OMG! HAHAHAHA... Instavoid is my new favorite word of the week. Thanks for the healthy belly laugh, I needed that badly.

 

I'm glad you guys were able to address the questions about actual HP/torque gains. The new FMIC does seem to give the car a little bit more oomph but it's not hugely noticeable by itself at this point. This is why I'm so anxious to get the ECU!

That's kind of the same philosophy I'm going by


I don't want to either but I think I'm already a little past that point

 

My dealership has seen my modificaions and the factory tech drove my car.He was totally impressed with the results and told me the intercooler would not effect the warranty.I tend to believe him..hope that helps,by the way,the car runs like a scared rabbit...

 

Love that comment!

 

Celia,

Did you ever get your Alta P&P? Installed, happy camper?

Love your R56, one of the best.

 

Actually, the P&P came in damaged and we weren't sure if it was just one of the plastic harness pieces or if the ECU was damaged too so they sent me a new harness but it turns out it was the chip too...

SO, I have to send the whole unit back and they'll send me a brand new unit. It did work once for us and boy was it FAST! I can't wait to get the replacement one!

On a side note, we did install the boost gauge and it seems like with all the current Alta mods (the FMIC, catback exhaust, and CAI) I'm hitting 15 to 16lbs of boost consistently!

 

First of course SORRY for the other issues! That is crappy. Second: Glad everything else is a-ok though!

Keep me posted!

 

I really like how the surrounds on your xenon lights are blue like the car. Nice detail!

 

Looking at the three pics above and considering that the FMIC could use some protection, I would say definitely lose the fake grill pieces on the sides and put in some kind of sheer custom grille or sturdy mesh all the way across. Though I don't have an FMIC, I've considered doing something similar to my R53, just because the stock lower grille looks so terrible.

 

Thanks! I saw someone else do it and thought it looked REALLY cool. I'm glad I decided to do mine that way too!


Thanks for the input but like I mentioned in a previous post, I'm really not worried about damage to the FMIC. If you guys haven't seen this thing in person, then you can't know just how solid this FMIC really is! It is WAY more solidly built than the stock intercooler. In fact, the stock intercooler bent while we were removing it to install this one.

If anything were to actually damage the FMIC such as road debris (branches, etc.) I don't see how any sort of sheer grille or mesh cover would have been able to prevent the damage. This thing is so solid that if it were to get damaged by something, I'm guessing my entire front end would be pretty badly beat up too (god forbid!).

Thanks,
Celia

Oh, also, I forgot to mention that if you look at the majority of import tuner cars that have aftermarket FMIC's they are open and not covered by any sort of grill. In fact, I believe Perrin/Alta has been offering a FMIC for the Subaru STI for a few years now that's left open once installed. I've actually seen this on several non-Mini cars being driven around where I live...

 

Anybody looking for a great middle ground solution between appearance and safety for showing off their aftermarket FMIC should look no further than the M7 grilles. They're delicious.

 

While the M7 grills are very cool looking, unfortunately it won't work for my Mini since I don't believe they'll fit on the Hypersport kit front bumper. But, it may be a good solution for someone else who is worried about an open FMIC!

 

I guess I'd have to see how the vanes stand up to being hit by rocks at 70mph. As the deformations accumulate and the vanes get crimped together, efficiency starts to go down. The road situation might be better in Louisiana than it is in the northeast, where there is a lot of airborne debris during moderate, fast-moving traffic.

However, since you are not worried about it then I'll revise my opinion and say just lose the fake grille pieces on the sides and show off the plumbing as well. As long as the hoses are dark, it could still be stealth or at least subtle. (Newsflash: your car looks too trick now to be truly stealth anyway. )
True, but a small majority of those U.S. magazine-ready cars are probably SoCal cars. The reality is that when tuners anywhere spend the time, effort, and money to install aftermarket FMICs, they typically want to show them off, or at least have them somewhat visible to the trained eye. Who could blame them? Also, leaving out any obstructions would seem to be part of the formula for maximizing efficiency. But if you (can bear to) read NASIOC or IWSTI, you'll find that there have been casualties.

Now you need a better turbo.

 

The coating will withstand a SERIOUS amount of abuse. The STi shown above is/was my personal STi. I drove it to Vegas from Portland and back twice, with no wear (other than bugs) to the core itself.

There will ALWAYS be extremes, rocks, stones, debris, cats, dogs, skunks etc. that will make a mess of ANYTHING bolted on the front of the car.

My opinion is that it comes down to personal preference, not only on color choices, but also the naked vs. grill over the core. The Bar n Plate cores we use are VERY sturdy vs. tube an fin, so they will handle more abuse vs. the OEM even.

Hope that helps! Let me know!

 

Looks about the same size as my TMIC.

 

is that the alta unit but without the lower grill installed? Looks great!

 

2000 dollars for an intercooler? the company is called design unit zone... way overpriced

 

I like the Alta Core buuuut.. when for Europe???

 

NO our intercooler is SIGNIFICANTLY larger side to side, etc. Thanks for allowing me to clarify!

 

Hopefully, VERY soon. What is ODD is that some EU cars have the USDM bumper beam and core. While others don't. Regardless, we are trying to get the beam and core over here now so we can make the adaptations needed. Stay tuned!

 

OUCH is right!

 

$47.00

CXRacing Intercooler 27"x6"x2.5":
http://s1.promotionsupplies.com/ebay...u-ic0036-1.jpg

Length: 27"
Height: 6"
Thickness: 2.5"
Inlet: 2.5"
Outlet: 2.5"
Compress Air Flow Rate: <600Cubic Feet/Min, Rated to ~350 Max HP
Working Pressure: 35~40PSI
Pressure Drop: 1~4psi@35psi; 0.2~0.5psi@15psi
Hot Air Temperature: 32°F~302°F (0°C~150°C)
Material: 100% Aluminum
Design: Bar and Plate
Construction: Machine Cut and Stamped, Hand Welded
Finish: Polished
Net Weight: 9 lbs

 

^^^^^oh boy^^^^ I am seeing issues brewing here folks! Those cores have been beat to death on many other forums. I won't even begin it here!

 

But here:
Quote:
Originally Posted by papadimitriou
Adam, a quick question.
A friend of mine went to order an ALTA FMIC from Lohen.
They informed him that they are testing the IC right now in order to check if there are any issues with the EU car, and after the results, they will release the product.
Why is this happening?
What I mean is that, isn't it the same FMIC for EU and US cars?
Thanks

Thanks for the question. We have a TON of EU clients from around the world (I generalize EU as all cars RHD and those without MAF sensors) that have installed that part with no change or alterations.

So the FMIC is the same in all world wide cars. I will let Lohen know as well.

Thanks again!

 

Which is here:
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...=114326&page=7

you mentioned that the FMIC is the same for cars all over the world.