Combustion engines have a bad efficiency. This results in a vast amount of heat being liberated when fuel is burned. The heat generated is proportional to the horsepower you use; it may increase at higher RPM's and power levels.

The (waste) heat is removed through the exhaust, and through the radiator. Once you have modified your engine to give better performance, and you have more horsepower, then you need to look at removing the extra heat through the radiator, or extra oil cooler.

Inter-coolers make more horsepower, and add wasted heat. See: INTER-COOLERS. The radiator of a car is designed for a particular application, and is usually limited to the specified horsepower. The car manufacturer has installed a radiator sufficient for the worst conditions, but not for your modification. The efficiency of an existing radiator can be improved by raising the water temperature or the airflow over it.

Here is a list of things you may want to do to improve cooling:

• Remove the air conditioner
• Install an electric fan, oil cooler, bigger radiator
• Remove any airflow obstruction (4x4 winch, bumper etc.)

If you have a turbocharger installation, then some of the exhaust heat is radiated in your engine compartment, which requires shielding of exposed parts.

INTER-COOLERS
An inter-cooler works and looks the same as a normal radiator of a car. The only difference is that an inter-cooler cools air instead of water. Both the inter-cooler and the radiator need to have air passing through/over them to make them work.

Turbo chargers and dry superchargers can only use them. Both of these chargers heat the air in the process of compressing it. The gas law, the way I remember it from school, refers to the absolute zero temperature of -273 degree C. Which means that for every 60 degree C the density changes by 10%. Assuming the engines volumetric efficiency stays the same, then we get 10% more power out of an engine, if we can reduce the inlet air temperature by 60 degree C. Inter-coolers are very important for turbo charged engines, because of the extra heating caused by the exhaust.

The Perfect Power injection systems measure the air temperature, and one can set up a table "enrichment versus air temperature" to compensate for fluctuations. This is needed when a turbocharged car comes to a stop (traffic light) and the inter-cooler stops performing.