Until the going gets tough, and charge temps sky rocket, deto and bang. My M8 did not have one and it would have been my next mod for sure if I still had the sled. NM on here is the guy to talk to.
IMHO intercooler all the way. Water to air for our area and riding style. I have been running some air density calcs and the power difference is significant. More consistant IAT should equate to more consistant tuning. Also it may/should help reed life so that in itself is worthwhile. I'll let you know how it works in the field this winter as Neil is hooking me up.
I have a non intercooled Silber kit and this post has just made me realize and potentially be a fix for an issue I've seen on my sled.
I have irregularly hit detonation on my sled for very brief times and usually directly attributed to dropping elevation more than I measured and having boost set too high. Simple fix as always turn down the dial as I already run reasonably good gas. eg. 5 pounds on the trail is good, 10lbs at 8000 ft is good. Now anywhere in the middle of that is at my control and calculation. This is understood and not an issue....
Now there have been other times where I KNOW I am set just right and even a little less boost that I know it's good for. But on hot days and long pulls I was usually surprised to see a Det light come on ---> Now looking back it had to be Hot intake temps...
I've never had it happen in the trees, so technically I think it's a fair weather problem. This also could be used for determination for other people. If beautiful sunny days full of long climbs at 8+lbs of boost are your bag then intercooler is a pretty solid idea. I will take my learnings and ride the ch!t out of mine and repair if I miscalculate. Cloudy deep tree days seem to be my deal.
Im new to turbo sleds, but not new to turbo cars. A turbo will heat the charge quite a bit, more boost = more heat, more heat =more detonation, lean running if your injectors cant keep up with the boost etc. Bad things.
To fight it you retard timing (lose power) or cool the charge (make power). With cars theres a few fixes. Intercooling, meth/water injection, higher octane fuel, nitrous injection, more fuel, etc.
Intercooling is thr obvious first on thr list, it will lower your charge temps and keep your engine in good shape longer. Imo it doesnt.matter if youre running high boost or low boost. It will make your engine happier.