” tube)
Frontal Area: 255.93 sq in
Core Volume: 319.92 cu in
-Afco Pro Series (old design)
Width: 22.5”
Height: 9”
Thickness : 2” (double 1” tubes)
Frontal Area: 202.50 sq in
Core Volume: 405 cu in
-LFP
Width: 21.75”
Height: 8.125”
Thickness : 2.375”
Frontal Area: 176.71 sq in
Core Volume: 420 cu in
-Saleen Extreme
Width: 32”
Height: 7”
Thickness : 2.125”
Frontal Area: 224 sq in
Core Volume: 476 cu in
-VMP Triple
Width: 24”
Height: 12.25”
Thickness : 2.5”
Frontal Area: 294 sq in
Core Volume: 735 cu in
-13’ GT500 Stock Heat Exchanger
Width: 25”
Height: 10.875”
Thickness : 3.125”
Frontal Area: 271.875 sq in
Core Volume: 849.60 cu in
Let the arguing begin!
.
Heat Exchanger Size Chart/Information:
We have been testing heat exchangers for 10+ years now. As far as we know we are the only ones that test heat exchangers by tracking water temp in/out. Which is the ONLY way to accurately testa a heat exchangers performance. There are too many very large variables in play to use intake air temperatures as a gauge of heat exchanger performance.
In one car alone, we had seven different heat exchanger configurations. Five in another. Three in two more cars. Some of them off the shelf units, some of them completely custom. We’ve tested up to 1500cu in of core volume.
After 10+ years of testing one thing rings true 99% of the time. The bigger the heat exchanger, the better it works. There is an argument that a bigger “face” will make up for lack of core volume a little though. If you have two 800cu in units your comparing but one has more “face”, go with that one.
There is a point where core thickness/density can hurt performance too. A thick/dense core may work better at 120mph. But, if you're not spending a lot of time at those sorts of speeds you're giving up performance at more realistic/every day speeds. If a heat exchanger is achieving it's volume through a thick core it may not perform as well as a thinner core with less volume. A good example of this would be the VMP vs the stock 13' GT500. The VMP will out-perform the 13' GT500 in most situations despite having less volume.
As far as “passes” goes we have also not seen any evidence to suggest that more passes equals better. And there are situations where more passes hurts cooling because they choke down system wide water flow/speed due to the core not being large enough to run that many passes. The results are all over the place. The short version is don’t bet the fam on how many passes a heat exchanger has.
We have yet to see any truth to a small XYZ whammie jammie heat exchanger with its NASA designed space age core with XXX better heat transfer out performing a bigger unit.
Measuring core sizing:
This is the only way we have found to measure them consistently.
Core size, side to side (width), is measured not including tanks, just the core.
Core size, top to bottom (height) is measured from the outside (top side, bottom side) of the last “tubes” open to airflow.
Core thickness is the thickness of the core minus any headers, footers, etc.
-07-09 GT500 Stock Heat Exchanger
Width: 23”
Height: 6”
Thickness : 1.25” (single 1.25” tube)
Frontal Area: 138 sq in
Core Volume: 172.5 cu in
-10-12’ GT500 Stock Heat Exchanger
Width: 22.5”
Height: 5.875”
Thickness : 2” (single 2” tube)
Frontal Area: 132 sq in
Core Volume: 264 cu in
-Roush 3v blower kit Stock Heat Exchanger
Width: 19.5”
Height: 15”
Thickness : .625”
Frontal Area: 292.5 sq in
Core Volume: 182.81 cu in
-Afco Pro Series w/ 10” Fans (new design)
Width: 22.5”
Height: 11.375”
Thickness : 1.25” (single 1.25” tube)
Frontal Area: 255.93 sq in
Core Volume: 319.92 cu in
-Afco Pro Series (old design)
Width: 22.5”
Height: 9”
Thickness : 2” (double 1” tubes)
Frontal Area: 202.50 sq in
Core Volume: 405 cu in
-LFP
Width: 21.75”
Height: 8.125”
Thickness : 2.375”
Frontal Area: 176.71 sq in
Core Volume: 420 cu in
-Saleen Extreme
Width: 32”
Height: 7”
Thickness : 2.125”
Frontal Area: 224 sq in
Core Volume: 476 cu in
-VMP Triple
Width: 24”
Height: 12.25”
Thickness : 2.5”
Frontal Area: 294 sq in
Core Volume: 735 cu in
-13’ GT500 Stock Heat Exchanger
Width: 25”
Height: 10.875”
Thickness : 3.125”
Frontal Area: 271.875 sq in
Core Volume: 849.60 cu in
Let the arguing begin!
.
Last edited:
For 99.9% of applications fans are a waste of money and on average hurt a heat exchangers performance.
Linky to read:
Why You Don’t Want Fans On Your Heat Exchanger
Arguments based on zero evidence of value in 3, 2, 1........
You won't be arguing with me though. I'm outa here!
.
Linky to read:
Why You Don’t Want Fans On Your Heat Exchanger
Arguments based on zero evidence of value in 3, 2, 1........
You won't be arguing with me though. I'm outa here!
.
Last edited:
For 99.9% of applications fans are a waste of money and on average hurt a heat exchangers performance.
Linky to read:
Why You Don’t Want Fans On Your Heat Exchanger
Arguments based on zero evidence of value in 3, 2, 1........
You won't be arguing with me though. I'm outa here!
.
LoL that's your own site, why not own it instead of hiding around it. Also I have noticed a huge benefit in heat soak with fans. Stop and go traffic sucks. Why didn't you touch on that?
Yeah but why do you need low IAT2 temps in traffic when your barely moving anyway which drop as soon as you start moving? The only real purpose fans have is for drag racing in the staging lanes IMO... which is why I dont have them.
Different strokes for different folkS. Heat soak doesn't just go right away so the fans help for that for sure. If it's just a highway cruiser there is no need for fans. For me, I have traffic lights everywhere so if I want to romp on it when the light turns green, the fans make that possible.
A good example of this would be the VMP vs the stock 13' GT500. The VMP will out-perform the 13' GT500 in most situations despite having less volume.
Let the arguing begin!
.
Nice compilation of data...good to have all of that in one place. Is the reason the VMP outperforms the stock unit in most situations because the VMP unit has dual fans and the stocker doesn't?
I’m going to guess it has something to do with VMP having more frontal surface area and less core thickness so the air passes through easier.
For 99.9% of applications fans are a waste of money and on average hurt a heat exchangers performance.
Linky to read:
Why You Don’t Want Fans On Your Heat Exchanger
Arguments based on zero evidence of value in 3, 2, 1........
You won't be arguing with me though. I'm outa here!
.
That’s was a good read hopefully by the time I’m ready to buy a HE there’s will be available, it’d be interesting to see the design that they talk about towards the end of the article. I’d be interested to see how a HE with no fans and the 13-14 pump would perform vs a car with fans
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Here's one part of the fan/no fan debate that's really not discussed, and in my opinion is a critical consideration. The front bumper blocks a pretty good portion of the frontal area of the heat exchanger. I don't care how fast you're going, I don't see air flow bending 90* around the bumper and then another 90* to go through the core. Not having seen DoB's test set up, I'm not sure it would apply to real world driving situations installed in the mustang. I don't discount the fact that air flow at speed is impeded by fans, but if only 60% of the face is exposed to air flow, would the other 40% that's behind the bumper benefit from fans? And would that benefit offset?
Just to illustrate, here's a pic I found with a VMP triple installed without the bumper cover.
Just to illustrate, here's a pic I found with a VMP triple installed without the bumper cover.
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