And one of the reasons why I'm going relegate my MINI to only the cooler fall and winter months. Plus, since it rains then also (in CA), FWD gets me through the canyon with less drama then RWD...

 

It makes for quite the bump in power when the BPV closes. Regular ice works pretty well too - It's a lot easier to deal with & available everywhere.

 

Thanks guys for all the great feedback. Seems there is no straight forward answer, but based upon my current mods, my uses, and the cost, the DFIC would seem to suit me. I like the look of the M7 with the aerogel heat blanket, over the Alta V2 unit. Any suggestions?

 

I just installed by MM Air/Water two days ago and I will be reusing my Aerogel for the intercooler and for the header. I'm very happy with my new set up and I can't believe how cool the the outlet side is or the top of the wrapped intercooler. I posted a thread early yesterday you can go over about my new mod.
good luck
Mario

 

 

what is that thing? who, where and $$$?

 

Wow...where's the boot?

 

OMG...is this what we've been waiting for? Looks like a DFIC wrapped in a water jacket (JK).

sweet. More details por favor.

 

AB Racing? I doubt it...

 

So JK stands for just kidding. Of course it's not a DFIC in water... But it's more "short and tall" like a DFIC than "long and squat" like an OEM. And I realise there are lots of cores out there that are not OEM Mini or DFICs, such as Laminova, etc.

 

Very interesting.... Look where the water in & out is. Do you think the radiator is under or in the rear of the car? RoCm or UVM ( rear of car mount or under vehicle mount ).
What ever the core design is, it appears, the "no boot" design is being used to lower restriction.

 

sorry Phil...didn't mean to offend...I know what you're saying...

 

Actually, (and with only one photo to work on) it could be that the inlet side has no boot (a rubber O ring seal would work well here) and the other end has a boot on it (both ends can't be solid unless you want to remove your SC or intake manifold to install the IC.) This would halve the probability of a pressure leak, and still make installation relatively easy.
Yes, I like the idea that the radiator is somewhere else...but where?
Sid, if it is more in size and shape to a DFIC, then it will fit on your car like a glove but you may already know how it fits...

Now, how much will it cost me after I buy one and install it...? Dinner for two, a vacation to Hawaii... ah heck.

 

I'm leaning more and more towards W/A IC but it would have to be roughly the same dimension as the DFIC due to the fact that I have louvers that will conflict with anything larger...

I've thought about just designing one and have it custom fabricated...with the radiator at the rear...the length of the hoses would negate the need for large reservoir and keep the CG low along the bottom of the car...My eyes are open...

 

Oh no I've started thinking like Msfitoy

 

 

I don't think there is a boot... on either side. This is the IC you only install 1 time & leave it alone.

No polishing necessary.

 

Hey Sid,
I have not talked to you in a while. Jumped over here to NAM to see what was cooking (pun). Looks like ICs are on the menu

I guess I should stay out of this one. Everyone would hate my sweaty IC at a push of a button. No not NOS ! And temp drops to 50 or more degress not matter what the ambient is. Heat soak??... Not on my MINI.

 

I was thinking about you regarding this subject...weren't you installing a WAIC with a radiator mounted at the rear?

 

Good memory SID.It is a ENGINE OIL COOLER mounted with a controlled Electric Fan at the rear. I tried the w2A and it just had inconsistent and unpredictable temperatures. It seemed that everything effected them. But I will let others post there findings as time goes on. I think the coolest(another pun) thing about the W2A IC was I used braided line. Which just always looks good on an engine. I mounted it under the car with a spoiler to pickup air at speed, junked the old school (common guys) radiator(s) to a high flow fin in plate radiator with thermostat and controlled electric fan. It doesn't get much better then that. Well I suppose I could have installed a cool can for dry ice ! Now I run plain old A2A IC and can predict what the IAC's will be in most track or street condition.

 

That's interesting...I thought the attraction of the WAIC was due to it's consistancy on the street?

BTW...you should join the "Madd Modder" thread...my mod list has already been beat by some really sick people...

 

SID Well you are trying to get me baited into this ... . As I said I will let the others be the grim reaper on that one. As I read somewhere those that have them on the MINIs are less likely to give the cons after spending the $$ and decision to put one on. You are like me... lets try something out and see for our selfs.

I will check the thread out MADD MODDER. I didn't think anyone could top us SID

 

You did...lol:

 

I'm gonna weigh my 2 cents in on this discussion…

I've been heavily into the Asian import car scene for close to 15 years now. In the import scene there has been a lot of research and product development in intake temperature management. In the early 90's basically every major after market developer and tuning shop quit using and developing WTA intercoolers and switched over to high flow FMIC setups. They are simple, lighter, cheaper and more efficient at speed.

The extra complexity of WTA adds a higher chance of failure and we all know that failure under boost = BOOM. WTA setups also add weight in the one place you don't want it, high & in front of the wheels.

Any intercooler placed under a hood will suffer from heat soak. It just takes the WTA setups longer to get there.

The best way to manage under hood intercooler temps is to utilize water spray and/or water injection. The newer N20 sprayer setups are awesome for short stints. And I've seen some methanol injection systems for those brass *****-high boost types.

As I said above I'm new to the MINI scene but I'm surprised to see people arguing over stuff that was settled over 10 years ago in the import scene. I never understood why the European import scene and Asian import scene couldn't get along better. Both could learn a lot from each other.

I'm sure I'll **** off all the guys who spent the $$$ on a WTA setup. But hey it's your car, do as you please.

For me, I'll stick with improving the stock setup until a decent, reasonably priced FMIC kit is out. Or I get around to making my own.

 

......welcome... to..... my .... pain.....