sim_rx3

dont understand why it isnt a great idea. in alot of cases with what ive described is cheaper than an aftermarket FMIC kit.

totally disagree. in a road application where heat soak is an issue. (especially in traffic) where your sitting for long periods of time.
the air to air option offers nothing in the line of cooling and air intake temps rise considerly.. especially in summer.

where a water to air atleast works towards keeping intake temps down.

the only time id consider air to air is if the car is rare and its fitted from factory (like my car - Luce. link in signiture) to which im sorting on my car by hidden water injection or i would have been going the water to air route.
my rx3 with a 12appt being a road car is going water to air intercooler with a PWR setup as it will be a show car as well. so i wanted everything to look top notch.

this is true but were not chasing the last millisecond on the strip or circuit racing. its a unit designed to do the job and get it done.


pro's and cons -

for

more consistant intake temps
less peak intake temps
easier to install as pipe lines are small as aposed to air to air pipes
should make an engine more reliable due to less heat stresses

against

installation heavier than air to air
fabrication work needed (but thats with air to air as well)




we have done it over here (austrailia) and seems to work ok.. plus you definetly do feel a difference during the day from air to air to water to air in traffic.

cheers

Evil Aviator

It is also cheaper to cut your hair yourself, but I don't see too many movie stars choosing that option.

Both types of intercooler use a heat exchanger which can be prone to heat soak. Both types of intercooler can be fitted with a fan if necessary. Besides, I am not sure how you drive in Australia, but most Americans do not boost to 15psi while sitting in rush hour traffic.

If you have trouble with the technical side of the issue, you can just look at the intercooler choices of the major automotive manufacturers and various race car classes to see where each type of intercooler tends to work well for a given application.

Mutaku

In the end it really does come down to application, each one has its advantages and what not.

sim_rx3

you dont need to spend big dollars in road aplications as your not chasing millisecond. you just want something that works and looks neat.

its not about how you drive or boost levels. a water to air system set up like i have stated will combate heat soak alot better than air to air and work better as i have state in my previous post..

not everyone has to be sheep and do what the rest does. if something works then why not really?

i was just trying to help so take it as you will..

ACE0000

So what is the actual consensus on this? will a stock hood work with an OEM intercooler? I know it's not the optimal setup but will it work well and not break anything? Because I just realized that the car I'm probably buying is a GXL with a S5 TII and still has the stock hood and intercooler.

Evil Aviator

How long has the previous owner been driving the car in that condition?

ACE0000

I actually don't know I will have to ask him, I know the engine only has about 30k miles on it, but I don't know if it was new when he put it in or not.

Mutaku

Basically since the top mount never was getting any airflow it would just stay hot thus completely negating it purpose. I am not sure if it would end up heating the intake air but it would not be cooling. Hot air means the car is more subject to detonation.

ACE0000

So I'm thinking one of the first mods I should do is to get a TII hood? or possibly some type of aftermarket hood.

Evil Aviator

If the car has a lot of miles driving in that condition, then it is probably OK to drive it like that for a little longer if you keep the boost level down to a minimum. However, I personally would be very cautious about buying a car in this condition because it indicates the previous owner was broke and/or not very smart when it comes to cars.

Yes, or a front-mount intercooler. A stock TII hood would be the cheapest and easiest solution, and the steel TII hoods are especially cheap.

ACE0000

I'm willing to bet he ran out of money because he even said it's basically an incomplete project but just about everything is done except finishing touches such as an aftermarket exhaust so I'm assuming the hood was one of the finishing touches he didn't get to. I am definitely going to ask him a whole lot of questions before I buy it though that is why I've been on here asking so many questions and researching.

I am thinking of maybe a TII OEM replacement Carbon Fiber hood since I might be getting one anyways in the future and I've got a little extra money to spend on it if there are any little things that need to be fixed, as long as there aren't too many and I know what they are.

JCurry

iTrader: (6)

wat about running the stock IC with a n/a hood, and not boosting at all untill i front mount or get another TII hood...im talking no boosting at all??

NCross

iTrader: (18)

Well... that was 4 months ago...

KhanArtisT

iTrader: (2)

It is not a clearance issue, the hood will close fine. If you're not boosting it will be fine.

BTW, before getting the T2 hood setup you should calculate the costs of everything. I payed $225 for a hood and $300 for paint matching. Talk about a bad investment. I could've gotten an FMIC setup and a battery re-location, or a carbon fiber hood for the weight savings.

2slow4stock

iTrader: (18)

Yeah, but I cut the stock hood and made it look decent. I personally think it's hideous but others like it. But yeah, you do need some sort of air, or it'll be horrible. I've done it then cut a hole. All I spent was $5 for the cutting disc and I had fiberglass and bondo laying around. I still need to finish it.