Best SSTO Intake?

[Der Anfang]

As of the 1.0 update I see a lot of people using the Shock nose intake over the Ram intake. Or maybe I'm just not paying attention. If I am paying attention, then why is it that the shock nose intake for Spaceplanes seems to be more popular than the ram air intake? What intakes do you prefer?

[Pecan]

None.  I don't use jets on most of my SSTOs.
When I do use jets they're usually on 'planes small enough that about the only thing that will fit are the radial ramps.

Edited December 14, 2015 by Pecan

[rocketbuilder]

The shock cone intake has the least drag, but for mk2 and mk1 it has wayyyy too much air for any engine.

[Starhawk]

1 hour ago, Der Anfang said:

As of the 1.0 update I see a lot of people using the Shock nose intake over the Ram intake. Or maybe I'm just not paying attention. If I am paying attention, then why is it that the shock nose intake for Spaceplanes seems to be more popular than the ram air intake? What intakes do you prefer?

In the current version the shock cone intake is very low drag and drag is extremely important when designing spaceplanes under the new aero regime.  One of my key design constraints for spaceplanes is - "Drag is King."  With the most recent update, many more designers have begun using the precooler (also very low drag being inline) since intake requirements were significantly reduced.

Happy landings!

 

[SpaceplaneAddict]

With 1.0.5, I'm able to use 2 of the "ramp" intakes per engine. Sleek and super (Censored) awesome!

[Der Anfang]

1 minute ago, Starhawk said:

In the current version the shock cone intake is very low drag and drag is extremely important when designing spaceplanes under the new aero regime.  One of my key design constraints for spaceplanes is - "Drag is King."  With the most recent update, many more designers have begun using the precooler (also very low drag being inline) since intake requirements were significantly reduced.

Happy landings!

 

Can you do fine with turbojets sucking air through precoolers alone? And do precoolers serve any purpose beyond looks and intake air? Do they actually do something with the new thermal models and such?

[rocketbuilder]

No, precoolers don't do much other than air, but even 2 turbojets can run of a precooler.

[panzer1b]

For me it depends on the design.  If the intake is going to be on the nose, it will be a shock cone 95% of the time, as it has both lowest drag of every intake, and it also has good thermal properties and wont fry the instant you try to go fast.  Essentially, cost factor aside (its expensive for career), there is absoluteley no reason to use any other intake since the circular is higher drag AND much worse performance, while the ram intake has higher drag (which is considerable issue with it).  With 1.0. drag seems to the one and only major issue with SSTO style craft, and in this case you want to have minimal drag, even if it means more pricy or slightly heavier (shock is heavier now after its nerf in 1.0.5 to over 100kg).

Aside from that, preecoolers, and those small radial (the long narrow rectangular) ones work very well, with 2 of those radials able to feed a single rapier all you want, and the preecooler being lowest drag solution due to well, it being inline.  The rest of the intakes like the new good looking vaccum intake, and the inline ram intake and some others, but overall it all comes down to schock cone and precooler as the 2 major choices for SSTO or anything that isnt a boing 747 replica.