FMIC advice, 2.0t

[Joeyenz]

Morning all, Having a look at some FMIC options, something that looks relatively stock, preferably no blue silic hoses all over the front end. I work in a sprayshop so will probably get the core and pipe bits sprayed in a neutral black or something if it will not inhibit the cooling too much. After a full height rather than the ones that sit only below the front bumper bar, something that looks a little like the AWE tuning one minus the 1k price tag if at all possible.

Do the fleabay ones offer much less performance wise or are they just cheaper as not embossed with a big name badge? Seems to me like if they are both large core alloy jobbies then they will work as well as eachother in theory? Thanks all!

 

[Metalsmurf]

Morning. If you are staying with the KO3 turbo then I'm led to believe that the alloy ended one from an S3 is the best one to get.

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[Joeyenz]

Morning. If you are staying with the KO3 turbo then I'm led to believe that the alloy ended one from an S3 is the best one to get.

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Thanks a lot! How is fitment from an s3 one on an a4? Presumably need to buy some piping and joins separately or can you just get adapting pieces to fit from the twin side cooler setup? Just took a look and they seem like reasonable money, i'm so far planning on staying ko3 with HFC and FMIC then a map to stage 1 as i'm no mechanic and need to do more research before going any further.

 

[Metalsmurf]

I'm not 100%. I was looking to go down this road myself but I think I'm just gonna leave the power alone now as it's my daily and I don't want it to go pop. Pipe work didn't worry me too much as I'm a fabricator so I didn't look too much into it. I know the guys in the a3's and golfs use that intercooler for the KO3 a lot. I'm sure it's not gonna be too complicated and I'm sure it's been done a million times by now. Good luck and hopefully someone who has done it will pipe up!

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[Joeyenz]

Thanks pal, i'll get trawling now.

 

[Rob Avant]

Thumbs up for the AWE from me. It’s not cheap but performs and looks good. If you shop around you’ll get it cheaper than advertised. I went down this route as I plan on keeping the car for a long time and it’s a really easy kit to fit. Keeps the OEM crash bar in place too.

 

[Charlie Farley]

how does it effect your cooling air flow to the rad behind chap, looks like quite a large area that its being partially obstructed.

 

[Rob Avant]

how does it effect your cooling air flow to the rad behind chap, looks like quite a large area that its being partially obstructed.

I’ve not had any problems thus far. I don’t seem to see any difference with the engine temps, even when stuck in town traffic for some time. Although we’ve not had an abundance of warm days since I’ve had it fitted, I guess only time will tell.

 

[Dan_Avant]

I want to keep the OEM look so went for the Evolution Raceworks dual SMIC upgrade. Again, it's not cheap as it has to be imported from America but is a direct replacement for stock, no modifications required. 034 Motorsport also do silicone hoses which are a perfect fit.

Here's a link if you want to have a read - http://www.evolutionracewerks.com/node/57

 

[Joeyenz]

Thanks for all the help lads. @Rob Avant Awe tuning one seems to be around 1200 at a glance, presumably getting cheaper still about say 800 lowest? and @Dan_Avant the side mounted look sweet as and more of the stock feel that i want from the front end, did you self install and how did it go? I have done some stuff in that area on the tdi but it was pretty tight after retrofitting the washer jet & fluid bottle, have you got HIDs/jets fitted?

Think in leaning to the s3 fmic as it looks relatively stock, and while i'm sure both mentioned above would be a better choice for big power im at least telling myself we wont take them past 300bhp, presumably fine from an s3 rated ic?

 

[VAG-Slag]

Morning all, Having a look at some FMIC options, something that looks relatively stock, preferably no blue silic hoses all over the front end. I work in a sprayshop so will probably get the core and pipe bits sprayed in a neutral black or something if it will not inhibit the cooling too much. After a full height rather than the ones that sit only below the front bumper bar, something that looks a little like the AWE tuning one minus the 1k price tag if at all possible.

Do the fleabay ones offer much less performance wise or are they just cheaper as not embossed with a big name badge? Seems to me like if they are both large core alloy jobbies then they will work as well as eachother in theory? Thanks all!

Regarding ebay coolers - they're generally pretty good... Just make sure it's "bar and plate" construction and not "tube and fine". Also make sure it's braised, some of the really cheap ones are glued.

I've custom made coolers for my A3 and S4 using ebay coolers and generic bits of piping from Creation Mororsport and/or Auto Silicone Hoses, both with good results and can still be stealth if you're careful! . .

Also, for the standard k03 turbo I would argue the size of the AWE is overkill

 

[Rob Avant]

Agreed. The AWE is definitely overkill for the K03. With the possibility of going higher in the future I thought it best to fit big. If you haggle with the various suppliers out there you’re looking around the £1k mark, definitely not the cheapest option but simple to fit and looks good. If you’re after a more OEM look, stick to upgraded side mounts. The Evolution Raceworks Dan has are a great option.

 

[Dan_Avant]

I haven't fitted them yet but I will be in the next couple months. I want to fit my catch can before I put the intercoolers and turbo on so I can keep the intake side of things as clean as possible. I don't have washers in my bumper but the SMIC upgrade retains all features as it is a straight swap for the stock units and all pipework remains in stock location.

The S3 intercooler is a good choice. You can pick them up for a decent price and are good for 300+ hp.

 

[Charlie Farley]

What catch tank setup are you going with chap.

 

[Dan_Avant]

I've got this one from 034 motorsport - https://www.awesomegti.com/shop-by-brand/034motorsport/034motorsport-catch-can-kit-2-0tfsi-1/ (I didn't pay that much for it!!)

I'm in 2 minds whether to recirculate the separated oil or not? Will probably blank it off. This one fits on the intake manifold side of the car and replaces the PCV and plastic hoses. I need more details from your previous dual set up as I want to put another can on the turbo side. I want to keep my new turbo and intercoolers clean once they're on!!

Just read the write up on your new set up. Looks really good.

 

[Charlie Farley]

You want to forget putting a tank in the turbo side of the engine bay, it just gets to hot chap, space is not at a premium to start with and the heat in that side of the engine bay with the bonnet closed just boils the contents of the tank and the separated air is really warm , so sticking that hot air back into your turbo intake just defeats the object of having cold air drawn in, it just heats up things even more.
you need to route the pcv and the crankcase venting to one tank or two tanks on the cooler manifold side, trust me, it makes a massive difference.

 

[Joeyenz]

Anyone sure of how an ebay front mount or something a little more uprated would work out, saw a guy selling a treadstone performance inter on the classifieds here for example? Im guessing as im shooting for under 300hp is not much of an ask for some intercoolers, is it even entirely necessary to replace the stock if i'm considering going mid/high stage one with a HFC too?

Is there anything else that would be restrictive at that sort of power on a stock 2.0t? Basically looking to make some power without pushing it to the sort of level that will really be a detriment to consumption.

Im not sure how true this will be, i'm just assuming that say HPFP and Injectors = more fuel being processed therefore less eco?

 

[Dan_Avant]

I'm not sure what power the stock intercoolers are good for but if your going for anywhere near the 300hp mark I would probably upgrade to the s3 front mount. As our K03 turbos are pretty small you don't want an intercooler too big as you could end up loosing boost pressure. All depends on what other mods your planning really. What mods are you planning?

You wont need to upgrade to s3 injectors until you uprate your turbo. HPFP upgrade on stock injectors can give a decent power and torque gain but your MPG will suffer, to what degree depends on your driving style.

I'm still on a stage 1 map with induction kit and 034 TIP and I have seen my mpg as low as 17

 

[Charlie Farley]

17mpg that does not surprise me at all chap, I can get a lot less without too much effort and right foot exercise..lol and i'm on a similar state of tune, if I drive in slippers I can get 25-28mpg around town....lol but its a bit predictable. .lol

 

[Nathan Russell]

17mpg..... Wow. Now my 30mpg doesn't seem so bad.

 

[Dan_Avant]

My mates got an RS4 and he averages 12 mpg. His engine is stock as well, no mods at all.

I’m expecting mine to be as low as that once I’ve fitted all my tuning parts. Luckily it’s not my daily drive!

 

[Joeyenz]

Oh yeah? Presumably more potential power means less potential mpg? Will it suffer overall loss in economy of driven gently? I heard a few people saying stage one could increase your economy, doing less with more kind of thing on forums and such. I'm not overly worried about eco as I've got a tdi as well but would be good to have the option to drive without always burning a ton of fuel!

 

[Dritsy]

Dan my old rs4 b7 was stage 2 by mrc and would vary but that seems low for stock
motorway best 32mpg
round town 20mpg
foot down and no joke 4mpg so the counter told me anyway i quickly switched it back over so i couldn't see and carried on lol
a trip southport - warrington and back cost me £30 in fuel and i was giving it beans i chickened out at 170 to be fair she was more then capable of a bit more