Kenny.S

Hi Guys,

I'm currently looking at buying an Sti v2 RA which has done a bearing and hence the car is going cheap. Prob wont save much money doing it this way compared to buying a running one but at least ill be able to build the engine to the spec i want and i can run it in properly etc.
Until i strip it down i wont know the full extent of the damage so ill have to decide exactly what i'm going to do rebuild wise when the time comes.
If it all goes ahead i had planned on keeping the TMIC set up to minimise lag etc and make the car as driveable and responsive as possible im not looking for ridiculous power just a really useable 300 ish. I know the standard TMIC could prob cope with this but i'd rather keep a bit more in reserve. Because the early sti's have less space between the throttle body and the bulkhead i was just curious to know what larger/better flowing TMIC's from later sti's could be fitted even if mods are needed. I've been led to believe that the
v3-4 unit will fit but how does this compare with later ones ie did they go bigger in the v5-6 and if so would it be poss to fit one of these

Cheers Kenny

banny sti

iTrader: (68)

the intercoolers on the v3 to v6 are all the same size but the v3-v4 intercoolers flow better but the v5-v6 intercoolers cool better but dont flow as good. you could do what the flat4 did and fit a newage sti intercooler to his early classic, which are good for 400bhp though this would mean removing the strut brace. if you look in the projects thread there is a guide to do this.

Kenny.S

In that case which one would give more of a benifit? Sounds like a bit of a catch 22. Not having any first had experience in this area i would hazard a guess that flowing what you've got would be better for response etc but you would ultimately be able to achieve higher boost levels/power from the v5/6 type?
By new age do you mean a unit from a bug eye sti? or can you go even newer and go sti8/9 type? If one of these was fitted is there another strut brace that can be fitted?

Kenny.S

Had a look at the projects forum, found flat4's RA. The TMIC he fitted sure looks like a tight fit! Been looking around and i've come across an aftermarket top mount intercooler that retains the slanty type layout but has a larger core area, think it was an MRT item. Has anyone tried/got one of these? Are thay any good? It was quite expensive but if it works as well or better than a later sti unit i would be willing get one so that i could retain the strut brace and not have to modify the top gearbox mount with a hammer etc.

Kenny

DaveC1

Ive got a v4 top mount on a v2 sti. Was a dodle of a job

ticky

Just like DaveC1 I have the same car with the same v4 sti tmic fitted.
I have retained the carbon sti strut brace & did not hammer the gearbox mount.
I sometimes get a slight knock noise (tmic alloy Y piece hitting the gb mount)
but only when pulling off in 1st gear with dredded clutch judder. Otherwise I dont hear any knocking noise.
I try to pull off more smoothly which normally stops the judder.

Kenny.S

Banny sti posted earlier that v3-v6 are the same phyisical size but the v3-4 flowed better. IIRC flat4 fitted a v5 unit to his RA and had to trim parts of the throttle housing to allow the hose to be pushed on further? Did you also have to do this when fitting a v4? do you have any pics while fitting the v4 tmic

ticky

Yes I had to remove the lip of the throttle body & cut a slot down the side of the tb to get the standard size hose to fit. Flat4 has some good pictures of the throttle body mod in his project thread.
Sorry I did not take any pictures during my diy modding stages.
The tmic had the lip removed too. I used the standard large jubilee clip as a guide
With the v4 tmic it has an alloy elbow on the front (for dv connection point) this was removed/cut off & blanked off using a small square sheet of alloy (tig welded around) This help clearances issues with the iscv, so the tmic could be brought more forward towards the tb/manifold. Ive got a 10mm gap between the iscv & front of the tmic. I think the v5/v6 tmic would be easier as they only need a blank template made & could be bolted on using the original 2 bolt holes with homemade gasket. (no need for welding)
I also used the v1/v2 samco turbo hose kit & Ive retained the standard dv on my 95sti. The lower samco hose (the one that fits the turbo to tmic Y alloy hose) has been shorten. I found this hose slighty to long, so reduce its length by taking small amounts off the end until I got a good fit. I only cut the end of that hose which fits to the tmic lower alloy Y piece.
I fabricated my own metal support bracket using cardboard templates as a measurement guide.
As for the bonnet scoop & under tray. I found this resonably close match to the tmic but I am using the later spec bonnet & scoop/undertray.
The strut brace has to be removed before fitting the tmic, likewise when trying to take the tmic back off.

Ticky