OK, so now that I have decided to put another rotary in the TII roller, Im thinking about IC setups. Id really like to do something with a V-mount. The car will be built as a fun car and not a DD, though I do want to build it to be as reliable as possible. I don't want to make insane power, maybe somewhere in the 300 range, just a fun street car that I could take to the track from time to time.

What are the pros/ cons of the 3 different setups (top, front, Vmount). Im particularly interested in looking into the v mount set up.

 

front mount you'll be fine for 300whp. If you like to road race I perfer V mount, but if money isn't an issuse go V mount.

If your on a budget front mount.

 

air to water intercooler.

 

ummmmm sexy. i want to do that but not sure the cost. or where to route the cooling water from

 

top mount;

pro's, it not in front of the radiator, short piping.
cons, heat soaks at slow speeds. limited room, the hole in the hood is only so big.

front mount;
pro's you can fit a HUGE core. plenty of air flow
cons's; blocks the radiator/oil cooler. can have piping that's really long, although its not usually a problem. finding room for the piping can be fun.

v-mount
pros. short piping! radiator, and ic get dedicated air/ducting
cons; there is no kit, some fab required. may heat soak in traffic like the top mount...

water to air;
pros; you can put it anywhere, you can use cold water.
cons; heat soak is a problem for like trackdays and such. its also complex and requires pluming ANOTHER system

 

Everything you need to know is right there. If it's going to be a fun car and not a daily, you should aim a bit higher than that, 300 is a bolt on number. I'm aiming for 350 as my daily personally.

 

im looking to get an intercooler myself, thinking front mount because i did a na >> T2 swap, and dont have a T2 hood, and dont want one unless its carbon fiber. any of you have a brand recommendation? currently im looking at one on ebay, brand is "drift formula" which i believe is indeed an ebay brand -.-

 

Air/Water....Wont heat soak if you do it correctly

 

this man knows what he is talking about.

 

i noticed you didnt say anything about SMIC, any reason?

 

usually implemented with a rear mounted engine.

 

hm. well that makes sense haha, thank you

 

i bought a T2 ebay hood. and it is crap. the scoop may not even work right. gap around the head lights are huge and my hood doesn't latch right. IMO it is better to just cut a hole in the n/a hood and make a scoop. i would be $300 richer.

 

Personally I would go with a front mount. If your not ripping on it all the time and its more of a daily driver, you will have no problem with a front mount set up. Like listed before top mounts recieve limited air flow due to location, it is also true that they are a heat sink. Front mount will be better able to cool the intake charge at any speed due to air directly being pushed through it. V mount would work nice cause it is easily bolt on to exising set ups. All in all, go fmic

 

i think you could make a top mount work better if you had a clean way to vent the air away from the intercooler and out of the engine bay. well any intercooler would work better with that idea in mind.

 

I really think Im leaning towards a v mount setup. Im just trying to map out a plan so I can begin sourcing parts. Does anyone make a nice vmount kit?

 

become friends with someone that is good at welding aluminum.

an air to water intercooler is the best.

 

I run an air to water intercooler. From Frozenboost.com. Check it out.

 

how much did it cost to build? and how did the exchange impact coolant temp? its 300 for the middle level kit. seems like it will be cheaper then a v mount.

 

my only experience with one, is the XJR, which does heat soak. on the street its not a problem, but going WOT for like 20 minutes at a time on a 100 degree day is asking a lot...

 

Cost $279(350 hp kit w/ type19 intercooler)+Greddy elbow+ couplers+t bolt clamps+ 2 relays for (fan,water pump). No change in coolant temps.

 

so it will be way less then a v mount set up? where did you mount the exchanger? i really want to run a air to water now.

 

There's always a way around everything. On my v-mounted intercooler/radiator, I haven't welded a single bit of aluminum. I only have a flux core wire welder and everything's working great. See thread for details. I've only spend around $20 (not including the heat exchangers) for bits of metal.

 

Can I be dumb and ask where you placed your intercooler radiator in this setup?

 

How big was your ice box? were was it placed? how much ice did it hold? what kind of pump were you using?