i wanna know what are the advantages vs. disadvantages in puttin a fmic vs. a tmic is it reallyworth going through all the fitting and cutting needed for a fmic??..would power be any different between the two..because it would be aot easier putting a tmic on instead of a fmic but i cannot decide which would be better in the long run?
What I've gathered over the years is that it completely depends on your long term goals for the car. If you are planning on your car being a beast down the road (large turbo and you don't mind a little lag if it means your neck is going to get snapped back once boost hits), than a FMIC is right for you. If you're looking at making more modest gains and want the turbo to spool up faster, go TMIC. Of course these are somewhat generalized and there is overlap. But I believe that's the gist of it.
overall i think what deke said is correct. FMIC is better and the air will be colder since it's in the front. but if you want faster spool stick with TMIC. keep in mind you can buy larger TMIC's if your charge temp is too high
sorry read your statement wrong about charge temp..yeah i mean both of those sound good like i want the car to be kinda in the middle of autocross/highyway pulls..lol..kinda picky but i want the car to be versatile for different upgrades/larger turbos..does this make your answers any different im kinda feeling like fmic is best for me..??..
Ive been thinking about this a lot lately, here are some of the factors ive been tossing around. experienced guys feel free to correct me: -cost: TMIC wins -modification to car required/install difficulty? TMIC wins, no bumper cutting (is there a kit out there where you dont have to?). I know the ssautochrome/ebay TMICs wont have the fit of OEM, but still easier than a FMIC) -heatsoak: FMIC wins (TMIC is right above hot turbo) -lag: TMIC wins -intake options: TMIC wins. Now I know ive read that some kits allow you to run a FMIC and CAI together (APS?) if you pair their products. Maybe the APS is the only one? Either way, run whatever intake you want including any cold air on any TMIC (stock airbox is great, but Im considering the APS cai) -vulnerability of IC: TMIC wins. Im not putting ugly mesh in front of my FMIC. Road debris and random objects much more likely to damage FMIC -sleeperness: TMIC wins. Even though your fmic is black we still see it, haha. It does look f'n cool though. -most sensible on small turbo (vf34, vf39, td04, small 16g)? : id say that FMIC loses the cost/benefit analysis here So those are some things to think about if you havent already. Gurus again please add to this or correct me.
the intercooler cools the intake charge before it gets to the intake manifold. some people will see a 30+ degree drop in intake charge temp post intercooler
oh yeah another thing no worries about losing fog lights with TMICs. Again, I know there are excepions to this and some fmic kits allow you to retain them. You can read that im already a little biased, haha. Someone come tell me about peak hp gains, etc. : )
Yeah if you are not planning on putting a big o'le turbo, stay with TMIC. FMIC are $300 for the ebay ones and upwards of $1200 for the name brand.
yeah...that one. It had like 340~350whp which is like 400 at the crank. If we are talking about the same car it was an 05, 20G, stock STi TMIC and a stromung TBE.
^^^ Yeap that be the one I tried to negotiate a ride with the Classic STI when I bought mine but I got nothing The GF did take a pic with it though. I still waiting for King to "borrow" the car for the day :rofl:
Tmic is normally down 15-20 whp from a FMIC. With a TMIC you need to be aware of heat-soak, with a FMIC, you don't even really need to think about it. Road-race cars should have FMIC's. Siegel