2G Ideal intercooler piping size for FMIC?

[Denji]

Hey guys, im soon going to be piecing myself together a fmic kit, after researching ive decided not to go with a smic but instead do a cheaper fmic setup. Here is the setup i am considering.

Johnny racecar's biggest intercooler from www.johnnyracecar.com
Core size: 25 wide X 7.75 tall X 2.75 deep

It is offered with 2.5 inlet and outlet or 2.25 inlet and outet (or any combination of the two).
My mods are current, my main question here is what size should i use for lower and upper intercooler piping. I am using greddy intercooler piping running to the stock location, i measured the greddy piping and its a 2 inch lower intercooler piping and a 2.25 upper intercooler piping routed to my stock intercooler. i expect my turbo also has a 2.0 outlet since it matches up to this piping without a reducer.

I plan on using my existing uicp at least what would be the best size piping in your opinion for my setup. My thoughts were that i should go with a 2.25 intercooler inlet and outlet, use 2.25 pipng for both lower and upper intercooler piping, but i also considered going with a 2.0 lower piping since i read that there is no point in going larger than your turbos outlet.

I am aiming for low 13's in my car and this is one of the last things i intend on doing to it. (other than 550cc injectors, 190lph fuel pump, o2 housing and an safc) . I already have the fuel pump and injectors, the pump is going in the same time as the intercooler.

Any speculation on the subject? all responses are appreciated as long as the involve me not replacing my existing greddy uicp, since im not going to do that.

 

[JrCRXHF]

get a intercooler kit from JR i can not believe the service i got and the price.

http://www.extremeintercoolers.com/

he has really good products. I would go with a 2.5 pipe if possible and run the biggest core you can fit under the cross member beam because cooler air is always better.

 

[Denji]

I talked to them today since this link, im just gonna dish out the money, for 200 bucks more than it would take me to make my own intercooler kit, i can have short route piping, bar and plate intercooler instead of tube and fin, and t-bolt clamps ready to bolt onto my car. Sounds like a pretty good deal.

 

[Stapl3]

For low 13's get 2.25".

 

[Talesin]

Just remember, the larger intake piping you have, the more air you can flow with ease. However, it also means more volume that your turbo has to pressurize (translation: slower spool). If you're going for a 400+ drag-only car, go for the 2.5"... for a standard street vehicle, I'd personally stick with 2.25" for quicker response.

 

[LRS95TSI]

i agree with 2.25, with a conservative setup that is all you need, and like he said if your spool is important bigger piping just hurts things

 

[92awddsm]

My opinion is , wait, what are your future plans?

If you are going to stay with the turbo you have, 2.25 u and l icpipng. If you plan to stay there for a while then upgrade to a 50 trim or similar, 2.25 lower and 2.5 upper. Now if you plant to go larger than that sometime in the future, 2.5 lower and upper would be the route to go.

Dont even worry about spool time in you considerations because when I had a 16g, I went from stock ic piping size to full 2.5 upper and lower and it might have slowed spool 200 rpms. How many people even notice 200 rpm's? Its an insignificant amout that will be overcome very quickly.

Also, if you ever decide to go with a gm maf and maft, 2.5-3" couplers are a lot easier to find and cheaper than 2.25-3" couplers.

But again, wht are your long term plans?

 

[Denji]

I have gone with the 2.25 intercooler piping and am going to bead it with jb weld, also im using t-bolt clamps to make sure everything seals well. I am using aluminum piping for ease of cutting. I am matching the piping to the biggest intercooler that johnny racecar sells. Since its just a conservative street setup i felt 2.25 would be good, plus it will match up to my greddy uicp. I will tell you guys how the install goes.

 

[section8]

I finally had the chance to install my johnny racecar fmic 8" with 2.25" pipe. Have fun hacking the crap out of the front bumper. Spool time was about the same so far, so didn't noticed any extra lag. Took it for a run last night and my evo16g pulls hard and doesn't stop. My intake side was hot to the touch, outlet it felt like someone threw a bag of ice on it. I was skeptical on the price and non-brand name, but is worth every penny and more. I used a sbr fmic j pipe, jegs for 1 u bend and a 90 degree bend. I had a dejon tool uip, so I just matched it to those pipes. I got one piece of straight pipe and only had to use maybe 8 inches of it. My fog lights are gone, but they never worked anyway. Good luck on the project. I just never realized I had to hack so much for it to fit in my bumper. Bumper support got cut a little, but was able to keep the foam part on. Powerwise- I felt a little difference, not much. I have dsmlink and still have to tune it, so I can't review that part.

 

[Denji]

I finally had the chance to install my johnny racecar fmic 8" with 2.25" pipe. Have fun hacking the crap out of the front bumper. Spool time was about the same so far, so didn't noticed any extra lag. Took it for a run last night and my evo16g pulls hard and doesn't stop. My intake side was hot to the touch, outlet it felt like someone threw a bag of ice on it. I was skeptical on the price and non-brand name, but is worth every penny and more. I used a sbr fmic j pipe, jegs for 1 u bend and a 90 degree bend. I had a dejon tool uip, so I just matched it to those pipes. I got one piece of straight pipe and only had to use maybe 8 inches of it. My fog lights are gone, but they never worked anyway. Good luck on the project. I just never realized I had to hack so much for it to fit in my bumper. Bumper support got cut a little, but was able to keep the foam part on. Powerwise- I felt a little difference, not much. I have dsmlink and still have to tune it, so I can't review that part.

Did you remove your power steering cooler? that would allow for it to sit a little closer to the radiator.

 

[section8]

no, I kept the power steering cooler there, but bent it a little to make it fit. Judging by some of the pics I've found, I think my fmic is a little higher than most people have it. I tried to lower it, but would have to take out the cooler. I don't know if it helped, but with my bumper support, I cut enough to get some air towards the top and angled the cuts going upwards. I have maybe a 1/2 inch gap between the support and fmic.

 

[XakEp]

I'm using 3" piping with a GT40 turbo. Whatever works...

 

[1fast97gsx]

I run 2.25 to the intercooler and 2.5 to the tb. Depends on your setup though, for a little 16g even 2.25 may be just a tad overkill.