Varboy

I don't want to go down the FMIC route so I am looking at other ways of getting charge temps down, especially with all this warm weather we are getting.

Aquamist seem to be the best known brand for water injection but can anyone recommend any alternative kits or which the kits are best to get ie a compromise between cost and functionality.

thanks

turbotimmy

i was thinking the same, i have a my 2000 and have never used the headlamp washers and was thinking of moving the jets over the intercooler, has anyone else tried this?

charlesk

Water injection & water spray are 2 completely diffent things.

Water spray on the IC is used to lower the IC temps and hence the charge(air) temp. Can be rasonably effective as long as the jets used cover the IC core. As a system is fairly easy/simple and doesn't require many speciallist parts.

Water injection on the other hand is another kettle of fish. A high pressure (over 7bar) is used to inject water in the airstream, via an atomising water jet. Although water injection does cool down the charge, its primary function is detonation control, by slowing down the flame front. There is a lot of literature out there with the pros & cons, but unless mapped for WI, it will loose you power @ the top end (similar to retarding the ignition). If mapped for it, it will allow you to use more ignition timming/boost/lean out the mix (WI lowers the combustion temps too). But to map taking into account the WI you need an advanced system that can detect if you have a blocked jet/runned out of water etc...
My view is that WI system are better left for race cars/very highly tuned engines and not as system to be used as a first port of call.

If the only thing you are trying to achieve is to lower down the charge temps, then a better IC is a the way forward (a newage STI one is a good start if you don't want to fit a FMIC), and to help it out a bigger scoop, and then a waterspray system.