As already said, mount it to the bumper away from the IC. Having it on the IC won't do much. If a rock is too big to fit through the holes, part of the rock will still get through and bend some fins the way you have it.

I feel like having that mesh will add more attention to that area considering it's not OEM. If you want to conceal your intercooler powdercoat it black.

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absolutly never powder coat an intercooler as it will kill the thermal properties of the design as it will decrease exposed surface area.

for a stealth look you would want it anodized black

it doesn't look bad

LandoAWD said:

Most ICs stand up pretty well. I've eaten an owl or two over the years at 70+...just feathers remained and the IC was fine.

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This is a couple years to late, but that just made me laugh pretty hard

Want this mod but don't want to lose the foglights..

Some people say painting it black helps keep it cooler so that would be a plus^^ I never understood how it worked though since black attracts sunlight.

Don't know if it will protect, technically you need an air cushion between the intercooler and the mesh, so that the mesh gets impacted first, but having them together... basically it will get damaged either way (if big enough debris)
Looks interesting though, I wonder how it looks with bumper on.

Whatever you do DO NOT powdercoat it black. You can have it anodized but you would not want to powdercoat anything that will exchange heat like that. You can also buy radiator paint from the auto store and use some light coats on the intercooler.

looks good, but IMHO i dont see it serving much of a purpose for protecting your ic good idea tho

Personally I have not done it.

I would try it out since it's cut and then take it off after you put it on if you don't like it.

Post some pictures too!

I kind of had the same Idea for when I get my front mount, I would mount it 2-3 inches in front of the intercooler. I've been looking for a tight metal mesh but ain't found much that would help any.

Anodizing is the best way, but a light coat of high temp black paint is supposed to work just as well. Obviously more for cosmetic purposes, but it wont hurt the IATs. Im going to do the front of my IC, just the visible part during the ongoing build. SIM: Hurry the F up with my head, guys! I neeeeeds it

This thread totally reminded me of this guy back in '97 who was so concerned with his new intercooler, that he did the same mesh idea out of materials from Home Depot. It looked decent until one day, he hit a huge piece of scrap tire off a semi, and it creased the homemade mesh grille and did protect the intercooler. Unfortunately, as the grille took the brunt of the impact, the crease the impact made, punched a huge section on the intercooler causing damage after all to his new FMIC. Good luck.

Expanded mesh has more air resistance than you'd think. I have a sidecar on my scooter with an expanded mesh ramp that causes noticeable drag if i put it all the way up going down the road. Now in this situation it isnt acting as a big spoiler like the mesh does in my case. In fact it may be helpful at higher speeds to keep too much air from getting under the car. So i'd say you'd probably be fine leaving it and not notice any real performance decrease.

I always say you need as much airflow as you can get so dont put anything infront of your intercooler

I like the idea for the stealth look alone. If it keeps a few rocks from bending your fins, then that's just an added bonus.

i like it! reminds me of the what the evo 8,9 and x come with

Mesh IMO looks tacky . I would just get a blacked out intercooler. Done it with my last 2 cars. Not yet on the talon but it's nice not to draw attention to yourself.

I always like the appearance from an exposed IC look, the mesh really doesn't restrict air flow and in one way,shape, or form does kind of protect the IC fins from damage but it honestly comes down to personal preference from the owner

Ditch the mesh. Like others have mentioned just coat it black for a more subtle look.