I'm kinda scratchin' my head about this one. I understand Subaru's placement of it on top. I'm thinking that because of the boxer engine, there's enough room to place it there. And having it there will allow it to be closer to the engine and hence less lag? Plus, having it at the top will mean less damage by flying debris n' such.

But, man, it makes sense to have it in the front cuz then it gets the maximum wind exposure. And I think it looks cooler there too.

Well, I guess you just answered your own question. :rolleyes:

-Chris

A front mounter intercooler will usually have a higher volume and allow you to run slightly higher boost. However with the design of the boxer engine, there is a ton of piping necessary for a front mount which will take a lot longer to fill up with air so the lag will be greatly increased.

With a top mount the lag is greatly reduced due to the need for a lot less piping, but in general the capacity of the IC is much less. That is not such a big deal unless you plan to make big horsepower. The APC unit is usually pretty capable of handling almost anything to about 400 bhp, however the fitment is not always perfect and might require some hacking to get it to fit properly.

whats wrong...you dont like the cool hood scoop? ;)

Originally posted by JewPac42
The APC unit is usually pretty capable of handling almost anything to about 400 bhp, however the fitment is not always perfect and might require some hacking to get it to fit properly.


I wouldn't expect APC to build that nice a product.;)

A TMIC is also cheaper. Money is after all everything in the car biz. Remember that the EVO had problems getting past crash testing becuase the FMIC led to too high of a repair cost.

Originally posted by mbiker97
I wouldn't expect APC to build that nice a product.;)

A TMIC is also cheaper. Money is after all everything in the car biz. Remember that the EVO had problems getting past crash testing becuase the FMIC led to too high of a repair cost.

i think he is talking about aps

In addition, from a motorsport/track point of view, the FMIC placement is in somewhat an undesirable place. All the weight is in the front of the car, over the front wheels, and just as low, but not exactly, to the bumper lip.

The TMIC is placed on top of the engine, farther from the front.

On a different note: Unless its a car your building up for uprated boost and power or if you have something to counteract the front downforce on the initial braking sequence (eg: more rear downforce, dominance of proportioning valves, tire coeffiecant friction, etc.) , your better off with a TMIC.

-paK +15

if it was made by apc, it prolly have neons around the edges and the whole thing would be made out of fake carbon fiber. lol :p