What colour to paint the charge/inter-cooler

Is it better to have the cooler black or white/silver? As I recall white will reflect heat better but although black absorbs heat better (obviously bad) I believe it also radiates heat better. Which draws me to the conclusion that if you mount the chargecooler somewhere like Peter has where the ambient temperature is similar or higher than the temperature in the cooler that you need to have it white but if you mount it somewhere the ambient temperature is lower than the temp in the cooler (like the original location between the back lights) that it would be better to have the cooler painted black.

Er if anyone can understand what I'm trying to say do they agree!?

Yes ,wot he said ....Though I don't think it matters if the unit is not in the engine bay .The V6 plenum pipe stays cool until you stop then it absorbs heat at a rate of knots After 5 mins it will reach the same temp as the hot side and stays hotter for longer as it's got less surface area .

You're spot on Tony.

For you trivia fans that's why the SR71 spy plane was 'Blackbird' it ran 50 degrees C colder (still 300C tho) by being black due to better radiation of the heat. They used the fuel as a giant heat sink

I guess they could've done the same with Concorde but it would've looked a bit sinister for the most glamorous passenger plane in the world.

For Pete's chargecooler on top of the engine I reckon a good layer of heat wrap would be the way to go. Pete's pretty experienced with the stuff by now I hear!

You shouldn't wrap the chargecooler ,that will keep heat in ,it still radiates a lot of heat .

Any colour reflects heat the exact same amount as it can absorb..ie black absorbs the most, and also radiates the most...

So the only thing that dictates colour choice is where the chargecooler is placed. If its out the way of an external heat source then black, if its got hot air around it, then white, or even better mirror polished. This reflects nigh on all heat.

..but likewise it doesnt radiate....but thats the job of the pump and prerad in the CC system to lose the heat for it...

Really, when you see cars with front mount intercoolers, they should be black instead of silver..

All front mounted water rads are black, this fully supports DGs point too.

Thats good because my chargecooler is between the back lights and I painted it black years ago. Glad to see it was the right choice - alot of work to take out and paint for 1 bhp or so!