Lotus Uprated Charge Cooler

The charge cooler was introduced to the Esprit for the SE models , mechanical changes over the Giugiaro 910S (HC) turbo 2.2-litre were comparatively confined, yet horsepower grew by 14 per cent and torque by 17 per cent. With the standard Lotus charge Cooler, the engine is capable of holding a transient 280bhp for periods of up to 30 seconds.
So by holding the temperature of the charge to as close to the ambient as possible, will result in a more dense fuel air charge. This will increase the volumetric efficiency creating more power and torque. So we come on to the new uprated charge cooler from Alunox.

The core volume has been increased by 2 times. Now we have a greater cooling effect on the air and have a bigger bank of air to supply the plenum chamber.
The bigger the better and the Alunox Cooler is about as big as we can get into the available space, it’s mounted on two rubber mounting bolts with new brackets. The unit is has a curved inlet and outlet design to aid flow.
Installation is very easy with all the hose connections being in the same position as the original unit.
Larger diameter hose connections 19mm for the water feed.
This is a direct fit to the engine bay There is no cutting or any modification.

Driving experience
We can only comment from the driving experience at the moment. Also this was only tested with the standard pump and radiator. You can still feel better torque on boost which doesn’t drop as fast at as the revs climb.
After driving hard, the charge cooler feels cool to the touch when putting your hand on the top surface.
The unit works well with the other modifications and enhances the Alunox manifold further.
Alunox are also looking to produce a high quality aluminium front radiator to match the thermal dynamics of the charge cooler as part of a kit. This will be updated here.
At present the charge cooler for a one off price £950+ VAT