If you own an M113k-powered Mercedes-Benz you know that keeping the intake air charge cool is one of the biggest headaches of the platform. Any supercharged engine will have increased IATs due to the compression of the charge, but the M113K engine suffers more than others because of the size and placement of the intercooler. The intercooler is relatively small, and it sits under the supercharger, in the “V” of the engine. Heat soak is all but guaranteed after each high speed run.
Things get especially bad at the dragstrip because the car spends a lot of time in the staging lanes with no airflow over the heat exchanger, effectively rendering it useless until you start a pass. By then it’s too late and your IAT’s have likely climbed above 90 degrees, which is where the computer starts to pull timing.
There are various ways of dealing with this issue, such as a larger heat exchanger, larger circulation pumps, or methanol injection. I decided to go a different route and use my A/C to cool the intercooler water, courtesy of Kincaid Performance’s Killer Chiller.