does anyone have any experience with rocks hitting the FMIC? How resistant is it if at all? Just curious because my car will be coming out of the shop soon and I want to know if I should fab a grill kit of some sort

 

I would think any kind of thin metal screen would get just as tore up considering those rocks are flying at 60mph or so. You might want to look into some OEM-type plastic one, and j/ trim it to fit....but i have no experience with this cuz i still have the stock IC. Let us know how it turns out if u fab one up!

-Zach

 

yeah i was thinking about this yesterday too.... hmmmm rocks VS IC... id put my money on the rocks !

im not sure how i feel about a screen though... if its substantial enough to stop rocks then it will A) most likely decrese airflow, and B) look like ***

 

I think something like this could work. However, I am having a hard time finding a similar "grate" in my area. Someone suggested buying a wire mesh then painting it black....The only reason I wanted to avoid this would be that rock dings could start to rub the paint off and show the metal....

If you find a plastic or black mesh, please let me know.


and before this thread gets hijack about the sleepy lights, the original thread is here:
https://www.rx7club.com/forum/showth...t&pagenumber=2

 

thats the black plastic type stuff i was talkin about! i think it would look pretty good if you could get it in a big enough section to fit

 

ok that actually doesnt look as bad as i thought.... drool... ahhh 99 spec... i need to change my pants (except for those mirors, and the kragen for lights... uhhhhhhhh)

 

wow, nice FD man

 

even if you had to go with something thin and kinda flimsy. it is cheaper to replace mesh than it is IC. just a thought.

 

while thats true, my point was that the thin and flimsy stuff wont stop the rocks from hitting the FMIC anyway.

 

Pegasus Racing sells SS mess with different size opening. Have been using it for two years with no damage to my FMIC.

 

now ^that stainless stuff has potential...i keep picturing people cutting out window screen glad to hear its worked well for ya cewrx7r1

 

my fmic is in tip top shape after a year or so.

i don't know why everyone freaks out over rocks.

i have never seen any real damage

 

TTT, your also in LA. I live on the Illinois side of the St. Louis area, and there are plenty of country roads that are still tar and chipped. Thats where i think the rocks can come into play. Now if it was highway/nice city driving i wouldnt worry too much either

 

I have had my FMIC for about a year...I think....Still in great shape. I just try not to drive behind any truck or semis...seem they flick up most of the rocks. I don't regret going with the FMIC...love it.

 

Yea just stay far away from other cars, dont tail peeps on freeways.

 

my friend was tailing some evo's on some mountain runs and his paint got a bit chipped, winshield also got a chip in it, i assume if he had fmic it might have gotten dinged a bit too. if i got one i would want a really protective one that i could remove and only use it when i knew i was going to be driving in an area with some loose rocks or something.

 

Twinturboteddy what kind of FMIC do you have?

 

yeah, 880 in the bay area is ****! there are alot of big trucks that use that freeway, and i guess they drop alot of stuff. i have gotten so many rockchips and pits in my windshield its crazy... i try to take another car when i take 880... if you are driving at night its all good because the traffic that day has scrubbed the road clean... but in the afternoons things go flying... a FMIC would not stand a chance

MakoRacing: where in the bay are you?? im in oakland

 

Twinturboteddy what kind of FMIC do you have?

 

Home Depot has some nice grilled that are fabricated. Looks nice and will work well against rock hitting your FMIC

 

looks like a XS Engineering FMIC.
RX7 Fashion FMIC...

 

I used the home depot stuff too...had it painted black. Someone mentioned the paint may chip off...hasn't happened at all yet.

 

id like to know the answer to this as I just got an apexi to go on my car...
No one seems to say there where they drive thier cars..Open freeways and highways or back roads where there is debris and such.

 

Obviously something like the greddy 2-row is more apt for damage since it sits further forward correct?

 

I've had my GReddy 2-row FMIC for over 1.5 years with no grill protection. I've got one deep rock ding, but no real damage. I spend more time straightening cooling fins than worrying about rock dings. LOL

The steel mesh is a good idea, but you might lose a bit of air speed from the mesh? Don't get too small a "pore" size.