Quest for Intercooler heat exchanger air flow

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I’ve been thinking about how to make my intercooler heat exchanger more effective before I add more parts.

The intercooler heat exchanger on the 2008 Cadillac STS-V is a small radiator in front of a line of other coolers and the main radiator – item 29 below.

STS-V LC3 Intercooler Flow path & Parts

Air flow paths are key to the performance of any radiator type cooling system. In this case the heat exchanger is facing cool air.

I intended to study the ducting to see what minor improvements could be made — such as sealing air flow to the bottom of the heat exchanger.  However, I was surprised to find that although Cadillac engineered exactly for this item, the plan for my STS-V is not working at the moment.

The way it is supposed to work is that there is a plastic belly pan below the nose of the car, running below the intercooler heat exchanger.  On top of the plastic belly pan is a long rectangular piece of foam that will nicely seal the air flow under the heat exchanger but still allow the water hoses to and from it to pass through.  However, on my STS-V the belly pan is sagging in the middle, and the foam is no longer sealing the lower part of the heat exchanger but rather allowing 2-3 inches of gap for air to flow through.  Since air will always take the path of least resistance, every bit that can is sliding under the car and away instead of cooling my intercooler.

Cadillac STS-V radiator air deflector

My belly pan (item 9) is missing any fasteners #8, which appear to be 14093088 although not shown in this diagram  — so that item 7, the foam bar, fills the gap there.

25802477 DEFLECTOR. Radiator Air
DEFLECTOR,FRT AIR. Required: 01For: DX (2006-2009) (2008 – 2009).

15248340 SEAL. Radiator Support Mounting
SEAL,RAD AIR LWR. Required: 01For: D29 (2005-2011) (2008 – 2009).

14093088 RETAINER; RETAINER FRONT. RETAINER. Front Fender Inner Wheel House. Air Cleaner Intake. Bumper/Fascia. Bumper/Fascia Energy Absorber. Capsule/Headlamp Washer/Wiper. Chassis/Engine Wiring Harness. Cowl Top Vent Louver. Engine Coolant Recovery. Folding Top Compartment. Front and Rear Bumper/Fascia Face. Front Compartment Pan. RETAINER FRT. Grooved. License Plate. Main Wiring Junction and Fuse Block. Mobile Telephone Radio. Radiator Air. Radiator Baffle and Shroud. Radiator Fan Shroud. Radiator Grille and Front End Panel. Rocker Panel Molding. Roof Headlining.

So tomorrow I will check with Pep Boys and Crest and see if I can get 2 retainers and put my intercooler heat exchanger back in the air flow.

Cadillac CTS-V Wins About.com Best Performance Car Award 2012

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NEW YORK — The Cadillac CTS-V is the winner of About.com’s 2012 Readers’ Choice Award for Best Performance Car.

Now in its fifth year, the About.com Readers’ Choice Awards honor the best products, features and services across more than a dozen categories, ranging from technology to hobbies to parenting and more, as selected by its readers.

“This year’s Readers’ Choice Awards program had a record number of nominations submitted across dozens of categories and featured hundreds of finalists,” said Margot Weiss, managing editor, About.com. “We are thankful to all our readers for their participation and congratulate Cadillac on their success.”

Cadillac CTS-V was selected by About.com readers over other finalists including the Ford Mustang Boss 302, Chevrolet Corvette, BMW M3 and Lotus Evora.

The family of CTS V-Series performance models includes a sedan, coupe and wagon – all powered by a supercharged 6.2L V-8 that delivers 556 horsepower (415 kW) and is backed by either a six-speed manual transmission or a six-speed automatic. A collection of technical and performance elements complement the powertrain, including Magnetic Ride Control, Brembo brakes and Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 performance tires mounted on 19-inch forged aluminum wheels.

“It’s no surprise to me that readers chose the CTS-V — its blend of outlandish power, precise handling, and breathtaking styling, especially in coupe form, make it one of the best performance cars in General Motors history,” said Aaron Gold, Guide to Cars, About.com.

Cadillac XTS Safety Seat Alerts Drivers to Dangers

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Industry-first directional seat vibrations alert drivers to crash threats

DETROIT – When the all-new Cadillac XTS luxury sedan begins production this spring, it will be the industry’s first car to use directional tactile sensation – vibrations of the driver’s seat bottom – to warn of crash threats while driving and parking.

The patented Cadillac Safety Alert Seat generates vibrating pulse patterns on the left and/or right side of the lower bolster to alert the driver of potential dangers, such as drifting from a traffic lane or toward nearby objects while parking. Threats from the front and rear trigger pulses on both sides of the seat.

“It’s good to see automakers experimenting with new technology to help communicate to drivers when their driving is about to get them into trouble,” said Adrian Lund, president of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. “We commend GM for their innovative use of haptic feedback and hope that drivers find it helpful.”

The system works in tandem with other visual alerts, and research shows that it can quickly and accurately focus driver attention to the direction of potential dangers.

“It’s akin to someone tapping on your shoulder in a crowd to get your attention,” said, General Motors Active Safety Technical Fellow Raymond Kiefer. “Using the tactile sense to communicate crash threat direction provides an effective and intuitive way to cut through the clutter of visual and auditory sensory information that drivers routinely experience.”

The seats are part of the Cadillac Driver Awareness and Driver Assist packages, a combination of active safety systems designed to help drivers avoid crashes. The Driver Awareness Package, available for the launch of the Cadillac XTS this spring, includes Forward Collision Alert, Lane Departure Warning, Side Blind Zone Alert and Rear Cross Traffic Alert.

The Driver Assist Package, available this fall, also uses the Safety Alert Seat and features Adaptive Cruise Control, Automatic Collision Preparation, and Front and Rear Automatic Braking Systems.

The Drive Assist Awareness and Driver Assist packages will also be available this year in the Cadillac ATS luxury sedan and SRX luxury crossover.

According to Kiefer, GM research shows that the seat may direct driver attention to the location of a crash threat more quickly and accurately than beeping alerts.

“Vibrating alerts also may help drivers who do not hear beeping alerts due to hearing loss or competing noises, and may be preferred by drivers and passengers who might be annoyed by beeps and shut crash avoidance features off,” Kiefer said. “The last thing we want is for drivers to turn off features with safety benefits.”

The Safety Alert Seat works with a variety of sensors and cameras installed in the car that help “intelligently” decide when to activate warnings. For example, if a turn signal is on, lane departure warnings are not presented.

Safety Alert Seat vibrations can be selected by the driver, via an in-vehicle menu, to replace the audible beeping alerts used across much of the industry.

The seats also will be connected to the XTS Park Assist system and Rear Cross Traffic Alert system to help make parking in tight spaces easier.

Using exterior cameras, drivers can see the outside of the car along with dynamic parking guides on the eight-inch LCD screen, located on the center instrument panel. As the car backs up, the seat provides a few quick pulses to both sides of the seat when an object is first detected directly behind the car, and then provides repeated pulses when an object is closer. Meanwhile, the Rear Cross Traffic Alert system looks for approaching cross traffic behind the vehicle that is signaled with either left or right pulses to the driver.

“We feel customers will appreciate the intuitive elegance of the Safety Alert Seat, and more importantly, will appreciate the ‘good vibrations’ afforded by the features linked to this seat,” Kiefer said.