Johnny Lightning Heat Exchanger Reservoir
$299 (polishing is a $50 option; the street version is a $50 option)
Heeeere's Johnny! Sorry, we had to get that out of the way. Anyway, Johnny Lightning Performance (JLP) is a well-established force in the Lightning world, marketing products that deliver a bang for the buck. In our last issue, Johnny hooked us up with his cold-air/ram-air system, blower/crank pulleys, and other pieces to get our test Harley rocking at the back tires. This time around, we asked Johnny to help us control inlet temperatures on the street, but especially at the track. His answer is JLP's larger capacity heat exchanger reservoir.
This unit is designed to install in the stock windshield-washer reservoir location, taking the place of the wimpy, plastic heat-exchanger reservoir. Johnny sent us a street version, which adds a secondary reservoir for your windshield washer fluid, offered for an additional $50. And because we like stuff that's shiny, Johnny hooked us up with the polished version as well, another $50 option. The unit is quite attractive, fits exactly as it should, and took less than an hour for the gang at MD Motorsports to install.
The advantage of the larger reservoir is that it holds fives times the fluid capacity of the stock heat-exchanger reservoir. This has a huge impact on how much heat the entire system can absorb before it is heat soaked.
We opted for the street version,...
We opted for the street version, which means the windshield-wiper fluid reservoir is attached to the heat exchanger reservoir. We also chose to upgrade to the polished version to add a little flare under the hood of our Lightning. Installation was quick and easy and the results can be worth an increase in power and performance.
This thing acts like a big transmission pan," Johnny told us. "The more fluid you have, the cooler the intake charge. It also has the petcock drain on the bottom. You can drain out your intercooler fluid and fill it with ice water. That's how it works best for drag racing, with ice water. We've seen it drop the inlet temperatures 90 degrees. You can even wire it so that the cold water circulates while you're in the pits waiting for a run."
With just the regular fluid in the reservoir, Johnny reports a realistic 40-degree drop in inlet temperatures, which is still significant for street trucks that see late-night action or for those trucking around in the hotter areas of the country during the summer months.
At the dragstrip, Johnny routinely sees his customers drop two tenths off their quarter-mile e.t's. He says those with bracket Lightnings will love this product because the stock intercooler doesn't get heat soaked, and your Lightning stays more consistent for more rounds, giving you an edge on the competition.
Like we said, the install was a snap, and this piece is well made with good welds and a proper fit under the hood. We can't wait to fill it up, get cruising, and test how this increased cooling capacity affects the street (and strip) manners of our test truck.
Johnny Lightning Performance
Dept. FTP
25 Archery Rd.
New Providence, PA 17560
(717) 786-4670
www.johnnylightningperf.com