16g w/ fmic or smic

[Clipz0801]

Overall what is better... A 16g with a smic, less lag... or a 16g with w fmic... cauing some lag..

 

[TALONTRAX]

I`m running the Hahn Super 16G turbosystem with their side mount intercooler on my 98 TSI. It`s an awsome setup. I have virtually no lag, very little or no knock, & the entire system is as reliable as bone stock. I see no need to go with a fmic unless you want to push 400+ hp . . .

 

[inneedof]

I have had 1g's with an evo3 and a front mount, and I hit full boost with out any lag issues. You will be able to draw more power out of your set up with a fmic due to the cooler intake temps, so it all comes down to if you want to spend the money. But the fmic will help to make more power over the smic, without leg being an issue (depending on what ic and ic piping you use).

 

[Cs4g63]

I`m running the Hahn Super 16G turbosystem with their side mount intercooler on my 98 TSI. It`s an awsome setup. I have virtually no lag, very little or no knock, & the entire system is as reliable as bone stock. I see no need to go with a fmic unless you want to push 400+ hp . . .

HA HA. I swear I just saw you say the exact same thing on another thread.

 

[95tzlgst]

yeah me too, but I have the hahns also with the stock sidemount and mine gets full boost at 4 g's but that might have to do with some shaft play.

 

[Black_Bullet]

Even if a side mount could cool say 21-22 psi enough that you could run it on the street for a few pulls here and there or down the 1/4 for a mid to low 12 sec pass without knock...
It simply doesnt mean that the side mount could cool consistantly every pull or at least not w/o
longer cooling intervals.
For those who are under full boost/ wot for good periods of time ( autocrossing for example) Id think a fmic would benefit more due to not heatsoaking over time... Personally the lag difference may be within 500 rpms or less if a good short route fmic is selected, so itd just make more sense to go front mount IMO.
Also goes with the saying of having room to grow...But maybe thats just me.

 

[marcell6492002]

I agree, just buy a FMIC and be done. It will save you a headache in the long run. I'm running a 16g with a FMIC from these guys. www.siliconeintakes.com. I have there 31"x11.75"x3" - 2.5" intercooler. Also they sell t-bolt clamps and couplers.

 

[Black_Bullet]

The ssac fmic seems to get good feed back from 2g buyers.


Off topic- Marcell6492002, you have a 2.3 on a 16g fwd car, I cant imagen the wheel spin .

 

[Spades]

One important note that nobody has mentioned is that the fmic will cause warmer coolant temps from blocking much of the air to the radiator. When the weather breaks 95+ degrees around here my coolant temps hover around 213 degrees. The ECU starts to retard timing when coolant temps are 206+ degrees causing SOME performance loss. Currently i have an fmic + meth injection and am seriously considering switching over to an SMIC + meth.

 

[Pirrofab]

Like it was already stated, a fmic will cause coolant temps to be on the higher side due to the increase in air restriction to the radiator. A friend of mine has a 1993 gsx with an exceptionaly large frount mount with a 16g and all he ever complains about is how his coolant temps are constantly high. You said you were concerned with lag, its not excessivly large on his car, 20 psi at around 3200 give or take a couple rpm. My personal opinion would be either to install a smaller Fmic that doesn't fill the whole opening to allow a little more air to cool the radiator or a 4th gen supra sidemount. Im unfortuneatly running the stock intercooler for now but i will be going smic. Another friend of mine has a supra sidemount with 26 psi going through it everyday and has never complained however he also uses water injection to help cool things down.

bottom line- small fmic or supra sidemount
plus with the supra smic its very stealth

 

[asian312]

Even if a side mount could cool say 21-22 psi enough that you could run it on the street for a few pulls here and there or down the 1/4 for a mid to low 12 sec pass without knock...
It simply doesnt mean that the side mount could cool consistantly every pull or at least not w/o
longer cooling intervals.
For those who are under full boost/ wot for good periods of time ( autocrossing for example) Id think a fmic would benefit more due to not heatsoaking over time... Personally the lag difference may be within 500 rpms or less if a good short route fmic is selected, so itd just make more sense to go front mount IMO.
Also goes with the saying of having room to grow...But maybe thats just me.

Take a look at Greg Collier's setup prior to moving to a 2.4 with FP 30xx turbo. He won two SU (super unlimited) championships using a 16g and a larger side mount IC. I believe he was making somewhere in the ball park of 320-330 HP and racing the car for 30min WOT sprints (road racing). People dont give the side mounts enough credit, but if you're planning on going bigger in the future, then a FMIC would be recommended.

 

[DSMnOOb00]

Well what about getting an aftermarket radiator, 4 12' fans 2x pushers 2x pullers, and a few ice cubes everyonce in awhile? I have a fmic, and my temps are always a problem ( I just dont run ac ) I have a mishimoto 12inch fan running next to the stock ac fan on a stock rad, the mishimoto seems to help a bit...

 

[Black_Bullet]

Currently i have an fmic + meth injection and am seriously considering switching over to an SMIC + meth.

Yea but its not always about the cooling factor, it will come to a point of flow restriction with the smic. If your trying to use meth then you must want big numbers, Id say keep the fmic AND use meth for better results...

Take a look at Greg Collier's setup prior to moving to a 2.4 with FP 30xx turbo. He won two SU (super unlimited) championships using a 16g and a larger side mount IC. I believe he was making somewhere in the ball park of 320-330 HP and racing the car for 30min WOT sprints (road racing). People dont give the side mounts enough credit, but if you're planning on going bigger in the future, then a FMIC would be recommended.

320-330 hp wont heat soak as fast as say a 400 + whp set up would, but 330hp is still a lot for a 16g sized turbo but Greg probably has a lot of tuning time and careful considerations in his setup to get away with these things. Im not disagreeing that it cant be done on the smic, Im just saying the obvious facts that a smic WILL heat soak faster than a good quality fmic set up ,and I wouldnt consider Greg Collier an average dsmer, you have your freak dsms every once in a while that arent in the norm ...

 

[m_0ney_pit]

I would recommend the SSAC kit for drivability, but I would say that getting the supra SMIC and meth injection is the better route for a track car. I didn't do meth and the SMIC because I saw it as a pain to refill your water every 3-4 days of driving.

SMIC + meth is definitely superior from a detonation standpoint...you can't beat 100+ octane on pump gas.

 

[timloomis]

I have the ssac fmic on mine. I had some coolant issues, then I removed the ac and they were a lot cooler. I left the ac fan on there so when I race, I just hit the button and both fans kick on. It gets up to about 202* or so on a 95* or hotter day. Then the fan kicks on and cools it down. I'm still on the stock radiator but am running a 180* thermostat. I noticed a big difference between the smic and the fmic though, pulled a LOT harder.

 

[cooldude919]

I have the Hahn sidemount also with a 14b and i can heat soak it pretty easily. I did have the front ducting out before, but i have now put it back in place and sealed it up pretty good, even though it of course doesnt cover the whole surface area. I need to get a logger soon to see my intake and coolant temps, because it seems my engine bay gets pretty hot which makes my hard piping get hot also. May try raising up the back of the hood a bit next.

 

[Black_Bullet]

I have the Hahn sidemount also with a 14b and i can heat soak it pretty easily. I did have the front ducting out before, but i have now put it back in place and sealed it up pretty good, even though it of course doesnt cover the whole surface area. I need to get a logger soon to see my intake and coolant temps, because it seems my engine bay gets pretty hot which makes my hard piping get hot also. May try raising up the back of the hood a bit next.

Yea ive seen a 1g with the back of the hood pretty raised, i may attempt something like this, I hate how my ic piping heat soaks as well, but i notice when i push the button i have wired up to run my cooling fan on full blast till i turn it off, it doesnt heatsoak under the hood and everything is much cooler, but id say hood venting would work very well also... As far as the fmic raising temps, it can be easily delt with with a good alum radiator, a/c removal, proper coolant/ water mix and some fmic ducting... The 180 deg thermo should be the last option in lowering temps.

 

[S_Ranger]

what the...and I was just getting a fmic too. Then I come across a thread like this, now I'm confused

 

[NewTurboTuner]

A front mount intercooler with ALWAYS be better. Get a Front mount no matter what turbo you have. Lag-smag just down shift and waallla Full boost real fast

I never have high coolant temps, but then again I live in WA state and it dosent hit 90' days but maybe 2-4 times a year.
BUT STILL ....if you live in a hot place you will need MORE turbo cooling so again a front mount is what you need to cool the most air.

 

[NewTurboTuner]

theres no lag with a 16g either way

 

[whitetsi95]

What would you guys recommend about people who live in the desert.... I live in southern az and temps see highs of the 120's. So a/c is a most.