Yes- there are most definitely fitment issues w/ the USDM STI intercoolers to the WRX

BIGSKYWRX · 11-12-2003, 10:52 AM

I recently acquired a USDM intercooler and went to install it last night. When I got the turbo hose snug (took quite a bit more effort than the oe one as there is less room to wiggle) and the throttle body snugged up- I ws suprised to see that the passenger side mounting hole was almost 2" off of the mark where it is to line up on the bracket- 2" forward (to the front of the car). As you are aware there is always a little wiggle room to twist things around a bit- but 2" was too much to overcome.

It appeared the red hose that connects to the turbo was part of the problem- it was too short- I pulled it out a smidge ~ 1/2" and then tightened it down, while this helped some it didn't solve it.

I took off the turbo hose, as well as the TB hose, just to see how things would look when the IC was properly attached to the brackets.

I discovered that not only was the "red" hose too short, but the TB hose was going to be lacking as well. My Samco TB hose was 2" and I'm going to need closer to 3" to fit correctly.

I was going to hack up my Samco Y hose as it appeared it was longer and would do the trick, but would still be a bit shy on the TB hose.

Instead I will order a "generic" Samco 90 in the right length as well as a generic length to use for the TB hose.

One other possible issue I saw was that the outlet of the IC sat a little higher than the inlet on the TB, stair stepped so to speak. I might have to put a little angle in the mounting brackets to get them to line up square.

Much to my delight I had no issue w/ the AC lines, this was taken care of earlier w/ a STi strut bar, w/ the bar holding back the AC lines out of the way.

I'm pretty confident I can get this to fit w/ the new hoses, but wanted to let folks know it certainly isn't a simple bolt in.

There are obviously some slight differences form the JDM model designed for the 2.0, vs the USDM one designed for the 2.5- more than the just the US one being slightly narrower by 1/2".

I'll let everyone know when I get the new hoses.

Big Sky

* Registered users of the site do not see these ads.

jblaine · 11-12-2003, 12:52 PM

Why not fabricate a new bracket for the passenger side instead of trying hose guesswork, etc?

Quote:

One other possible issue I saw was that the outlet of the IC sat a little higher than the inlet on the TB, stair stepped so to speak. I might have to put a little angle in the mounting brackets to get them to line up square.

Or two brackets...

To me, that would be the proper way to get it to fit right -- make the mounting spots be where they need to be.

StiDreams · 11-12-2003, 01:45 PM

Does the WRX passenger side IC bracket have 2 holes or 1 hole. The one on my STi has 2 holes. I'm assuming that it's universal one for the 04 that can be used for both the WRX and the STi. The IC in my car lines up to the outter most one. I would assume that the IC for the WRX would line up on the inner one. If this is the case you could probably just orer the bracket from Subaru.

pjcoregon · 11-12-2003, 01:51 PM

It has two holes... the smaller for the stocker... the larger for the STi TMIC.

jblaine · 11-12-2003, 01:58 PM

Right, the JDM 2001/2002 STi TMIC.

bemani · 11-12-2003, 02:55 PM

big sky, are you using oem sti hoses?

And yeah, I think fabricating a new bracket would be easier... or maybe you just need to get the sti brackets?

BIGSKYWRX · 11-12-2003, 03:10 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by bemani
big sky, are you using oem sti hoses?

And yeah, I think fabricating a new bracket would be easier... or maybe you just need to get the sti brackets?

Yes- STi Y pipe and hoses (v8USDM). It (v7 GDA) does have the two hole setup on the passenger side, just not lining up.

That's is indeed a way better idea-fabing a bracket, that's why I post here

Never even thought about the USDM v8 brackets, I'll check and see if they are different part #'s than the ones on my 02 GDB.

If that falls through, fabbing or modifying the existing ones makes more sense. I'm sure it would be a special order from hell to get the hoses from SamcoSport.

Thanks everyone.

Big Sky

pjcoregon · 11-12-2003, 03:33 PM

when you say not aligning correctly...could you be more specific... when I installed mine I had to loosen the driver side bracket to get it to initially line up with the passenger side holes.

ApexR · 11-12-2003, 04:01 PM

pjcoregon did you install the jdm one or usdm model ?

big sky, so that means you will need to order a 3" ic to tb hose and another hose to connect the metal y-pipe to the turbo ?

StiDreams · 11-12-2003, 05:10 PM

I had to do the same thing pjcoregon did when I took my IC off. It would not line up properly with the driver side bracket thghten to the IC or the manifold. I just left it loose and got the passenger side IC bolt to thread and then thightened it all up.

BIGSKYWRX · 11-13-2003, 09:39 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by ApexR
pjcoregon did you install the jdm one or usdm model ?

big sky, so that means you will need to order a 3" ic to tb hose and another hose to connect the metal y-pipe to the turbo ?

Yes, folks need to specify JDM, USDM- I know the JDM ones have gone relatively hassle free.

I'm going to try and mess w/ the brackets as advised above, that will be less hassle/cost vs getting new hoses.

When I got the red oe (STi) hose snug to the turbo and the TB hose snug, there was a close to 2" gap on the passenger side from the mounting tab on the IC and where it should be on the bracket. The IC appeared to be canted almost, as it was very close to lining up on the drivers side. I think this is due to slight differences in the way the IC piping/hoses are aligned on the STi unit.

Big Sky

fliz · 11-13-2003, 11:15 AM

If you just fab up different brackets, are you going to have seal issues with the hood scoop?

One advantage of the stock brackets is they put the IC directly under the scoop. If you move it two inches forward, you might end up with a lot of air going behind the IC, rather than through it.

pjcoregon · 11-13-2003, 12:35 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by ApexR
pjcoregon did you install the jdm one or usdm model ?

big sky, so that means you will need to order a 3" ic to tb hose and another hose to connect the metal y-pipe to the turbo ?

I had no idea there was a difference... I'll check tonight when I get home... red silicon hose attaches to the cast y-pipe coming from the ducts... I am assuming the difference is due to model year changes and the 2.5 block... i wouldn't try to move the location under the scoop with the brackets but fashion a bracket that allows me to attach in the correct place... if the red hose doesn't reach... i would find one of the those aluminum hose extensions like samco and perrin use to attach their hoses to other hoses and cut a piece of silicon hose to make up the difference.

Tuning Factory Inc. · 11-13-2003, 01:03 PM

I have to ask. Why on erath are you using the STi intercooler? I assume you got it for free? I sincerely doubt you'll get 1 hp on the dyno out of it and it gets scorchingly heat aoaked after only 3 runs on the dyno. My suggestion is to sell it and get a proper TMIC upgrade. You'l be much happier and you'll actually make power.

thrdeye · 11-13-2003, 02:35 PM

from the latest "project WRX" article out of Sport Compact Car, the stock IC is suprisingly harder to heat soak than you would think. I think they only got a few HP out of using an APS TMIC. When I upgrade, I will definitely be doing an STi TMIC.

BIGSKYWRX · 11-13-2003, 03:22 PM

Good points on the seal. I think the small amount I need to move it, shouldn't have any bearing on the seal, but will check before I change anything.

I don't view a upgraded IC as a "power" mod, more of a safety mod- just like I would a oil cooler. The STi unit is roughly 30% larger, should add a margin of safety over oe.

There must be some small differences between the USDM and JDM one, I know the USDM one is a 1/2" narrower (front to back), same length and thickness. The 2.5 block might cahnge mounting points ever so slightly.

Big Sky

pjcoregon · 11-13-2003, 04:16 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by thrdeye
from the latest "project WRX" article out of Sport Compact Car, the stock IC is suprisingly harder to heat soak than you would think. I think they only got a few HP out of using an APS TMIC. When I upgrade, I will definitely be doing an STi TMIC.

make sure you get the STi splitter for a good seal on your TMIC when you do.

AWDPilot · 11-14-2003, 10:56 AM

Think you'd have the same problems with an 04, reason being I am thinking about doing the USDM turbo / IC swap on my 04 wagon when I get it

BIGSKYWRX · 11-14-2003, 03:51 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by gibjer
Think you'd have the same problems with an 04, reason being I am thinking about doing the USDM turbo / IC swap on my 04 wagon when I get it

My guess would be yes, I think it's more of a 2.5 vs 2.0 thing than model year.

Big Sky

AWDPilot · 11-14-2003, 04:01 PM

Yeah, thats what I was thinking as well.

I have changed my whole plan for it anyways, going to use the money for a decent set of coilovers instread of power mods. Till I fix the driver anyways.

lstepnio · 11-14-2003, 04:42 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by thrdeye
from the latest "project WRX" article out of Sport Compact Car, the stock IC is suprisingly harder to heat soak than you would think. I think they only got a few HP out of using an APS TMIC. When I upgrade, I will definitely be doing an STi TMIC.

I was going to mention this article. I was suprised by the results and my take on the data was that the OEM intercooler was a better performer for most street applications. The aftermarket intercoolers just take too long to cool down once they are heat soaked.

BIGSKYWRX · 11-14-2003, 05:24 PM

I got to looking at things closer today and have discovered the USDM IC's brackets (the ones on the side) are ~ 17mm closer to the front of the IC than the WRX ones. Thsi perfectly explains why lining up the drivers side, would put me close to 2" off on the passenger side.

I looked at the brackets that hold the IC and there is not enough room to redrill or slot the brackets to accomodate the STi IC. What i looks like I'm going to have to do is get the brackets on the IC off and rewelded 17mm back.

Here's a couple of pics (I originally took them just for a size comparo) that you might be able to see the difference in brackets:

Any other ideas would be welcome.

Big Sky

driggity · 11-14-2003, 06:20 PM

It might cost you the use of the little rubber grommet type thing but you could probably just use a short piece of metal with a hole drilled through it near each end to run from the support to the bracket on the IC. Kinda cheezy but it should work.

BIGSKYWRX · 11-14-2003, 08:55 PM

I'll look into a bracket, next to the bracket. I think I want to retain the rubber grommets if possible, or something similar anyways.

Big Sky

IA Performance · 11-14-2003, 09:33 PM

dang, the US sti IC only has 4 more tubes than the wrx one. Not really much of a difference :/ 33 for the sti and 29 for the wrx. What about thicknesses? Do they appear to be the same?

11-12-2003, 10:52 AM	#1
BIGSKYWRX Scooby Guru Member#: 7958 Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Plains of Eastern Montana Vehicle: 09 GH B+	Yes- there are most definitely fitment issues w/ the USDM STI intercoolers to the WRX I recently acquired a USDM intercooler and went to install it last night. When I got the turbo hose snug (took quite a bit more effort than the oe one as there is less room to wiggle) and the throttle body snugged up- I ws suprised to see that the passenger side mounting hole was almost 2" off of the mark where it is to line up on the bracket- 2" forward (to the front of the car). As you are aware there is always a little wiggle room to twist things around a bit- but 2" was too much to overcome. It appeared the red hose that connects to the turbo was part of the problem- it was too short- I pulled it out a smidge ~ 1/2" and then tightened it down, while this helped some it didn't solve it. I took off the turbo hose, as well as the TB hose, just to see how things would look when the IC was properly attached to the brackets. I discovered that not only was the "red" hose too short, but the TB hose was going to be lacking as well. My Samco TB hose was 2" and I'm going to need closer to 3" to fit correctly. I was going to hack up my Samco Y hose as it appeared it was longer and would do the trick, but would still be a bit shy on the TB hose. Instead I will order a "generic" Samco 90 in the right length as well as a generic length to use for the TB hose. One other possible issue I saw was that the outlet of the IC sat a little higher than the inlet on the TB, stair stepped so to speak. I might have to put a little angle in the mounting brackets to get them to line up square. Much to my delight I had no issue w/ the AC lines, this was taken care of earlier w/ a STi strut bar, w/ the bar holding back the AC lines out of the way. I'm pretty confident I can get this to fit w/ the new hoses, but wanted to let folks know it certainly isn't a simple bolt in. There are obviously some slight differences form the JDM model designed for the 2.0, vs the USDM one designed for the 2.5- more than the just the US one being slightly narrower by 1/2". I'll let everyone know when I get the new hoses. Big Sky * Registered users of the site do not see these ads.

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
USDM STI intercooler on 02 wrx	impreza2	Factory 2.0L Turbo Powertrain	15	04-23-2012 04:40 PM
USDM Sti Intercooler on 07 wrx	I <3 Dirt	Newbies & FAQs	3	02-27-2008 10:09 PM
F/S/T 05 usdm sti intercooler & 04 wrx	04blue-meanie	Private 'For Sale' Classifieds	6	09-30-2005 09:04 AM
USDM STi Intercooler on 05 WRX	kennyvb	Factory 2.0L Turbo Powertrain	28	05-31-2005 09:32 PM
Replacement silicone hoses for USDM STI Intercooler on a WRX	shogun90	Factory 2.0L Turbo Powertrain	3	05-27-2005 01:19 PM

11-12-2003, 01:45 PM	#3
StiDreams Scooby Specialist Member#: 26315 Join Date: Oct 2002 Chapter/Region: BAIC Location: On the grassy knoll. Vehicle: 07 Outback Silver/Silver	Does the WRX passenger side IC bracket have 2 holes or 1 hole. The one on my STi has 2 holes. I'm assuming that it's universal one for the 04 that can be used for both the WRX and the STi. The IC in my car lines up to the outter most one. I would assume that the IC for the WRX would line up on the inner one. If this is the case you could probably just orer the bracket from Subaru.

11-12-2003, 01:51 PM	#4
pjcoregon Scooby Specialist Member#: 15384 Join Date: Feb 2002 Chapter/Region: NWIC Location: Portland, Oregon	It has two holes... the smaller for the stocker... the larger for the STi TMIC.

11-12-2003, 01:58 PM	#5
jblaine Scooby Guru Member#: 8512 Join Date: Jul 2001 Chapter/Region: South East Location: St. Pete, FL Vehicle: 2002 WRX chassis... stage-infinity.com	Right, the JDM 2001/2002 STi TMIC.

11-12-2003, 02:55 PM	#6
bemani Scooby Specialist Member#: 5673 Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: Folsom, CA Vehicle: 2002 WRX/2005 LGT 09 Ducati M696/ZX6R	big sky, are you using oem sti hoses? And yeah, I think fabricating a new bracket would be easier... or maybe you just need to get the sti brackets?

11-12-2003, 03:33 PM	#8
pjcoregon Scooby Specialist Member#: 15384 Join Date: Feb 2002 Chapter/Region: NWIC Location: Portland, Oregon	when you say not aligning correctly...could you be more specific... when I installed mine I had to loosen the driver side bracket to get it to initially line up with the passenger side holes.

11-12-2003, 04:01 PM	#9
ApexR Scooby Newbie Member#: 34888 Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: USA Vehicle: 2003 WRX Sedan	pjcoregon did you install the jdm one or usdm model ? big sky, so that means you will need to order a 3" ic to tb hose and another hose to connect the metal y-pipe to the turbo ?

11-12-2003, 05:10 PM	#10
StiDreams Scooby Specialist Member#: 26315 Join Date: Oct 2002 Chapter/Region: BAIC Location: On the grassy knoll. Vehicle: 07 Outback Silver/Silver	I had to do the same thing pjcoregon did when I took my IC off. It would not line up properly with the driver side bracket thghten to the IC or the manifold. I just left it loose and got the passenger side IC bolt to thread and then thightened it all up.

11-13-2003, 11:15 AM	#12
fliz Scooby Guru Member#: 30342 Join Date: Nov 2002	If you just fab up different brackets, are you going to have seal issues with the hood scoop? One advantage of the stock brackets is they put the IC directly under the scoop. If you move it two inches forward, you might end up with a lot of air going behind the IC, rather than through it.

11-13-2003, 01:03 PM	#14
Tuning Factory Inc. Vendor Member#: 3600 Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Detroit, Michigan, USA	I have to ask. Why on erath are you using the STi intercooler? I assume you got it for free? I sincerely doubt you'll get 1 hp on the dyno out of it and it gets scorchingly heat aoaked after only 3 runs on the dyno. My suggestion is to sell it and get a proper TMIC upgrade. You'l be much happier and you'll actually make power.

11-13-2003, 02:35 PM	#15
thrdeye Scooby Specialist Member#: 24569 Join Date: Sep 2002 Chapter/Region: South East Location: East Tennessee Vehicle: 2011 Impreza WRX SWP	from the latest "project WRX" article out of Sport Compact Car, the stock IC is suprisingly harder to heat soak than you would think. I think they only got a few HP out of using an APS TMIC. When I upgrade, I will definitely be doing an STi TMIC.

11-13-2003, 03:22 PM	#16
BIGSKYWRX Scooby Guru Member#: 7958 Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Plains of Eastern Montana Vehicle: 09 GH B+	Good points on the seal. I think the small amount I need to move it, shouldn't have any bearing on the seal, but will check before I change anything. I don't view a upgraded IC as a "power" mod, more of a safety mod- just like I would a oil cooler. The STi unit is roughly 30% larger, should add a margin of safety over oe. There must be some small differences between the USDM and JDM one, I know the USDM one is a 1/2" narrower (front to back), same length and thickness. The 2.5 block might cahnge mounting points ever so slightly. Big Sky

11-14-2003, 10:56 AM	#18
AWDPilot Scooby Guru Member#: 25058 Join Date: Sep 2002 Chapter/Region: NESIC Location: Shrewsbury, MA Vehicle: 2013 Legacy 2.5i #8 '07 Miata PRHT	Think you'd have the same problems with an 04, reason being I am thinking about doing the USDM turbo / IC swap on my 04 wagon when I get it

11-14-2003, 04:01 PM	#20
AWDPilot Scooby Guru Member#: 25058 Join Date: Sep 2002 Chapter/Region: NESIC Location: Shrewsbury, MA Vehicle: 2013 Legacy 2.5i #8 '07 Miata PRHT	Yeah, thats what I was thinking as well. I have changed my whole plan for it anyways, going to use the money for a decent set of coilovers instread of power mods. Till I fix the driver anyways.

11-14-2003, 05:24 PM	#22
BIGSKYWRX Scooby Guru Member#: 7958 Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Plains of Eastern Montana Vehicle: 09 GH B+	I got to looking at things closer today and have discovered the USDM IC's brackets (the ones on the side) are ~ 17mm closer to the front of the IC than the WRX ones. Thsi perfectly explains why lining up the drivers side, would put me close to 2" off on the passenger side. I looked at the brackets that hold the IC and there is not enough room to redrill or slot the brackets to accomodate the STi IC. What i looks like I'm going to have to do is get the brackets on the IC off and rewelded 17mm back. Here's a couple of pics (I originally took them just for a size comparo) that you might be able to see the difference in brackets: Any other ideas would be welcome. Big Sky

11-14-2003, 06:20 PM	#23
driggity Scooby Specialist Member#: 7453 Join Date: Jun 2001 Chapter/Region: TXIC Location: Grapevine, TX Vehicle: 2005 Legacy GT Wagon 2006 LJ Rubicon	It might cost you the use of the little rubber grommet type thing but you could probably just use a short piece of metal with a hole drilled through it near each end to run from the support to the bracket on the IC. Kinda cheezy but it should work.

11-14-2003, 08:55 PM	#24
BIGSKYWRX Scooby Guru Member#: 7958 Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Plains of Eastern Montana Vehicle: 09 GH B+	I'll look into a bracket, next to the bracket. I think I want to retain the rubber grommets if possible, or something similar anyways. Big Sky

11-14-2003, 09:33 PM	#25
IA Performance NASIOC Vendor Member#: 25194 Join Date: Sep 2002 Chapter/Region: RMIC Location: Boulder, CO Vehicle: 2008 Forester XT 5mt Dark Gray	dang, the US sti IC only has 4 more tubes than the wrx one. Not really much of a difference :/ 33 for the sti and 29 for the wrx. What about thicknesses? Do they appear to be the same?