Next Cadillac update? Intercooler FMHE or Exhaust

I am split on my next Cadillac update.  The choices are to replace the mufflers with performance, high flow mufflers, or to begin to experiment with intercooler cooling system improvements.

For the exhaust I am settled on replacing the stock, low-noise mufflers with Magnaflow 14326 mufflers.  The exhaust system itself is stainless steel, and appears to already be bent properly.  The cost should be around $100 ea x2 for the hardware, plus installation.  I suspect it will free up 10-15 whp.

The intercooler system uses Laminova tubes with a small heat exchanger in front of the car.  I plan to add a 2nd front mounted heat exchanger in serial with the stock heat exchanger.    The original LC3 testing was done assuming harsh heat conditions with high intercooler coolant temps.  Later when required to SAE certify, the engineers also needed to reduce the temperature  for the intercooler coolant; the engine famously went from 440hp with the original assumptions to 469 hp with the cooler assumptions.  So I suspect that anything we can do to reduce the temperature of the intercooler coolant is worthwhile in terms of more hp.

Technically, reducing the intercooler air temp does not add more oxygen to the air, since at that point the mass of air coming into the system out of the supercharger is fixed.  However, what cooler air across the intercooler does do is allow the LC3 engine to run more timing, which it will do automatically, and achieve more power.  Reducing the temperature of the intercooler coolant is one way to achieve cooler intercooler exhaust (IAT2).

Another thumbrule I have read is that Laminova heat exchangers operate best if the area of the heat exchanger is equal to the area of the coolers.    I had to think about that a bit to understand what was meant.    For the Cadillac the area of the Laminova coolers would be 96 square inches.  The area of the stock heat exhanger would be 21×14=294 square inches, which would appear to meet the thumbrule.

It is inviting to do something really revolutionary like put an intercooler reservoir in the spare tire compartment and run hoses the length of the Cadillac, but probably better to stay conservative for a daily driver.

I am happy with my Ambient / IAT / IAT2 measurement capability.  I would like to have a direct measure of intercooler coolant temp before the next changes, but I am unsure how best to achieve and log that.

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