aiming for about 350 - 380 bhp, wondererd whats best, fmic or later top mount.
also whats the most i could get out my standard top mount?

 

On a classic, FMIC is the best option IMHO.

Read here

https://www.scoobynet.com/scoobynet-...e-go-fmic.html

Ns04

 

IMHO a top mount is fundamentally wrong ! !

Mine was dropping power after twenty minutes in hot weather, so went to a front mount as I'm going for 400+ bhp but even at lower power outputs the weather has no effect on the power output anymore.
I won't pretend that some degree of lag is probable, but using the gears is part of driving, so get the right one ! !

DunxC

 

The original Legacy chargecooler is good for nearly 400bhp......no lag increase either....

Simon

 

Either a STi 7 (on) TMIC or a decent FMIC will be good for that power range.

More headroom for future mods with a FMIC and hardly anything in between a TMIC and FMIC in terms of cost.

Hybrid FMIC Kits - Subaru Impreza - best prices

 

But more cost involved in fitting the FMIC.

Also worth remembering to get the most from the later intercoolers its worth adding the larger scoop and adjusting splitter to maximise flow. Fitting just the latter STI 8 intercoolers and retaining the earlier scoop won’t see as much benefit as doing this.

 

is the undertray not the most important part as opposed to the scoop?
The original undertray blocks about a 3rd of the newage STI top mount and is also about 6 inches thinner across the width of it, i removed mine and am in the process of cutting out the excess area to give full coverage to the sti one, the original scoop is long enough to cover all of the sti tmic, more height would eb abit better but imo the sti 8 scoop looks out of place on a classic

 

Splitter/Under tray whatever we like to call it, both are equally important. Having a higher scoop will allow more flow. Modifying the under tray will direct more flow to the intercooler.
[FONT='Calibri','sans-serif']For example Fitting a STI8 intercooler with a 94 wrx scoop and a modified under tray won’t work as a well as combining a larger scoop and vice versa[/FONT]

 

lag from a front mount is a myth, ask NS04

and don't listen to the 'top mount is good for' comments, on hot days they are crap, plain and simple

 

You can always reduce the amount of lag by porting the headers and fitting a better up-pipe. I ported my headers and fitted one of harvey Smiths up-pipes and to be honest lag is not really an issue if you use the box right. Having the RA box does help though

 

Increased lag from a FMIC is not a myth but an inevitable consequence of the laws of physics. An increased volume of compressible air between the turbo and the engine will lead to a less sharp throttle response - end of. However, it's fair to say that some drivers find this of little detriment to the driving experience whereas others are more sensitive.

As for TMIC being "crap on hot days, plain and simple", this is one of the daftest comments on SN I've read for some time. Perhaps you should use your "engineering expertise" to enlighten Andy Forrest that his Spec C running 450bhp, and even to up to 600bhp on occasion (also used for occasional trackdays in warm summer weather) using a standard TMIC is crap.

 

who floors it in traffic anyway?....

as for the scoop issue id prefer to keep my MY99 one just think the blobeye one looks crap but its horses for courses at the end of the day, on speaking to andy i was told that a suitable undertray that lets air get onto the ic was more important, put an unmodified/cut tray on top of an sti ic and ull see what i mean, it covers about half the surface area.

 

well considering myself and NS04, both run front mounts with no noticable lag kinda speaks for itself. NS04 has done a rather nice write up, have a read, the pipe work is negligable to say the least.


if its running the top mount, it will be having a detramental affect, heat is the laws of physics, not sure of any tuner who says that top mount's are better than front mounts?

have a read of the only back to back test i'm aware of ever being done

http://www.scoobyclinic.com/download...coolertest.pdf

 

Thats an old write up and full of floors. I have to say ive never used a front mount so cant really comment. Ive never been tempted to try as i like instant response and even the slightest bit of lag wouldnt suit me personally.

I can say im using a new age sti top mount with around 370-380 bhp and i monitor intake temps. never had a problem even after hammering round the ring. Temps were well under control and havent suffered any loss of performance. The only time they go up is sitting in traffic and once on the move they are back under control within seconds of moving off.
Infact its intake temp at the maf that take the longest time to go down. Youd be suprised at how long they do take. Even with a front mount maf temps will read high. Im using a aps cak and temp recorded at maf is far higher and takes much longer to settle down than at throttle body.

 

https://www.scoobynet.com/general-te...tercooler.html

hope this helps

 

Does anyone have a fitting guide or parts needed to fit the later top mount,the guide i saw was for a my00 model which from the pics looked a little different to mine.
The front mount is an option only i didnt want to start cutting my bumper out,i did this on my old wrx and it wasnt a mint job,but was very pleased with the performance.
Also just bought a vf 23 is this a good up grade?

 

Have a search for '911's thread - he did one on the same/similar model as yours...

...switched to FMIC now though.

 

This is actually a very easy issue to resolve

If you have a new age and aren't running much more the mids 400s then a new age STi intercooler is adequate (mappers seem unanimous about that) and very easy to upgrade to from a new age WRX intercooler. I've not met anyone yet who has argued that a good FMIC will not outperform even the best TMIC, but is the magnitude of the advantage worth all the hassle of fitting an FMIC to a newage car. No, probably not.

If you have a classic, it's quite a bit of faffing about to get a new age STi intercooler to fit (so the ease of fitment advantage is negated), and it's easier to get a hybrid FMIC to fit a classic than a newage. The hybrid is also VERY good value for money (less than getting the STi TMIC, with the requsite bigger scoop and undertray) and is proven effective to 700bhp I believe. It also negates the problem of heatsoak inherent to all TMICs. So, it's a much more attractive option to classic owners IMHO.

I won't just reiterate what I've already said in my thread about the FMIC over again here, but will say that with the right supporting mods and good mapping
I've not noticed any deleterious effects of the FMIC set up on spool characteristics of my turbo. What I have noticed is much more aggressive boost and an impressive 343ft lbs from the little VF35.

Like any other mod, you have to think about the effects of accompanying specification.

I wouldn't go back to the TMIC.

Ns04