truck bed liner fmic?

[97redEclipse001]

Ok so I don't have an fmic and I'm really only asking this out of curiosity, but could you spray an fmic with truck bed liner to keep rocks from messing it up? I know a lot of people seem to have that problem and I just thought of this on my way home from work. If it's possible, it would also be cool for the Cali people who want to keep a low profile from the thousands of different branches of law enforcement they have out here, as well as keeping the fmic in good shape. Anyway, just me asking questions about parts I don't have, seeing what people think.

 

[GVR4592]

It would severely affect the cooling ability of the intercooler. I've had my fmic for a few years and it doesn't have any road debris damage, and I don't know anybody that has had issues like that. A better option is to spray a few light coats of flat black paint on the intercooler, it won't affect efficiency enough to notice and it helps keep the stealth look.

 

[xveganxcowboyx]

Believe it or not that ugly mesh stuff people fill the front of their cars with can actually serve a purpose.

 

[Locke]

It would severely affect the cooling ability of the intercooler.

Just had to embolden the idea.

 

[97redEclipse001]

, okay. just curious. didn't know it was heat retaining, although that does make sense. my moms truck bed gets hot as f... in the summer.

 

[97redEclipse001]

It might also be that they don't salt/sand the roads as much in Washington where you are? In Maine, even long after all the snow is gone, roads are still dirty. The front of my spyder is a nice little mosaic of chips.

 

[romeen]

Believe it or not that ugly mesh stuff people fill the front of their cars with can actually serve a purpose.

I know some people do this but I really don't think it's necessary. If flying rocks hitting that area was a frequent problem then radiator repair shops would be billionares. I don't think the typical radiator is any more durable than an IC and I personally don't know anyone who has had their radiator crack from flying rocks.

didn't know it was heat retaining, although that does make sense. my moms truck bed gets hot as f... in the summer.

Two different processes. The truck bed liner is heating up because it is absorbing energy from the sun. An IC is heating up because of the heated air moving through the inside of it. That heat gets absorbed by the aluminum and is conducted to the surface of the IC and then radiated into the air that is rushing past the fins. The bed liner would act as a barrier between the aluminum and the outside air (plastics and polyurethanes are very poor conducters of heat).

 

[xveganxcowboyx]

I know some people do this but I really don't think it's necessary. If flying rocks hitting that area was a frequent problem then radiator repair shops would be billionares. I don't think the typical radiator is any more durable than an IC and I personally don't know anyone who has had their radiator crack from flying rocks.

Oh, I'm not saying it's necessary at all. I've got over a year on my current front mount with nothing in front of it. Lots of salt on our roads too. It looks just fine. The mesh would protect it if you were paranoid though. Just an option to add to the thought bin.

 

[GVR4592]

It might also be that they don't salt/sand the roads as much in Washington where you are? In Maine, even long after all the snow is gone, roads are still dirty. The front of my spyder is a nice little mosaic of chips.

They salt/sand the roads every year, neither of those are going to put dents in the fins of an intercooler anyway.

 

[architechnik]

You want air to keep flowing through the IC, not block it up. While the bed liner would protect it, you'll just be making it nearly worthless.

That wire mesh stuff really is your best bet... and here in Oregon we have the same problems. I just had to replace the A/C condenser because all the fins were embedded into itself from the rocks - nowhere near repairable.