Front Mount Or Not To Front Mount

Cheers!

I'm still developing my A3T, haven't had it long. The car I made reference to with the mods/FMIC was my Polo GTI. Just to prove I CAN withstand ridicule and on occassion, invite it, here's me taking on 1000bhp - 9 sec 1/4 mile monster. Seems my FMIC wasn't 'contributing' enough power afterall :haha:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=fwDGa6euqy8&feature=user

Na, you didn't wet your tyres.....made it an easy win for him:haha:
 
uumm, ..speaking of Porches, spent a day being trained by the Aust 2007 Carrera Cup Champ earlier this year. He flogged my GTI so hard I was almost in tears, ..hit every ripple strip at full speed, on some corners I went white with fear, totally sh*t myself. How it hung on I'll never know (see url).

He also drove the 430 Ferrari in the vid, said he hated it, prefered GT3s and (even) my Polo :blush:. ..hope you have a laugh (at my expense :blink:)..

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=w1O4x-WUKeo&feature=user
 
Sorry to resurrect this thread but I have been considering a FMIC and have read this (and other threads) with great interest. It seems there is a lot of intercoolers available on ebay to make up a cheaper option than a Forge one. My question really is what size of IC should I be looking for as from what I can make out the wrong size IC could either reduce boost pressure or just not be effective at cooling defeting the object. Is there a 'magic' size I should be looking for?

Cheers

<tuffty/>
 
Alot of the cores on ebay are complete *****,be careful which one you buy its not just about buying the right size.
 
Cheers mate, anything I should be looking out for in particular?

<tuffty/>
 
whats are these pipe kits like off ebay...£100 for 8-10 90's and 45's.... anyone any experiance with these? or is it worth looking at samcos...(im trying to make the job as cheap as poss as cant really see point in spending £500 on a kit)
 
Pipes are pipes. As long as you don't go too big on diameter and they are going to hold pressure then you can use any of the ebay stuff. Depends on how neat you want to go. Zenaracing silicone is good quality. I have a fair few pipes from them. Should be nice an easy on the S3, you have most of the pipes in the right place already.
 
With some of the larger FMIC's, is there an issue with airflow to the radiator? On most of the pics I have seen of other installs, the IC covers the majority of the rad...

<tuffty/>
 
With some of the larger FMIC's, is there an issue with airflow to the radiator? On most of the pics I have seen of other installs, the IC covers the majority of the rad...

<tuffty/>
 
There doesn't seem to be a magic size...large enough to cool the boost you want to run yet small enough to physically fit behind the bumper.
Go too big and you introduce lag...
Too small and you don't cool properly.

By large, I mean surface area, as opposed to actual volume. In my mind a good IC will be not much larger in volume than the standard SMICs but of a much larger surface area.

I have never heard of an IC on an S3/A3 being so big that it restricts cooling of the radiator.

Also, consider that a small turbo (like a K04) running silly boost (1.8+ bar) will need more cooling than a K04 running 1.5 bar as at over 1.6 bar ish on a K04 it becomes a very good heat pump and not such a great compressor!...hence the need for proportionally greater cooling as the boost rises.

With a BT conversion, the turbo being so much larger means the heat is much less...so you can usually get away with a smaller IC than a highly strung K04 equipped engine.
 
With some of the larger FMIC's, is there an issue with airflow to the radiator? On most of the pics I have seen of other installs, the IC covers the majority of the rad...

<tuffty/>

Logs have shown a degree or 2 rise, but nothing that will effect the cooling on the whole. No need to worry on that score.

Consider the likes of the new S3 where the IC covers the rad and AC heat exchanger.
 
HTC, the one you have sourced above...is this likely to fit the S3 without cutting?
 
I would be very surprised if it didn't. I'm only going for this size as it fits my pipe work. Something like what Glen had would be good for you.
 
I haven't bought the front mount yet. If you are talking about the pipes, a friend was selling on his pipework. They were custom made and run very neatly through the engine bay so I made him an offer and grabbed them for my car. All the parts including the IC will be painted black for a stealthy look.
 
cheers HTC.... just didnt want to go to that expense as dont think ill get my monies worth out of it
 
I have a 2.5" pipe kit from them and the pipes are good,clips are ok but the couplers are complete *****,very thin.
 
also Glen do you have a full frontal picture of your old set up.... i want to keep the foggy's..
 
sorry, I was actually asking about your side mount one. I guess it's not the standard A3 one?

Right, with ya.

This is my current IC from boost factory.

BFSMIC_009_600x450.jpg
 
also Glen do you have a full frontal picture of your old set up.... i want to keep the foggy's..


Sure do:
ForgeFMICInstalledNo5.jpg


ForgeFMICwithBumperOnNo3.jpg


There was a black Forge built FMIC and a Forge built, modified Golf 4 SMIC on the drivers side too (not as deep as HTCs though).

Foglight fitted just fine...there was slight trimming of the bumper in behind, but no trimming of the bumper bar.
 
What depth of FMIC would require trimming of the bumper bar? I have seen 65mm and 76mm ICs on ebay. Would be nice to keep the strength in the bumper bar not that it would save the FMIC if you hit anything either way I guess but would be less of a PITA for insurance purposes if you did have an accident?

<tuffty/>
 
cheers Glen, unfortunately these were the ones i found on a previous thread:laugh:

I could do with a full frontal to see what bends i need over and above what is in the above kit......

chars

Tim
 
Hey Glen,
You managed to get your fog lights back in using the Forge kit. Did you notice whether the fitment of the foglights were affected?

I notice a small gap on the under side of the foglights, because the charge pipes have pushed them up slightly. Can't see a way to get round this. Any advice?

Cheers,
Glen
 
Hey Glen,
You managed to get your fog lights back in using the Forge kit. Did you notice whether the fitment of the foglights were affected?

Mine wasn't the Forge kit as such...
It was a bespoke kit that Star Performance did for me (thd then went on to sell in limited numbers) which was actually fabricated by Forge. I know Russell at forge quite well, so I asked them to anodise it black for me.
I had the pipework powder coated to suit.

I'm unsure how and if the pipework differs between what I had, and what Forge now sell.
I think the current production Forge kit is bigger...

Have you tried contacting forge directly?
Every time I've ever dealt with them I've found them happy to bend over backwards to sort out issues - one of the genuinely superb companies left in my view.
Might be worth a phone call?


The SMIC I had was a Forge production Mk4 Golf unit modified bt Forge to suit the S3. I'm not sure how it differs (if at all) as again, I relied on my contact in Russell to sort it out, as he had an S3 in at the time to mock up on. I also had that anodised black, by Forge.
 
cheers Glen, unfortunately these were the ones i found on a previous thread:laugh:

I could do with a full frontal to see what bends i need over and above what is in the above kit......

chars

Tim

I'll search my Laptop HD when I get off shift - if I remember!
Remind me...

Basically, my kit went like this:

Samco boost pipe from hard pipe round engine to top of drivers SMIC - Samco 45 degree bend from out of the drivers SMIC, coming forward - hose joining piece the size of the SMIC outlet - Samco 90 degree reducing bend from the joining piece into the FMIC (the bit you can see on the left of the pic) - FMIC - Samco 90 degree bend from the FMIC into a length of pipe (on the right of the pic) - Samco 90 degree bend (squashed slightly) into the standard plastic charge pipe where the MAP sensor is - Samco boost pipe to the TB, cut and joined with a DV take off connection fitted, as I had my DV fitted on the cold side, not the hot side as standard.

2 things to note:
I used Mikanor clamps everywhere, as shown in the photo as I used to blow Jubilee clips off at over 1.85 bar of boost...

And I used to struggle to keep the DV 'plug' in place where I had blanked the standard DV take off point on the hardpipe round the back of the engine. It never actually blew out...but it would 'creep' slowly as if it were going to.
Never did solve that one...
 
i went from SMIC to FMIC on a stock 1.8t and saw a 2-3 mpg increase in fuel efficiency.
inlet temps were down about 15-20 degrees
my car is not mapped, but held onto its power band much longer after hard driving.
always felt like a baloon running out of air before.

I got mine free but i would recommend them over an SMIC anyday
 
ok im thinking of this pipe set http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/2-5-TURBO-INTERCOOLER-PIPE-PIPING-DIY-KIT-64MM-BLUE_W0QQitemZ350126802101QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM?hash=item350126802101&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1432%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318 with the theory that thinner pipe will reduce lag and make fitting the fogs easier, connecting these to a reducer at th FMIC, would ideally like to run the 90's off the FMIC tilting them upwards, then cutting down the 75 degrees bends to fit to the existing pipework

any opinions here....only problem i can think of is turning up the 90 bends towards the existing pipe, may not be enough room.....

ive also noticed from looking at previous posts that Glen was able to fit fogs as the FMIC appeared lower than most others posted on here...i assume that this was a contributing factor Glen?

these Mikalor clips.... which did you use Glen, the Supra's or the Supra W4's?
 
ive also noticed from looking at previous posts that Glen was able to fit fogs as the FMIC appeared lower than most others posted on here...i assume that this was a contributing factor Glen?

My FMIC was made to fit behind the lower grille of the bumper...and the fitment was where it was purely to ease plumbing it in.
Also, my core wasn't especially large...I didn't want to fit the biggest thing on the planet as the K04 doesn't move that much air, so by going too large you'd add lag.
My car was mapped to give huge low down torque...so I didn't want lag.


these Mikalor clips.... which did you use Glen, the Supra's or the Supra W4's?

Hell, it was 5-6 years ago...I can't remember!
They were the fully stainless ones. They never blew off!
 
chars Glen!! :)

Im looking at a similar size to that item HTC has been looking at, not going to be cutting crash bar etc.... pretty much an educated guess game i think...the forum has helped loads!!

Only other thing im worried about is the connecting pipes in the kit, think ill probably buy a long piece of silicone pipe or connectors depending which is cheapest
 
Right...pictures as promised, of my old S3.
To save going back and adding in...pics from the air inlet, through airbox, turbo pipework, ICs and to the TB.

Here we go:
Air inlet to airbox - 4" Subwoofer port:
ColdAirFeedPickUpPointNo4.jpg


Past the battery tray:
AirboxColdAirFeedNo4.jpg


Into Airbox:
ModifiedAirboxNo1.jpg


ModifiedAirboxNo2.jpg


Installed:
ColdAirFeedInstalled.jpg


Then though the TIP (you surely don't need a picture of that?), through the turbo, and into the hard pipe.

Standard:
StandardTurboPipeNo1.jpg


StandardTurboPipeNo3.jpg


Modified:
ModifiedTurboPipeNo1.jpg


ModifiedTurboPipeNo3.jpg


Hard pipe to drivers SMIC:
ForgeSMICInstalledNo1.jpg


Through this:
ForgeSMICNo2.jpg


Out of SMIC, 45 degree bend, coupler, 90 degree reducing elbow and into FMIC:
ForgeSMICInstalledNo7.jpg


Through this:
ForgeFMICNo1.jpg


Out of FMIC, 90 degree bend and into a section of hard pipe (powder coated vlack obviously!):
ForgeFMICInstalledNo6.jpg


More pics:
ForgeFMICInstalledNo1.jpg


ColdAirFeedPickUpPointNo4.jpg


Out of the aforementioned section of pipe, 90 degree bend, into the standard plastic hard pipe where the MAP sensor is:
ForgeFMICInstalledNo4.jpg


From the top:
SamcoTurboHosePassSideNo6.jpg


And into the hose to the TB (Note MAP sensor):
SamcoTurboHosePassSideNo3.jpg


Then to the TB:
SamcoTurboHosePassSideNo7.jpg


I couldn't find any pictures of it with the DV re-located to the hose shown above.

Covers back on:
ModifiedPipeInstalledNo6.jpg


...and from the outside:
ForgeFMICwithBumperOnNo3.jpg


Intercoolers? I see no intercoolers :whistle2:
Standard look. Just the way I like it....but with a spot of badge engineering to make people think...and the performance to back it up.

...and I know some of the pictures have been posted before. :p
 
I'm unsure how and if the pipework differs between what I had, and what Forge now sell.
I think the current production Forge kit is bigger...

Have you tried contacting forge directly?
Every time I've ever dealt with them I've found them happy to bend over backwards to sort out issues - one of the genuinely superb companies left in my view.
Might be worth a phone call?

Thanks for the info Glen.

Fantastic photos by the way. Excellent quality.
 
Brilliant cheers Glen..... good to see a start to finish job

that breather pipe is huge!!
 

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