Background:
Understanding the effect that the operating air conditioning (AC) system has on the intake air temperature (IAT) is useful information.
A track like Virginia International Raceway (VIR) is not a place where one would expect to use air conditioning, and in the example below the air conditioner was inadvertently activated partway through a session.
This provides a useful data point for how much the AC system can affect the IAT when using a stock location aftermarket intercooler (IC) under heavy loading.
Data Review:
The first chart is an overview of the session:
Shown next is a boxplot comparison of the average IAT for each condition:
Conclusion:
During a track session at VIR the intake air temperature was recorded with the air conditioning system off, and then on.
Activating the AC resulted in a 20-degree Fahrenheit increase to the IAT when using a stock location aftermarket intercooler.