GI for GB on IDRVSLO Liquid to Water Intercooler Kit

IDRVSLO

Member
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07 MS3
MODS PLEASE CONTACT ME IF GI FOR A POSSIBLE GB IS AN ISSUE!

Hi fellow MS3 owners! Before I get started I want to give you a little background on myself. I am currently enlisted in the United States Army and am located at Ft Lewis WA. I am a 19D Cavalry Scout at the rank of Staff Sergeant. I have been serving our great country for 5 years and enjoy my work but my true passion is working on cars. I am extremely active in the local Mazda community and have numerous references that will vouch for my work and trustworthy ways.

As some of you might know I have just recently completed a Liquid to Air Intercooler (L/A IC) for the MS3 and based on interest among the forums I am looking to bring this kit to the market. The complete kit will be built on a by order basis and will take 5-10 initial orders to get the ball rolling. I can take on as many orders as I am given and of course the more orders the better. Lets start of with a quick explanation of what a Liquid to Air Intercooler is and what the advantages are of running this set up.

As per Wikipedia:
Air-to-liquid intercoolers (aka Charge-Air-Coolers) are heat exchangers that reject intake charge heat to an intermediate fluid, usually water, which finally rejects heat to the air. These systems use radiators in other locations, usually due to space constraints, to reject unwanted heat, similar to an automotive radiator cooling system. Air-to-liquid intercoolers are usually heavier than their air-to-air counterparts due to additional components making up the system (water circulation pump, radiator, fluid, and plumbing).

A big advantage of the air-to-liquid setup is the lower overall pipe and intercooler length, which offers faster response (lowers turbo lag), giving peak boost faster than most front-mount intercooler setups. Some setups can use reservoirs that can have ice put into it for intake temperatures lower than ambient air, giving a big advantage (but of course, ice would need constant replacement).

Ford had adopted the technology when they decided to use forced induction (via Supercharger) on their Mustang Cobra and Ford Lightning truck platforms. It uses a water-cooled intercooler inside the intake manifold, just under the supercharger, and has a long heat exchanger front mounted, all powered by a Bosch pump made for Ford. Ford still uses this technology today with their Shelby GT500.


Now with that out of the way lets get down to what makes the IDRVSLO L/A IC kit the right choice to go with. Professional quality set up. Everything has been thought through and then thought through again. I did not just slap these parts in here and call it a day. The fitment is excellent, all pipes allow for plenty of clearance where needed. You have the ability to reverse the install if needed because there is no cutting of factory wires involved or tabs.

Once I installed the kit I immediately saw a decrease in boost temperatures by 15 degrees. I am running at or 15 degrees above ambient temperatures. Going from a FMIC and the factory TMIC I saw boost increase of 3 psi. Why does this occour? Most intercoolers have a significant amount of pressure drop. The L/A IC setup has a pressure drop of ONLY .1psi....yeah you read that right. This will give your turbo the ability to not work so hard just to hit the same target boost levels. Lag....yeah right! I hit boost immediately, the pipes are so short that the thought of lag is inconceivable.

Here is quick down and dirty break down of the kit and what comes with it

Heat Exchanger
Bosch Water Pump
L/A IC
Fan
Remote location filler cap
Fittings(these are extremely high quality professional grade components)
Hoses cut to length(this hose requires no worm clamps and is rated up to 250 psi)
Brackets(all hand made from aluminum, pre drilled)
Bolts/Nuts/Washers
Battery relocation kit(still working the price on that, trying to lower it)
Instructions

Each piece will be tested for fitment prior to shipment, there will be a few options I have to work out on the heat exchanger(2" or 3.5" core) and piping(flat black or raw finish)

Now down to pricing. I am not going to try and hide the fact that this isnt your basic piping and intercooler kit. There are more components, along with that are some serious advantages. I have worked up a rough estimate of 950.oo per kit. I am working to lower that cost but the amount of buyers will change it as with any GB. I can do as many kits as are ordered so back orders are not an issue. I do however expect a 2-3 week delay to get the first kits out just based on initial production and set up. All kits will need to be paid for upfront. You know what I do for a living and have to understand that I cannot put out 9000+ in parts on my own.

Please if you have any questions or concerns come forth now. The only issue that I see is the intake setup. I obviously am running the COBB and will need to check with a few locals for fitment with CAIs. I will start a list and see how many SERIOUS people we have then adjust prices accordingly. Thanks for looking!

BTW I have a buddy with a MS6 that I will be doing a kit for shortly!

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Good stuff here.

Although, you mentioned in your other post; this home made kit, in total was 775, unless I missed anything else?

By the way; what's the dyno numbers on this mugga?
 
Yes that is with me doing all of the work, it doesnt include my time and shipping at 775. Look at the homemade FMIC 400 dollars or so....but kits are being sold for 1100. My mark up is extremely low.

No dyno numbers yet, I am also far from stock. I am going to dyno again on the 1st to see the difference.
 
Numbers sound more than reasonable. At work my time is worth almost $1 a minute and I'd hate to think how much time was spent working out such a clean design. I would be interested in that setup, but I don't even get my car until friday and would rather not throw my warranty in the trash within the first month. Best wishes on getting this little venture off the ground. (2thumbs)
 
got it dude.

def. keep us posted on the numbers!

would like to see gains between your FMIC, and your new setup!
 
Will do!

Myriad.....you are dead on there was SIGNIFICANT planning and test fitting that went into this, thanks for noticing!
 
I know I know......I really need to get down for the custom tune. In all reality that would be unfair for the comparison though. I will be redynoing with the same 1.02 map for the comparison. From there the tune needs to be done!
 
I'd be interested in this, i have the corksport front mount, which means i have the corksport ram air intake where the old TMIC went... just wondering if that would still work with the setup?
 
I'm partly interested, I'd say 60%, other 40% is, "s***, yo, you KNOW you don't have the money for this."

Part of the issue:
Difficulty level and install time for a do-it-yourself install? Any 'special' tools needed? I have 'regular' tools, sockets, drill, all sorts of bits, hammers, finite screwdrivers, all that. Just not 'mechanics' tools, specifically. Ramps? What tools are required - list them please. The requirement to purchase additional tools is going to be a part of my consideration; as is if I need to pay someone (whether it is hourly rates of 'case of beer and pizza' buddy rates).

Thanks - and looks AWESOME!
 
I'd like to see responses to those questions as well. I'm in no place to buy an intercooler at the moment, but I should be in a few months. This is definitely an interesting concept, especially with the reduced pressure drop.
 
I agree with one poster who stated lots of time and effort went into this, and i admire that. DAMN I wish I had the skills to do something custom like this and make it work right.

with the huge price markups on some fmic kits out there. This appears well done and deservign of the effort made to construct it, good job!
 
My biggest question is how hard is the battery relocation? Unless you're fairly compitent in wiring s*** up this definitely ain't a do it yourself deal =/
 
Looks very clean.
My concern:
How difficult will the install be?
How well are the instructions? Tools needed? Tech Support?
What kind of HP gains?

The price I feel is right in the ballpark and would pay $900 for this setup.

I will be buying an upgraded intercooler next so this is definitely on my list.
Please keep us informed. (headbang)
 
Advantages of this are lower boost temperatures since L/A cools faster than A/A, and since there are lower temperatures then you can run lower boost. Run less boost w/ the same amount of power as some one running higher boost, and it is safer for you motor
 
Not only that, but the small pressure drop means your turbo isn't working as hard to produce 15-18 psi at the manifold. The problem I've seen with most FMICs is the turbo is actually making like 25psi to produce 16 at the manifold because of the pressure drop. That will wear out the turbo much faster than if it only had to make 19 to make 18.
 
Not only that, but the small pressure drop means your turbo isn't working as hard to produce 15-18 psi at the manifold. The problem I've seen with most FMICs is the turbo is actually making like 25psi to produce 16 at the manifold because of the pressure drop. That will wear out the turbo much faster than if it only had to make 19 to make 18.

+1,

That too, forgot about that.
 

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