Who is running long route FMIC piping?

[JayRolla]

Just want peoples experience with long route piping. Does it cause your turbo to spool slower. For under $300 for a whole kit I might as well try the longroute for now. So anyone with experience with long route please enlighten me on how good or bad it is.

 

[nightspeed87]

when i get my front mount im probably going to see if I can go short or get a custom set up done because my tuner customized his whole ic pipeing set up and made the shortest most effective possible, its just not all chromey and shiney like the kind you buy...
Id say the lag has more to do with the actual thickness/ size of the piping. If you have a free flowing exhaust system that helps the turbo spool quicker, it will make up for the intercooler pipeing if it were to lag anyway..

 

[JayRolla]

Yea I think im going to get the long route kit and one day try to cut the piping down and make a short route kit, but from what everyone is saying it may not be worth the time to do it. Just to save .03 of a second of spool. Anyone else have any input on the subject?

 

[JayRolla]

Any one else running the long route out there?

 

[cumpersgsx]

you know what i dont get is...with the licp. It goes right by the downpipe...the HOT HOT downpipe...whose idea was that...im amazed it still cools. My licp is like 2 inches from it.

 

[JayRolla]

Doesnt really madder as long as the air after the IC cools. With the long route piping the licp seems to be way further from the down pipe and mani than a short route.

 

[mobythevan]

Any one else running the long route out there?

I run "really" long route piping that I welded up myself. You can look at it sometime if you yell at me since we are in the same town. I have not been dissapointed with the results. Based on my goals I decided to keep all piping 2" mandrel bent so velocity would stay higher.

I run out from the turbo behind the stock overflow tank, then around under pssgr fender and across the front(overtop FMIC) to driver side of FMIC, then from pssgr side of FMIC back under pssgr fender, then up through original SMIC hole and then to TB.

 

[cumpersgsx]

wouldnt the licp be in the same spot reguardless?

 

[mobythevan]

No, I could have cut out about 2 feet by not going out into the fender with the LICP, but it was easier to follow that route for me.

 

[Fabian972]

Question in regards to the short route i think it's awesome but my question is the pipe running from the TB elbow into the intercooler should there be a concern for the pipe heating up since it is sitting right next to the biggest heat source in the car hence heating up the air before it reachs the intake mani ......any thoughts on this theory?

 

[MrBoxx]

the pipe running from the TB elbow into the intercooler should there be a concern for the pipe heating up since it is sitting right next to the biggest heat source in the car

What heat source would that be?

Edit: As a related aside to this topic, my mandrel bends finally came in, so in the next week or so, I'll be working on my "long route" (going through stock SMIC location) FMIC piping. I'll try to get pics, add to my FMIC install thread and eventually turn it into an actual tech article when it's all said and done. I'll also try to get before-and-after datalogs of airflow, intake charge temp, etc., just for posterity.

 

[Fabian972]

What heat source would that be?

Umm the motor...

 

[JayRolla]

Every car thats had a FMIC ive ever seen has had that problem in my eyes. The UICP is cold down after the IC, but as soon as it gets up to the bay its real hot. I thought of rapping the pipe or something.

 

[Fabian972]

That is a good idea i wonder if anyone is using a heat wrap for the intercooler piping i would think long route greddy style would not be as effected as the pipe is further away from any heat sources and when it does reach the elbow the uicp is less exposed to the heat than the short route.

 

[EclipseTrbo420A]

Alot of people wrap their piping. If you completly worried about that go water injection....Its an amazing modification that yeilds great results.

 

[JayRolla]

Go water injection, might as well just get rid of the FMIC then. Just joking. . I want the FMIC to work efficiently. If the air is cool after the IC, then wouldnt the hot UICP just reheat the air and cause higher temps or is it not enough to do anything. Because on my bro's car I notice the lower part of the pipe is ice cold and the upper part about mid way to IM is real hot. Almost to hot to hold but not quite.

 

[MrBoxx]

What heat source would that be?

Umm the motor...

It's just that I would argue that the motor is nowhere near the hottest part of the car. I think that title would belong to either the exhaust manifold, the turbine housing, or the O2 housing. In any case, it's my understanding that even though the pipe might be warm, the air passing through it is going so fast, it doesn't have much time to heat up to any appreciable amount.

 

[JayRolla]

Thats what I was thinking that it would not have time to warm the air up. I guess if you had a intake temp gauge you could rap the pipe and see if it lowers the temps. I wonder if it would. Also I know more than just a few out there running long route. Anyone else want to add there experience?

 

[2gGSX]

I've often thought of this problem as well, with the primary methods of alleviating the problem being better ventilation of the engine bay (aftermarket hood with some sort of vent/custom fabbed) or water cooling.

It would be interesting to see the difference in intake temps between a stock hood at a given speed and an aftermarket one with better ventilation at the same speed.

 

[Fabian972]

It's just that I would argue that the motor is nowhere near the hottest part of the car. I think that title would belong to either the exhaust manifold, the turbine housing, or the O2 housing. In any case, it's my understanding that even though the pipe might be warm, the air passing through it is going so fast, it doesn't have much time to heat up to any appreciable amount.

Right i agree but one could argue that the air is passing just as fast going thru the intercooler and manages to cool down as to were about 90 % of the short route intercooler pipe is exposed to heat. I dont have the short route could of leave your hand on it after couple hours of driving ?

 

[mobythevan]

Right i agree but one could argue that the air is passing just as fast going thru the intercooler and manages to cool down as to were about 90 % of the short route intercooler pipe is exposed to heat. I dont have the short route could of leave your hand on it after couple hours of driving ?

The part you are missing is that the intercooler is an efficient heat exchanger (because of the fin design of the core). Otherwise you could just run a piece of pipe across the front of the car and save yourself a bunch of money. The piece of pipe will conduct some heat into the air stream, but nothing compared to how the intercooler core works.

 

[Fabian972]

The part you are missing is that the intercooler is an efficient heat exchanger (because of the fin design of the core). Otherwise you could just run a piece of pipe across the front of the car and save yourself a bunch of money. The piece of pipe will conduct some heat into the air stream, but nothing compared to how the intercooler core works.

Good info good info do you have a short route ? If so after driving in a while can you put your hand on the pipe with out burning you skin i know it nothing like the exhaust mani i would hope at least i am just trying to get an idea of what kind of heat comes from the pipe.

 

[JayRolla]

My brother runs short route and the UICP is hot but not even close to burn your hand.

 

[Fabian972]

My brother runs short route and the UICP is hot but not even close to burn your hand.

Would you compare it to touching the valve cover or less hot than that ?

 

[JayRolla]

Way less than the valve cover. Cool enough to keep your hand on the pipe but hot enough to make you think it might burn you.

 

[Spln_Hrd]

Oh yea i have lots of friends that have FMIC's and we make sure we put beads on them everytime expecially at the 30psi levels some of them run.

mine have no beads, and i can do it for free at my work i just think with good couplers you wont have problems. i havn't yet and i mad my kit with prebent pipe and couplers so i have about 8 or 9 couplers.