Front Mount Intercooler
A front mount intercooler cools the air that is heated up when it is compressed by a turbo charger. It operates a lot like the radiator in your car. The difference is that a radiator cools the coolant or liquid as it passes through the radiator. Whereas a front mount intercooler cools air intake. You do not allow the air to be hot as it passes through the engine because then you will lose horse power. There is even a real possibility that the engine can be damaged if the air is too hot. To keep your horsepower up and your engine cool you want your air intake to be as cool as possible.
As compressed hot air enters into the front mount intercooler, the internal fans of the intercooler will cool it. When external air passes through the front mount intercooler from the outside, it will cool the external fins on the intercooler. You can get a horsepower gain of about 15HP if you install a front mount intercooler. However this horse power gain amount is not exact and it can vary from car to car.
There are two basic types of front mount intercoolers. Front mount intercoolers are referred to as FMICs. The two types are “tube and fin” and “bar and plate.” Each one of these types has his own pros and cons. The "bar and plate" type is a little more popular because it seems to last longer than the “tube and fin” type and it also looks better. Both of these types seem to perform at about the same level and the horsepower gained is about the same for each.
Before you buy a front mount intercooler, you should check with your vendor to make sure that it will fit in your vehicle make and model first. Ask them if there will be any special fit adjustments that will have to be made before you can install the FMIC. You should ask the vendor if it will come with a replacement bumper beam too. If not, ask what it will take to modify your existing bumper beam. It will also be really helpful to find out what type of aftermarket intake you will need to purchase for your FMIC to fit properly. Adding an aftermarket intake is going to substantially add to the cost of installing your FMIC.
After you have installed your front mount intercooler there are a few things you can do to make it more efficient. One thing you can do is to add an aftermarket water spray to increase its cooling efficiency. You can also add N02 and CO2 sprayers that will increase its cooling efficiency. You can also wrap the return piping on that front mount intercooler. If you use heat wrapping on the return piping it will help to keep the cold air in longer. Even though the heat wrap will not look cool it will really help you get the most out of your front mount intercooler
You should know that by installing a replacement bumper beam you will be modifying the stock unit. As a result your insurance company may contest the issue of paying for damages if you are ever in a front end crash after having modified the bumper beam. You should also know that a front mount intercooler is an expensive modification that some insurance companies will not ensure. Before you make the decision to install a front mount intercooler it is to your best advantage to make a phone call to your insurance agent to find out what they will and will not cover in the event of an accident after a front mount intercooler is installed on your vehicle.
