big smic vs fmic question

[97_a4_1.8t]

i found a smic on craigslist that has a 3.5inch thick core for around $150 would it be better to run that or buy a front mount instead? because i have a ko4 that im gonna be putting on and am thinking about going with the giac pc-16 and i dont really want to dish out alot for a fmic

[ultrasport69022]

subscribed!

[alsabti3]

fmic

[Dynamite]

for the PC16 then SMIC its probably fine. FMIC get better flow over them obviously so will work better for the size, plus you can fit bigger ones in the front than in the side.

[ricekikr]

Get a quality FMIC. The smic will probably be fine for short bursts, but during trackdays, the smaller core and less airflow will result in heatsoak. That being said a poorly designed or too small FMIC will also get heatsoaked.

ko3/ko4 + high boost = very hot air

[waveblaster200]

I just got a Apikol smic, I wasn't sure what I needed or wanted SMIC or FMIC. I installed a BW K04 to replace my trashed K03, I am still running my old K03 software. I am thinking of going GIAC Hammer or Uni Stage 2+. My car is just a DD and a FMIC was not worth the cost in my mind, the Apikol unit has a nice build quality, the welds look perfect. It's sitting in my living room right now, I haven't had time to install it yet but I am hoping my IATs drop a good bit + its finally cooling off at night here in FL. From what other people say you really don't need a FMIC unless you are running a 2871 or bigger. I am a college student and the $$ are hard to come by and the Apikol was the right price for DDing. On the stock smic after one pull I was seeing IATs near 66c it was 33c outside, I let you know if I install it this weekend and tell you what sort of IATs I see.

[99blueb5]

fmic, side mount is a good idea for a clean look but functionality isnt the best as you do around 4 pulls and then its heat soaked, besides there isnt and ton of room to install a fatter side mount

[flynnr]

side mounts in our cars are WAY better than front mounts... the reason for this is that there isnt a radiator 1/4" behind the smic like there is with the fmic. the air flow then is increased greatly.

i know a ton of people with s4's with ER smic's with their stg 3 kit, and have gained a lot of power / much much less heat soak with them over their fmic setups...

Im not saying for our car its the best option (mainly because there is only one) but if you arent going bigger than a k04 i would recommend just getting that upgraded smic and calling it a day

[JEmm]

side mounts in our cars are WAY better than front mounts... the reason for this is that there isnt a radiator 1/4" behind the smic like there is with the fmic. the air flow then is increased greatly.

i know a ton of people with s4's with ER smic's with their stg 3 kit, and have gained a lot of power / much much less heat soak with them over their fmic setups...

Im not saying for our car its the best option (mainly because there is only one) but if you arent going bigger than a k04 i would recommend just getting that upgraded smic and calling it a day

One of the most contradicting posts ever... Besides the fact that your sig says you have a fmic...

I would go front mount, better flow and more area.

[ricekikr]

side mounts in our cars are WAY better than front mounts... the reason for this is that there isnt a radiator 1/4" behind the smic like there is with the fmic. the air flow then is increased greatly.

You forgot to mention the fender liner which is completely closed.

Radiator that's designed for airflow vs Completely closed fender liner. You decide which has more airflow.

However, you can get S4 fender liners. But still doesn't help with the physical size of a SMIC.


For reference:

I have a 50trim .48a/r and a Precision (600hp) intercooler iirc its around $350 +piping. The hot side is untouchable after a few runs, while the cold side is room temp. By few runs I mean, Full throttle 3rd gear redline, full stop, check logs/tune, full throttle 3rd gear redline, check logs/tune (repeat more than 20times). Full stop meaning no time for the intercooler to cooldown.

And my boost still comes at around 3800rpm.

SMIC = Will never be large enough to eliminate/reduce heatsoak
FMIC = Only limited by how much you want to trim your bumper

**** In the end, the main benefit of a FMIC is heatsoak, which only happens after a few runs ****

Most dyno logs have cool down between runs so intercooler efficiency is only measured by flow, not heat soak resistance.

[elballoonrat]

how about an upgraded smic and then add a w2a on the passenger side when you get to that point?

[97_a4_1.8t]

im gonna just pick up the bigger smic because the guy said he will let it go for 100 so i will give it a try

[Kyle H]

If I were going to do my setup again, I'd do a big, high quality SMIC on the passenger side with good ducting, a nitrous ic sprayer, and w/m injection. then run my oil cooler on the drivers side, and some brake ducting on the sides of the bumpers.

[Kyle H]

You forgot to mention the fender liner which is completely closed.

Radiator that's designed for airflow vs Completely closed fender liner. You decide which has more airflow.

because that's impossible to change

[ricekikr]

You forgot to mention the fender liner which is completely closed.

Radiator that's designed for airflow vs Completely closed fender liner. You decide which has more airflow.

because that's impossible to change

Um, you do know S4 liners, which fit the A4, has vents and adds airflow. You can even put vents on the stock liners, again adding airflow. I'm no expert, but in my humble opinion, this makes it POSSIBLE to change the completely closed A4 liners.

[biketsai]

OP, just to let ya know a 3.5" core is too thick.

[1NaudiA4]

I saw that one on craigslist too... believe it was a TAP intercooler. I would say go with that one over a fmic especially if your just going to be running a k04. All these guys are arguing that a front mount has more surface area for air flow but they fail to realize an intercooler is just a heatsink. In which case, thickness of the intercooler has a lot to do with its capacity and that one is pretty thick at 3.5"(good luck fitting a 3.5" fmic behind the stock bumper without chopping it up). Not to mention how much easier it would be to install that smic over a fmic. All the mounting tabs are already there for the smic and there is no extra piping to do.

[flandog]

personally would go with FMIC, the more frontal surface area is more important then the thickness.

[99blueb5]

yeah if you have ever been looking where the smic hooks up to you know already that there is absolutly no extra room at all, and if you wanted to run this one then you would have to get different hoses for everything to match up, and for $100 thats alot of money for just a core, you could save up another 100 and get a full universal kit with piping and couplers and everything needed. in the end smic dont have the surface area to cool like a fmic does, even if the core is 6 inches thick, you can have a 1 inch core but have it 30inches long and it will cool more area