Front mount better than top mount?

[Guest]

Hello,

I just got owned on another forum about Legacys.

From my past experience with turbo cars, I have found front mount intercoolers are not really worth it over a good top mount. My reasons are;

1 - a FMIC will just block airflow to the radiator causing heat soak

2 - a FMIC has lag issues *(TMIC more responsive)

3 - a FMIC wont benefit if it can be fully exposed due to closed bumper design

Thoughts, agree, disagree?

Thanks

Will

[subieboy]

uhm define owned...

IMHO:

My personal view is on a FACTORY standard car like a GT/GTB leggy a front mount will probably increase lag..., but much more likely top get heatsoak in a topmount IC...

As for increased heatsoak - if you were in Cairns/Darwin/Perth/Brisbane etc and stuck in traffic mayhap - easy fix - fit a higher flow electric fan

As for closed bumper design - Supercheap/Bunnings/M10/et al $20 for a jigsaw...

[zarnah]

oh no not another top mount/frontmount discussion!!!!!! I see where this is headed........

[Joker]

no this is good - we havnt had one of these before....

FMIC is only good at speed - wait no so is TMIC

um

they are the same

[zarnah]

oh yea sorry got my wires crossed I think im thinking of the infamous frontmount vs. water to air intercooler thread.......

[BC5RA]

 zarnah said:

oh yea sorry got my wires crossed I think im thinking of the infamous frontmount vs. water to air intercooler thread.......

Hopefully that got cleared up for you all.

[G-unit]

never owned a car with f-mount but my old gtir had a massive top mount and would lag like hell from a stationary position on a hot day,the TT was never that bad

[Guest]

 BigWillieStyles said:

Hello,

I just got owned on another forum about Legacys.

From my past experience with turbo cars, I have found front mount intercoolers are not really worth it over a good top mount. My reasons are;

1 - a FMIC will just block airflow to the radiator causing heat soak Yes it does but is only an issue at the track for some

2 - a FMIC has lag issues *(TMIC more responsive) FMIC can be more laggy yes

3 - a FMIC wont benefit if it can be fully exposed due to closed bumper design yes you need to have any IC ducted to work well

Thoughts, agree, disagree?

[Guest]

 BigWillieStyles said:

Hello,

I just got owned on another forum about Legacys.

From my past experience with turbo cars, I have found front mount intercoolers are not really worth it over a good top mount. My reasons are;

1 - a FMIC will just block airflow to the radiator causing heat soak

2 - a FMIC has lag issues *(TMIC more responsive)

3 - a FMIC wont benefit if it can be fully exposed due to closed bumper design

Thoughts, agree, disagree?

Thanks

Will

1. This is a possibility

2.Yes, it can be more laggy.

3.Correct.

All the points you have mentioned can be sorted out by intelligent design of the FMIC system. Twist your mainfold around and you shorten the piping path significantly.

Lack of airflow due to bumper design..well choose a core that fits the hole in the bumper you have....or make the hole bigger.

Blocking airflow to the radiator....well possibly a better radiator system, slight moving from the factory radiator or adding larger fans for increased cooling can help alleviate this problem.

[Guest]

 BigWillieStyles said:

From my past experience with turbo cars, I have found front mount intercoolers are not really worth it over a good top mount. My reasons are;

I agree for a street car a good top mount is more than adequate. Recently in Aussie a guy dynoed 300kw atw on a good aftermkt top mount. Which is probably more power than 99% of all the front mounted cars in NZ...

With the latest Sti style TMICs people are running 11 second qtrs. Which would have been unheard of not so long ago.

Its certainly a viable option.

[Guest keltik]

Personally id rather a top mount intercooler because;

1) Easier to maintain - less chance of getting rocks through it

2) Easier to install - less pipework to leak

3) Just as easy to run a water sprayer setup onto - in fact could be easier than a front mount

4) Will easily handle high power - a lot of very macho cars run top mounts with no issues

[Johnnynz]

I am in the top mount club atm.

I am very wary of any lag because im not looking to run massive power at any stage (220-240ish KW is my final goal). So I want the power I have to be avalable as early as possible.

When I do get a FMIC later in the year I will be flipping the Manifold and intercooler to significantly shorten the piping and lag.

I have heard of guys having some real succes with this. I think Tony (ronin) runs this sort of setup and seeing pics of his was when I decided to go FMIC eventualy. Before that I was goign to try a v7 top mount.

[pl0x]

I have a front mount at mo & flipped manifold so i cant comment on the lag because never had it any different

but i get no overheating probs and everything is standard fan setup etc

i like the look of front mounts but i am still trying to cut/mould the bumper to suit and get it looking good.

[Guest GOTBUD]

 keltik said:

Personally id rather a top mount intercooler because;

1) Easier to maintain - less chance of getting rocks through it

2) Easier to install - less pipework to leak

3) Just as easy to run a water sprayer setup onto - in fact could be easier than a front mount

4) Will easily handle high power - a lot of very macho cars run top mounts with no issues

What high horsepower cars run the top mount ?

[Guest]

This one is pretty quick with a tmic

and

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87aN0fB284Q

this is pretty quick too.

[Guest keltik]

By high power im talking about up to 240kw which is all most people are going to achieve

BT runs a top mount in his Spec C

[Guest GOTBUD]

Sorry I would have considered "High Power" to be more around the 300kw mark which seems to be the norm these days. We were making 270kw+ out of GC8's back in 2002.

I am yet to see a Subaru that doesn't perform better with a front mount rather than a top mount.

Wouldn't really consider BT's car in the high horsepower bracket.

[Guest keltik]

While i agree 240kw isnt exaclty that high, AND tests prove a FMIC actually gives a colder air temp. In your average persons Legacy for the sort of work MOST people will do - a front mount wont give much benefit against the costs of implementing.

[Guest GOTBUD]

I do agree that your average persons Legacy will not benefit from a front mount.

However the cost of a better top mount can be quite scary compared with the cost of some of the Front Mount that are rolling around on Trade me at the moment

[Guest keltik]

Ah good discussion - i see theyre cheaper than the last time i looked

[BC5RA]

Most average persons Legacy won't benefit from any sort of intercooling upgrade; as they will never raise boost levels beyond the OE coolers capability, no point in installing a FMIC just because it's cheaper than an after market TMIC; unless it's a pre-emptive modification leading on to other power adder's.

Ultimately you want to put an intercooler in the best possible place for flow/cooling which as we've seen is front mounted.

WRC car's don't make huge power and are very efficently FMICooled.

[Guest]

i cant believe people are seriously debating this topic.

gotta be the most common, oldest suby question. just use google ffs.

but since contribution is crucial (wouldn't want to be mod-fkd or anything), FMIC FTW

[Guest]

Just for my 10c worth

I prefer to be on top !!

[zarnah]

^^^i definately dont prefer to be in front thats for sure.......... although my car runs a front mount

[Guest]

700hp of SMIC fun

Seriously it doesn't matter where you put the intercooler as long as its big enough and gets airflow...