What a difference a small piece of gear can make!
I have finally managed to fix my FM intercooler problem: I have slightly flared the 1.5” pipes (which are now very tight) and the whistle has disappeared instantly.
But, back to the improvement. The main reason for changing the intercooler was just to “look good” behind the cervo bar. I never planned or expected any real gain in performance. Yes, I believed the petrol/air mix would have been denser blah, blah, blah…, but in a so small engine I wasn’t really expecting to be noticeable.
To my surprise the change has made an incredible difference: First of all the engine revs a lot harder and faster. Again, I didn’t have any other similar car to compare against, so I assumed the way was revving was right.
Spooling has improved significantly as well as turbo lag. The only problem, at the moment, is that with the dual stage boost controller I have installed, the low stage is already over the 8 PSI it should be (and cannot be reduced).
In hindsight, I assume the old intercooler must have had sh#tall flow: either was very small and warm (being top-mounted without a fresh air intake on the bonnet) or really crapped inside, after 20 odd years of use (more likely).
Last week end, when I finally fixed the leak, it was almost impossible to drive the car on wet roads without loosing grip. Fun but scary at times.
FMIC - What a difference a small piece of gear can make!
Sounds cool, any pics of new setup?
Im guessing your old cooler was a std f6a top mount??
Would be interesting to see what the pressure drop is over the std cooler.
Also the inlet temp difference between coolers would be worth looking at.
I've bought 4 different coolers to see which I can fit best with the std front end on the mb.
I think a SAAB 9000 cooler looks like the best option. Hopefully get the MB back on the road and a cooler installed ready for summer after final exams at uni.
Im guessing your old cooler was a std f6a top mount??
Would be interesting to see what the pressure drop is over the std cooler.
Also the inlet temp difference between coolers would be worth looking at.
I've bought 4 different coolers to see which I can fit best with the std front end on the mb.
I think a SAAB 9000 cooler looks like the best option. Hopefully get the MB back on the road and a cooler installed ready for summer after final exams at uni.
A front mounted intercooler makes a noticeable difference to air intake temperature, both when moving and stationary. My intake temps dropped by 10-20% - in fact on any decent stretch of road I can get the temp down close to ambient.
Cam, if you want to keep the standard bumper, then get a cooler you can sandwich between the radiator and grille. Even if you have to space the radiator back a bit it gives you a decent space to put a cooler that won't stick out if you paint it black.
The standard cooler from an F6A Jimny is just about perfect for the job, or one from a Cappaccino turned 90 degrees.
Cam, if you want to keep the standard bumper, then get a cooler you can sandwich between the radiator and grille. Even if you have to space the radiator back a bit it gives you a decent space to put a cooler that won't stick out if you paint it black.
The standard cooler from an F6A Jimny is just about perfect for the job, or one from a Cappaccino turned 90 degrees.
F8B EFI turbo - Three pots and a snail.