Mishimoto R-Line Intercooler Vs Unbranded Bells Auto Services

Following on from my last post. When my tuner told me that my intercooler was inefficient I admit that I was skeptical. After all, I had a large 4" core intercooler from a respected brand and his proposal to fit something cheaper, unbranded and from China was not sitting well with me at all! 
However, the fact remained that intake temperatures were holding things back and on the dyno, the car was seeing significant rises. This would obviously have a knock-on effect when using the car, especially on hot sunny days.  

The intercooler I had chosen (for no other reason than I have one of their radiators and an intercooler is like a radiator? No?) was a Mishimoto R-Line Universal 100mm core in black. 

Its description reads as follows: 

"The Mishimoto R-Line intercooler provides the perfect cooling capacity needed for supercharged and turbo charged vehicles. Constructed of 6061 aircraft-quality aluminium for extreme durability, the Mishimoto R-Line intercooler will efficiently reduce induction air temperatures, while significantly improving engine output. Mishimoto front-mount intercoolers are precision TIG welded, offering an enhanced level of performance. The R-Line intercooler will provide the ideal cooling capacity, while safely increasing horsepower and giving that extra boost that every driver appreciates."

It sounds like it ticks all the right boxes for the average man on the street! Alas, it turned out not to be quite as advertised. 

Bells Auto Services in Ropley did a dyno run on the Mishimoto and then the replacement intercooler to see how temperatures compared. The results were pretty staggering. 

As you can see above, the blue line (Temp 1) represents the Mishimoto R-Line, The replacement unbranded intercooler is shown in orange (Temp 2). The Mishimoto not only starts out high but keeps climbing at an exponential rate to 43°C so it is massively inefficient and flys in the face of the advertising blurb. It should also be noted that for this test the bumper was off for the Mishimoto and back on for the replacement. So the Mishimoto had every advantage to shine! 

So in short, I brought badly and although it could be said I did not do my research, I can't say I have seen many comparisons on intercooler efficiency, in fact, I don't think that there are that many (probably a bit of a faff to be bolting and unbolting intercoolers). 

The only change I had made to the replacement intercooler was to have it powder coated in black, not that I believe this helps dissipate heat, I just prefer the stealth look.

So, in conclusion, I am not saying don't but a Mishimoto Intercooler product at all. Do research your selection carefully though.