Alright chaps,

Planning on an 18g turbo conversion for my bug wrx and obviously need to upgrade the intercooler too. As I'm wanting to stay top mount I was just going to go the Sti route but wondered if scoobyworlds newage top mount was any good?

How would it compare to a used Sti intercooler? Better? Worse? Similar?

All I'm after is a fast road car with a safe 320 - 340hp

any advice welcome :-)

 

Personally mate, if you're gonna go down TMIC I'd go STI. You can get a really good second hand one for about £150 to £200.

I know people say top mounts are good for 400bhp ish and in most cases they are. When I was getting mine mapped, we had to stop at 327 due to heat. It was getting far too hot and not safe. I've now gone down the FMIC and is loads better mate.

Who ever is mapping it for you, should be able to advise mate. I know Baz on here is hitting about 400 (I think) and he's still using a TMIC - no idea how he's doing that.

 

18g is over kill for that bhp, 16g would be better.

 

i have a tmic off my 06 hawkeye sti in great condion if your needin one

 

Sounds good

How much would you want for it mate?

 

il let it go for 150 pal you wont go wrong wey it

 

Bez has just shy of 500 bhp with a top mount. It's a hyperflow. There are some dudes in America getting 600 with top mounts. An sti top mount will pi$$ 400 bhp.

 

o i love the myths and legends on this thread lol.

once you change the td04 turbo your better going down the front mount route, run a search on it, plenty of threads discussing it.

 

Probably a dumb question but I know you need a remap if you fit a front mount. Do you need one, or is it advised to remap if you fit a bigger top mount?

I'm asking this as a larger TMIC is something i'm looking to do sometime on my V3 JDM STi.

 

worth getting it check on the dyno, but most folks get away with it.

also shows how little improvement there is due to the lack of map change compared with front mount.

 

This is very interesting. What are the ACTs?

With the right turbo I am sure you can do 400 bhp with an STi New Age topmount but it is not efficient. You will produce more power with an efficient front mount. The longer you hold an STi top mount at high power the more the temperature will increase to the point power will reduce.

An intercooler, TMIC or FMIC does not suddenly get to a particular power level and stop working. As power increases beyond the ability of the intercooler core the ACTs rise, gradually at first, to the point the engine cannot develop efficient power. This is particularly the case when the turbo is run beyond the efficiency envelope.

 

This is the link for the American kithttp://www.fastwrx.com/ams02sustrom.html
I've only seen it on paper so don't shoot me if it's total BS lol.
Bez's temps are very good, only a few degrees above ambient but it does suffer from heat soak, he got through quite a few gallons of water at TOTB. I know a "good front mount" will out perform a top mount but at the 350-400bhp mark an sti top mount is well up to the job and apart from the heat soak issues will out perform any of the "200 quid special offer" eBay front mounts. I'm not biased, I've just bought one of harvys gt2 front mounts, Im wanting a good 450-480 bhp and this will make things easier. Basically all I'm saying is if your going for a vf34/td16g type turbo upgrade a front mount isn't essential. Just my opinion and experiences though. I'm sure there are plenty of people with different ideas

 

Going from an STi 8 TMIC at 392 bhp, mapped to do back to back tests, the exact same car went to 401 bhp straight out the box and 410 bhp after mapping on the same rollers after fitting a Hybrid GT FMIC (not a GT2).
ACTs were in the high 40s on the rollers with the TMIC and low 20s with the FMIC.
The reason some Subarus are fitted with water spray is for homologation purposes to deal with heat soak when the cars are sat at the beginning of a rally stage and it is not particularly effective once moving.

Also remember that the intercooling requirements of a quarter mile car are somewhat different to the needs of a road car or track car.