There's a few really good points made here. Forgive me if I go on a little, but I assure you that none of the following was copied from some other web site
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To start with, as everyone has said, horsepower, or more directly, torque increases with air density. To put is simply, the more mass of air you can get into a cylinder the more force the combustion process will have on that cylinder when it's lit. Typical fluids, air included, get less dense with higher temperature, meaning there is less mass of a given volume as the temperature of the fluid increases. The fuel metering system in the car can sense the increase or decrease in air temperature and volume and adjust fuel flow accordingly, allowing for the proper mixture for good combustion.
Topless, it's true that a turbine engine, such as a jet on an airplane can also make more power under cooler air conditions, but power isn't the reason for the longer runway needed for take-off. That's due to the differences in ar density providing differences in lift. Hotter air, being less dense, provides less lift so the plane needs to be going faster before the lift force is sufficient to raise the plane.
Gary in BR, an intercooler uses outside air to cool the intake charge of a turbocharged engine. The charge has been heated by the act of compressing the air. It is then passed a radiator that exchanges heat with air from the outside of the car to bring the charge temp closer to atmospheric. In a normally aspirated engine, there is no compression of the intake charge so air temp doesn't raise anywhere close to that of a turbocharged car Running the intake air through a radiator that can't lower temps below atmospheric anyway would serve little purpose. Intercooling is a huge airflow restriction that can only be justified if the effects of the pressure drop are offset by the effects of providing a cooler intake charge.
Lil Red
2009 Porsche Cayman 2.9L
Porscha
Hybrid Mode
