intercooler

[rdh@sli.com (Robert D. Houk)]

     I've never found the cooling to be inadequate or even marginal on the
     ur-Quattros, or 4000Qs for that matter. I've been running my '85 ur
     without the auxiliary radiator for many years with absolutely no problems
     at all. I think that auxiliary radiator is really a bit of serious
     overkill, for environments like So Cal where the ambient might hit over
     100 degrees F and you spend a lot of time in stop-and-go "freeway"
     traffic with the airco on for hours. Never been a problem here in NE for
     sure, even on 100 F days with the airco running.

Well, I live just down the street (OK, InterState) from ya [Arlington], and
I seriously beg to differ on the cooling marginality. It is at best marginal
for hot-weather operation. During the warmer months, just blasting up Rt 2
out of Boston (the mile-long uphill stretch into/through Arlington] will push
the coolant temp well past 220F (A/C off), air temps in the mid-80's, for my
'83 UrQ, "stock" (cam, boost, etc.) engine and radiators.

Hmmm . . . OK, I should rephrase my "objection". For all legal "public roads"
driving, yeah, the cooling system is easily adequate. But there is not a lot
of reserve capacity there to handle hard-driving, like on a track, or sus-
tained "supercruising" on the highway, especially where the weather gets "hot"
(unlike N.E.'s moderate temp extremes).

An overheated head is a bloody expensive proposition to replace(!), so I
would be real real careful about running without the "aux" radiator. If
you're gonna run 'souped up' then I would strongly recommend a temp gauge
to monitor the engine!

					-RDH