Hi guys,

I don't know if there is anyone on the island that has the knowledge / expertise to fit a FMIC so I am thinking of upgrading the STI-7 OEM TMIC. Is it worth it, will the upgraded TMIC make much diff over the already quite big STI7 IC ?

Any help, ideas, proof concerning this would be good.

Cheers,
Ray

Ray,the STi7 IC is nice and big.If you look at the size of STi3 IC you'd be shocked how small it is.Prob is though when you come to standstill no matter how big it will heatsoak.
I'm a DIY numbskull but I'm still going to fit my own fmic.To put it into perspective I have difficulty in changing the air filter!
The new APS is meant to be quite straight forward to fit.Invite around a mate or two and tackle it together and then buy them a few beers after(thats my plan!)

Deep thanks for the reply. I may look into doing the same a few months from now. Problem is I will have to mail my ECU back to ScoobySport to have the map adjusted for the FMIC I would think ?

Cheers,
Ray

Ray yes it will.The APS fmic uses a cold air feed for induction.This requires the MAF to be recalibrated.Not sure if this is safe to do long distance.Best to ask Pat.

There is a massive difference between the APS top mount and the STi 7 intercooler.

If you fit a larger intercooler, without re-mapping the ecu you should have a greater safety margin at least. At best you may improve the performance, as the ecu's knock correction may not be as high (as it is with the standard intercooler) on 97/98 octane fuel. Obviously the lower the combustion temp, the greater ignition adavance you can run - to a point.

The only problem you may have is if you are doing sustained high-speed driving. There is a problem with the creation of the boundary layer at the front of the wrx - which lowers the air pressure entering the bonnet scoop. In this case you are much better off with a front mount.

However, if you simply fit a front mount to the car you will increase turbo lag from the standard turbo, and low-speed drivability will suffer. A front mount will also require the use of the APS air intake. The diameter of the intake where the air flow sensor is located is physically larger than the stadard item - so the standard ecu map will make the car run lean - and will need to be re-mapped or replaced.

Go to:

http://www.g-force-motorsport.co.uk/aps/aps_top_mount.htm

to see the comparison between STi 7 and APS top mounts.

If you want one we have a few in stock, and can do next day delivery.

Chris Davies
Motorsport Engineer
___________________________________
1800bhp - NO wheelspin - NO excuses

Hi thank you for the input.

Can a few others such as John, Pat and Pete comment on the above please. I am looking to lower my charge temps and need some viewpoints.

Thanks again :D

Ray

I had a thicker (and only marginally larger in surface area presented to airflow) TMIC that looked quite like the APS one on my MY00. I soon heatsoaked that too and moved onto a FMIC, which I should have done in the first place. An APS TMIC on a MY00 with a VF28 worked quite well, but it was nothing like a FMIC for ignition timing consistency.

Corky Bell suggests that thickening an intercooler is less desirable than increasing its surface area, which clearly makes sense. Increase heatsoak capacity (good or bad) from the heavier core mass is fine, but you have to pay back the debt eventually and that is through airflow through the core which will be related to the area presented to fresh air and the speed of the air passing through. Only a big FMIC will keep your charge temperatures down lap after lap if you are running serious power.

Would be nice if there was published info on charge temperatures between the standard STi 7 intercooler and the APS - as in temperature rise after two dyno runs from baseline for example.

If you can put up with the hassle of a FMIC with the bumper business and the pipework and the induction issues strongly advise to go for it.

[Edited by john banks - 2/26/2003 2:23:42 PM]

Thanks John.

I wish I could go with a front mount; however, there are several issues.

1) installation down here would be a nightmare I can see it already

2) the remapp, there is no one down here that mapps and a plug-n-play map with a I/C would probably not be a good idea. I was hoping that a larger / better TMIC may help a little with charge temps and save me having to do a remmap ? At the end of the day I will only be running approx 320 - 340 bhp with my zorst and plug-n-play map from ScoobySport. This is where I will stop as I don't want to get into other issues by running more horse power.

3) Finally, cost...

Thanks again guys for input :D

Cheers,
Ray

How about upgraded TMIC and water injection then?

I was looking into the WI, but then I went to their site and noticed that it had to be wired into the ecu or something and had to be mapped to know when to shoot in the water. Again, I don't know if anyone is capable of this on the island. I also some saw stuff about making sure it is installed 100% correct as shooting in water in the wrong place (talking millimeters) or shooting it in the wrong time is not good ?

Cheers,
Ray :D

hi john.i might be interested in a tmic myself see you had a aps 1 could i give you a call to get some info from ya..ps..can you mail me a contact no...mark

Ray,WI would also mean a remap to make sure to d'ont lose power in some situations(I think!)