Jackson Racing water to air Intercooler

[5/1/2001] Reviewed by: Mike Shepherd - mshepherd@deandortonford.com

Applicable to: '90 - '97 '99 + 1.6 liter 1.8 liter

This is a new air to water intercooler for the Jackson Racing Supercharger.

Like my experience with other Jackson Racing products I have purchased this is a high quality/well made product. It looks fantastic sitting under the hood and really compliments my polished valve cover. I installed this product on a 1991 Miata. Unlike one previous reviewer, who installed the product on a 1999 Miata, I did not think the instructions were that great. They seemed to provide pictures for sections of the install that were obvious, but neglected to add a couple of pictures that would have been really helpful (like the mounting of the pump). I also believe a couple of the instructions were just wrong. It took me over 4 hours to do the install, but if I had to do another one, I think I could do it in an hour.

Other than the install problems I am very pleased with the product. The pump I have is VERY quiet. You cannot hear it at all with the motor running.....this is contrary to what some others have said. Maybe I just got lucky with my pump. I think the cooler will do a more than adequate job of cooling for JR supercharged applications. Initial tests indicate temp drops from 30 to 70 degrees.

Over 30 minutes to remove completely


[4/30/2001] Reviewed by: Brian Machi - bmachi@nam.org

Applicable to: '90 - '97 '99 + 1.6 liter 1.8 liter

I recently installed the Jackson Racing Air/Water Intercooler on my SC’ed ’95 M Edition. The kit comes with everything you need for the install except for brackets to attach the heat exchanger in front of the radiator. The install is not terribly difficult and nothing except the coolant overflow tank is permanently altered. The overflow tank must be tapped for the coolant lines. The most difficult step was getting the heat exchanger down in front of the radiator. I found that it fit very nicely down through the opening where the hood latch lock/release is bolted in front of the radiator. The hood latch lock/release is bolted in with 4 screws. The heat exchanger can be dropped in place once the hood latch is out and moved to the side.

As I mentioned before, there are no supplied brackets to attach the heat exchanger to anything in front of the radiator. I found a simple solution was to secure it with about 8 thick zip-ties. The heat exchanger is rather light and the zip-ties hold it in place very securely. Once coolant was added to the reservoir, I started the car up. It took a few minutes at first for the water pump on the intercooler to fill the heat exchanger and the intercooler with coolant. I assume this was due to all the air in the empty system. Once the system was full of coolant, it really began to move the coolant through the system at a very high rate. I was impressed.

I went on a long hard drive immediately after checking the hoses for leaks. I drove very hard for well over an hour. It was almost 80 degrees outside. After returning home, I popped the hood and much to my surprise was delighted to find that the JR intercooler seems to work as advertised. The elbow leading from the SC into the intercooler was scorching hot. The elbow leaving the intercooler into the manifold was lukewarm at most. The coolant in the overflow reservoir was also only lukewarm. Besides the very nicely manufactured intercooler, there is nothing else fancy about the JR A/W IC kit. The hoses, pump and heat exchanger, or similar quality pieces, could probably be bought at any auto parts store. JR’s 1k price tag is a bit high for most the quality of the components in the kit. However, the JR intercooler itself is pretty nice though. If you want a kit that has almost everything you need, that works very well and is easy to install, the JR kit may be for you.

Over 30 minutes to remove completely


[3/14/2001] Reviewed by: Russell Rudez - EunosRoadster99@aol.com

Applicable to: '90 - '97 '99 +

The JR w/a IC is basically your ordinary water to air intercooler. Very efficient, cools intake air temps dramatically allowing higher timing.

The thing looks GREAT in the engine bay. Nice big chrome can really pops out at you. Installation was a breeze, very good instructions and very straightforeward. I can offer one tip: Be sure the lines work with gravity. I found in my initial install, the hoses I ran were a little too long, causing uphill travel. I made some adjustments and turned the ignition on. "Whiiiiiiiiiiiiiir" I can see the water leaving the tank and re-entering. I turn the car and and the pressure REALLY kicks up! I worried about using coolant thinking "Wont it be hot?" but no, this coolant pumps through SO FAST there is no time for the water to become hot, it moves through the heat exchanger and into the IC. Upon driving HARD for an hour, I went home, popped the hood and it was as if I had been sitting my car with it off for 8 hours. No heat what so ever. I'm not sure if the Hp rating bumped up... All and all, very good investment! I highly recommend picking one up! Russ and MAX

I cant stop saying how much I love this. Best money Ive spent so far, not accounting for the Supercharger... :-)

Under 30 minutes to remove completely


Back to Product Reviews 16 May, 2001