Reinforcement Beam: Front-mount Intercooler kit???
 

I am looking for a FMIC kit for my S5 that retains the front bumper reinforcement beam. Are there any out the? Can I piece together a kit that retains this?

Most off the shelf kits will eliminate it. You best bet is to build your own kit. Remove the bumper cover and whatever else is in your way and bust out a pen, paper and measuring tape. Then I'd '"build" a mock up intercooler out of cardboard that fits your desired location and then get on the internet and locate a suitable one of similar dimensions to your mock up model. Keep in mind piping and end tank design and fitment, mounting points and figure a minimum 10 mm clearance around anything you plan to add to prevent rubbing and rattles. Any holes cut for plumbing I'd paint the edges and then split.some vacuum hose down the length and stick it around the opening you made because anywhere metal on metal contact is possible will wear through your piping

or go v-mount. it's superior, more stealthy and doesn't kill the integrity of the front end in minor impacts.

i don't believe you can avoid taking out the structural mounts with any front mount, even a small one needs to take up home in that area unless you go with a super small core like saab intercooler which will hurt your spool with larger turbos, my T70 is laggy as all hell with the 1" core large surface area IC which is why it's getting ditched as soon as i really get started on the twin charger.

You're going to need one small intercooler for that. And you're going to need to hack your bumper cover up a little, but it is possible.

Your best bet is v-mount. I did one for next to nothing. I already had the intercooler kit, and the radiator didn't fit. I broke out the angle grinder and welder and went to town. This is what I ended up with:

https://www.rx7club.com/2nd-generation-specific-1986-1992-17/vmount-air-conditioning-923286/

i like the setup but i definitely would have given up the A/C to retain that support bar as it is what makes the front end more solid. or move it and reweld it just in front of the condenser.

the old greddy and HKS kits put the IC core behind the support, under the hood latch. you could find/fab one of those up.

if you go the fab route, the V mount might be easier

I still have the bar that I chopped out, and I plan on reinstalling it, but I have yet to feel any difference in handling without it. I don't push my car to its handling limits, though. It is a convertible, after all. And it's also driven on the street, no track. I'll track it one day, just not right now.

I think the corksport fmic keeps the bumper support.

edit: nevermind it doesn't...

fab up a aluminum piped bar.
I got one that has mounts to attach to the frame and it goes across the front area between the 2 middle sections.
It only takes up an inch or so out of that area.You can sneak the IC in between the bar and the Front of the rad so you have a little crash protection.

It's really easy to not cut out that beam. It does, however, typically require modifications to the end tanks or custom tanks:

http://www.aaroncake.net/misc/rebuil...ntercooler.jpg

http://www.aaroncake.net/rx-7/projec...ep202006-2.htm

Crude custom tank modifications:

http://www.aaroncake.net/misc/rebuil...0Connected.jpg

I made new end tanks from scratch last year because I was never happy with what you see above:

http://www.aaroncake.net/rx-7/projec...20Finished.jpg

The intercooler pipes go right through the side of the rad support area. No need to murder headlights, no 65 feet of piping, and only two couplers on each pipe.

http://www.aaroncake.net/rx-7/projec...pr302010-3.htm

The intercooler is fully behind the (or in front, I can't remember and can't be bothered to walk out to the driveway and check) the support bar. Whether or not it would fit with A/C I don't know. The 5MPH bumper insert is still in place. In fact, nothing about the stock bumper was altered at all.