Intercooler Upgrade

[scoobnoob]

hi all, eventually swapped my wrx for a an 96 sti RA v limited, and enjoying it very much

the cars already been mapped by andy forrest, and I'm now doing my engine upgrades before taking it back up to have them mapped in as well

the car already has an exedy clutch, lightened fly wheel, full decat exhaust system, up rated panel filter, up rated fuel pump, and forge dump valve

the mods still to come are decat up pipe, fuel pressure regulator, 550cc pistons, and a bigger intercooler

it's the intercooler thats got me stuck though

first of all, I'm wanting to go for the bigger top mount intercooler, as I've heard mixed reports about the front ones?

So I'm looking at a version 7 or above sti intercooler, which I've heard are bigger. problem is the fitting

I have the earlier version of the 96 sti with the intercooler that sits at an angle, and I've heard it's harder to modify a newer one to fit

plus I'm planning on taking the car up to knockhill, so I dont want to remove the strut bar

So what my question is what is the best intercooler upgrade for a 96 sti RA?

any help will be much appreciated

cheers

[paul555sti]

You could try doing a search over on scoobynet as there are quite a few threads on intercooler up grades and also some detailing exactly how they were carried out. I had the slanted intercooler on my 555 sti and Andy suggested the front mount to me. There is quite a bit work involved in both jobs.

[scoobnoob]

sorry meant to write 550cc injectors, doh

can anyone tell what their experience of fitting a front mount has been, just I'd heard you loose a lot of torque futher down the rev range?

[Kenny.S]

Retaining the phase 1 inlet manifold the biggest top mount your likely to get in there is a v3/4 or possibly a 2002 wrx unit, believe Dave (drb5) did this on his RA a number of years ago.

Getting either of the units in, will probably require some alteration (read batter with a hammer!) to the gearbox stabiliser mount, not pretty but nobody will see it unless you later decide to go front mount. You will also need to modify the end tank of the intercooler where the dumpvalve goes in order to clear the idle speed control valve.

Which ever one you fit it'll be difficult to make it look factory ie it'll most probably look like you shoehorned it in!

Or, and this will require quite a lot of work, you can fit the phase 1.5 inlet manifold which gives you alot more room to play with and with this manifold you can fit the V7> Sti intercooler. It would involve a converting the turbo to front entry, different power steering pipes and a few other bits and pieces, it's all doable but like i said, it is quite a lot of work.

The other consideration you have is that the early scoop is quite a bit smaller than the facelift one, not so much in height but area.

You have a few options, leave it be and see how it goes,

Modify the scoop and make it slightly taller or buy one if theres one available.

Again a bit extreme for most people but, there is the option of putting a facelift bonnet, lights and grill on it.

If you retain your early bonnet you'll need to make up some sort of undertray to try and channel the air through the core.

As for the strut brace, I wouldnt give your self the extra hassle of trying to retain it, sell it on ebay and get some money for it, they do next to feck all anyway, imho anyway

Kenny

Edited August 28, 2008 by Kenny.S

[scoobnoob]

cheers for the advice guys, been on scoobynet and found some usefull stuff, and cheers kenny for the in depth response, very much appreciated

Think I'm gonna try a v4 intercooler using the big hammer!

and I'm gonna look into getting a bigger scoop, as I've already got a carbon fibre bonnet, and the scoop can be unscrewed and replaced

[emoe]

cheers for the advice guys, been on scoobynet and found some usefull stuff, and cheers kenny for the in depth response, very much appreciated

Think I'm gonna try a v4 intercooler using the big hammer!

and I'm gonna look into getting a bigger scoop, as I've already got a carbon fibre bonnet, and the scoop can be unscrewed and replaced

To fit the new intercooler requires some mods to the cooler, which are not easy.

I tried and decided it was easier to fit an AUTOBAHN top mount, same volume as a V4 but fits on easy!

[scoobnoob]

just noticed a new problem which I didn't even see until now

because of the fitting of the carbon fibre bonnet, the under tray has been off and sitting in the back seat of the car, so I just had a quick go at putting it back on, only to find all the bolts are in the wrong position, and the scoop sits no where near the intercooler

great!

[emoe]

just noticed a new problem which I didn't even see until now

because of the fitting of the carbon fibre bonnet, the under tray has been off and sitting in the back seat of the car, so I just had a quick go at putting it back on, only to find all the bolts are in the wrong position, and the scoop sits no where near the intercooler

great!

Oh dear!

back to the drawing board!! time to get the 6mm drill out then!