[Mk2] [Turbo] Top mount intercooler

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Ryan S
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[Mk2] [Turbo] Top mount intercooler

Post by Ryan S »

So i'm on the hunt for something like ATS top mount kit however at $1200 plus shipping, vat and import fees I feel there kit is a bit steep. Anyone know of anything of a similar size and shape that would work?

http://www.atsracing.net/Parts/Details/ICBOV-ATS-TOPMIC

Here's a link to their kit.
The other option is boot mount but I do want to keep the boot.
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Re: [Mk2] [Turbo] Top mount intercooler

Post by Ryan S »

Actually managed to find what appears to be the same intercooler core. Obviously have to get tabs welded on etc but this core is right here in the UK.
https://turbozentrum.co.uk/Intercooler-TRE
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Re: [Mk2] [Turbo] Top mount intercooler

Post by Ryan S »

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/151427640407

Or this which is £88. ATS really must have enormous glass doors charging $1200 for one of these plus a couple of bits of pipe and a couple of electric fans. 🙄
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Re: [Mk2] [Turbo] Top mount intercooler

Post by jimGTS »

i would hazard a guess they are not using a cheap china core.
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Re: [Mk2] [Turbo] Top mount intercooler

Post by Ryan S »

Probably not but $1200 is still scandalous. Gravity racing sell an identical core for £119.
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Re: [Mk2] [Turbo] Top mount intercooler

Post by jimGTS »

scandalous, for sure. wouldnt catch me spending over £1k+ on such a small intercooler with off the shelf pipework and couplers.
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Re: [Mk2] [Turbo] Top mount intercooler

Post by Ryan S »

Dunno about small, it's half a metre long and more than twice the size of a regular side mount (based on greddy sizes I believe) But it is insanely priced. Been doing some research and it seems top mount on the passenger side works quite well. I'm not sure what other options I have than a boot mount to be honest. The ATS one will stick out way past my inlet manifold and i'm not sure how a differently shaped one would hold up at 480bhp.

Image

This would be my only realistic option. The dimensions are near double that of a side mount. I guess a toms or bomex scoop (as much as I despise them) would get air into this no problem. Have a fan underneath it on constantly too for when sitting in traffic. My worry is the strip, Sitting in a queue for 15 minutes before your run it would heatsoak like mad.
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Re: [Mk2] [Turbo] Top mount intercooler

Post by jimGTS »

i only meant size in relation to most front mounts (on other cars), youd hope a smaller core was fairly cheap.

i guess your paying for the development costs.

passenger side is the coldest side, so as long as you got a fan, lid open when in queue, prob not too bad. lay some ice on it, now theres an idea!

just gota beat my 12.5 right :eye:
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Re: [Mk2] [Turbo] Top mount intercooler

Post by Ryan S »

Ah yeah there's no contest to a front mount!

What makes the passenger side coldest? They both have the same vents. Surely the side further away from the engine would be cooler no? Also it's not really an option for me due to my stupid inlet manifold, I'd have to run crazy pipework. Even a boot mount I'd have to run fairly rubbish pipework :(

Haha! It never even crossed my mind but believe me it'll do 12.5 with no issues whatsoever! it is alarmingly fast Jim! So much so that I'm seriously thinking about a smaller turbo. I put it on par with a zx600-750. Don't think it would touch a 900cc.
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Re: [Mk2] [Turbo] Top mount intercooler

Post by jimGTS »

Coldest because you don't have a downpipe running to the side like the drivers side.
Only things in that area is an fuel filter and start motor.
No room for other corners because of the strut towers. Likely reason ATS went there.

Let me know when you break an 11, who knows, I may try my luck again this year with my measly stock motor :eye:
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Re: [Mk2] [Turbo] Top mount intercooler

Post by jimGTS »

Problem is now, every sod got an auto Audi or BMW with launch control that a 3 year old can drive.
You'll likely loose every heads up which won't make it fun if you have a bad launch.

Perhaps I'm getting old and bitter. :whistle:
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Re: [Mk2] [Turbo] Top mount intercooler

Post by Ryan S »

Gah! Sorry Jim...I've been researching primarily on mr2oc so totally mixed up with driver and passenger side! Yeah I also thought passenger side would be colder. From what I've seen these top mount setups run a fan constantly. I guess I can only hive it a try. I'll be doing pretty much the same as that pic.

Yeah you're absolutely right. Some of the audis there the last time were insane. There was a mk1 TT running low 11's. I actually have a mk1 TT and it feels leaps and bounds ahead of the mr2 despite both cars being around at the same time. My mr2 has launch control and antilag/flatshifting.

11s could be tricky at Crail. It's slightly uphill and always into the wind as it's faces the sea haha! I'm really not all that serious about the strip if i'm honest, I'm not a big fan of launching the car hard either. I do enjoy the strip but i'm by no means competitive. I ride a zx12r that'll do a standing 1/4 in about 9 secs. Once you've done that chasing times seriously seems pointless. It's just for fun for me. FWIW I left a split new RS3 like it was standing still, On the (private) road mind you.
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Re: [Mk2] [Turbo] Top mount intercooler

Post by C35Rob »

what was the issue with your chargecooler system again?

I'd love to see some actual data on that top mount kit.. I'm not convinced, it might be big, but the typical mr2 problem remains...

a) you're relying on airflow in through a vent the size of your fist.

b) unless you're running a modified engine lid (rain tray removed, or one of those aftermarket lids, phoenix power etc) then airflow out is an issue

c) the core isn't shrouded (as far as I can see...) compounding points a&b

d) it's going to heatsoak fast.

efficient intercooling (air or water) is reliant on the hear exchanger being able to reject heat, which means it's got to be in the airflow.. like a CC rad at the front of the car. if your CC system wasn't working for some reason then troubleshooting that rather than ripping it out makes more sense surely?
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Re: [Mk2] [Turbo] Top mount intercooler

Post by Ryan S »

Ach it worked faultlessly for 7000 miles. The issue was to bleed it it takes two people. One at the front to open and close the valve, One at the back with the hose jammed into the filler neck. The guy who helped me never knew how the valve on my pre rad works. If you close it and oush it past the point where it's closed it starts to open again. So for 7000 miles it had been weeping. I regularly checked it at least once a week but the weep was so tiny that it took 7000-8000 miles before it has weeped enough to cause an airlock. All that aside the pre rad is now burst somewhere and is leaking so is now useless. I fear the cold over winter is what's burst it. I'd much rather have a setup that I didn't have a worry about.

If you check the ATS website you'll see they did 21 pulls back to back with no heatsoak. That info is good enough for me but due to my stupid side feed inlet that core is just too big. I physically couldn't get the pipework back on itself to meet the outlet of the core. From the research I've done it seems that a larger surface area is better than a thicker core. Also, Toyota themselves use this same setup on the same side on the supercharged MK1 and according to some members posts about this setup (well one user in particular) the rsin tray off made zero difference to the rain tray being on. The lack of any real world data on a smaller core than the ATS one is what puts me off, when I say smaller core the one i'm looking at is still more than twice the size of a greddy/spearco sidemount and actually just marginally smaller than the kit ATS sells but it is a different shape, Same shape as the one in the pic. As for airflow you have the whole bottom of the car for upward airflow which is the natural flow of air for the mr2. I'm certainly not trying to justify why these are better or worse but from what I've read the side vent has very little to do with these setups. They also run fans constantly. I may well just go boot mount. Good news that my block's not cracked though haha.

Oh, Something I forgot to mention...With my CC system not working at all the CC core alone was enough to handle my low boost setting (21psi 330whp) it was only on high boost it started acting up and misfiring etc then eventually bursting the head gasket. Low boost was no issue at all whatsoever. I run the car in low boost pretty much permanently. Had I not switched to high boost I'd have never known.
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Re: [Mk2] [Turbo] Top mount intercooler

Post by C35Rob »

Ryan S wrote:
If you check the ATS website you'll see they did 21 pulls back to back with no heatsoak.


they've posted zero actual data though, so I don't believe a word of it..

I think you should fix the chargecooler system.. it's been a long time since I looked at your original build so I've had to refresh myself, looking back your initial install is sub optimal, the radiator is too small, and being twin-pass it isn't good for flow, there's multiple hard 90 degree couplers (metal ones on the core and the blue plastic one near the radiator that I can see) which are awful for the flow of a fluid, the bend radius of the rubber hose leading into and out of the radiator is too tight which will cause it to close up internally too, and the pump is passable at best.

I'd spend a day fitting a nice big radiator, replumbing it better and probably fitting a header tank to increase the liquid capacity of the system. water to air intercooling is a proven, tried and tested solution, you just need to make yours reliable and efficient.
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Re: [Mk2] [Turbo] Top mount intercooler

Post by Ryan S »

In fairness it's the easiest option as well. Think you're overthinking the bends though, flow is flow, When my system is working it flows well. Annoyingly a header tank isn't possible. The CC core is already at the highest point apart from the wee daft filler neck thing.
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Re: [Mk2] [Turbo] Top mount intercooler

Post by C35Rob »

Ryan S wrote:In fairness it's the easiest option as well. Think you're overthinking the bends though, flow is flow, When my system is working it flows well. Annoyingly a header tank isn't possible. The CC core is already at the highest point apart from the wee daft filler neck thing.


I'm not overthinking it man, I'm a mechanical engineer with a good understanding of fluid dynamics, sharp bends like that are terrible for flow in a system

if you cant fit a header tank the have a look at the ice box style of reservoirs with internal marine bilge pumps, like this

https://3e3070f2ae70c5627fcd-bde05fef95 ... 99ba80.jpg

it'd vastly improve capacity and flow[/i]
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Re: [Mk2] [Turbo] Top mount intercooler

Post by Ryan S »

Something like that would be great but there's no place that I can mount it higher than the CC core :(
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Re: [Mk2] [Turbo] Top mount intercooler

Post by rev2rich »


PostPosted: Mon May 17, 2021 12:43 pm Post subject:
Something like that would be great but there's no place that I can mount it higher than the CC core [Sad]


ever thought of putting the filler on top of the core it self.. just weld on a alloy filter neck

like this

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/324192046470 ... HkQAvD_BwE

hope it helps
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Re: [Mk2] [Turbo] Top mount intercooler

Post by Ryan S »

I actually have yeah. I have the AVT filler neck but was worried about cutting into the CC core incase i wrecked it. Filling it isn't an issue to be honest. I just don't trust it all that much now :( I really just want to run an intercooler to be totally honest. Just trying to see what other options there are before I end up hacking the boot up.

I've seen a setup where the intercooler is mounted vertically like a front mount but behind the exhaust. That was pretty cool looking. How it functions I've no idea!
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