“Which intercooler should I get?” At Corksport, we get this question almost every day. The debate of top mount intercooler vs. front mount intercooler has been one that has raged on in the forums for years. Just looking around you will see both options on all sorts of cars. So what is the answer?
The Mazdaspeed 3 and Mazdaspeed 6 both come with a top mount intercooler (TMIC) from the factory. There are many reasons for this, but the main one is that it is much cheaper to manufacture and install. A top-mounted intercooler can be installed directly into the engine at the factory so it is ready to drop into the car, saving both time and money.
Pros of the TMIC
The upside of the TMIC is that it uses the shortest possible path from the turbo to the engine. This reduces the amount of time it takes for the car to accelerate, this feeling can be amplified between shifts when the power comes back on very quickly. The TMIC is also very simple and compact, with very few connections and possible places for air leaks. A TMIC will also weigh very little compared to a FMIC setup and usually is in a place with very good airflow. With our TMIC, it’s a simple replacement as it fits like OEM. Generally, it is more affordable than an FMIC. So, if you’re on a budget, the TMIC may be what you want.
Cons of the TMIC
The downside of TMICs is that they are generally limited in size by the design of the car. Often times they are much smaller than most FMICs. They are typically placed very high in the engine bay, raising the car’s center of gravity. Most importantly, the biggest downside of the TMIC is that it sits in a hot engine bay. Just by sitting on top of the motor, the TMIC can soak up heat, thereby decreasing its effectiveness in cooling the air compressed by your turbo.
Pros of an FMIC
The principles are mostly the same for the pros and cons of the FMIC. The core of an FMIC can be much larger and, in the case of a properly designed system, can cool temperatures much more effectively. Being placed further away from the engine and out into the stream of air of your car can make the FMIC much cooler and, more importantly, more consistent. One last reason that many people love FMIC’s is the look, nothing says I mean business more than a massive bar and plate core smiling in your rear view.
Cons of an FMIC
The biggest downside of an FMIC is that the installation process is much longer, requiring your car to be out while you do the work. Another downside of an FMIC can be the much longer piping needed to route compressed air to them. This piping can increase turbo lag and usually has many couplers that may cause the potential for air leaks or other issues.
So what does CorkSport say? As a general rule, we would say that if you don’t plan to add more than 50-100 horsepower, a top mount intercooler will work just fine and be much easier on your plans and wallet. If you eventually want to go wild with your car and build it up much higher than stock, you will want to seriously consider a front mount intercooler. Our advice would be to try to plan in advance what you want out of the car so that you only have to buy parts once.
Happy spooling!
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Thanks for this
If I just plan on doing bolt ons and nothing else I should be good with just upgrading my TMIC right?
Yes you will.
Hello corksport staff i hace a quico question am planing to up grade ms3 turbo hack exhaus top intercooler fuilpump iinternals. .question Is Would i need dino
You do not need to dyno your speed after the installation of the pump internals.
If I do cs turbo and cs tmic is 350hp possible?
Yes it is, we have had customers hit that number before.
I put it already yesterday my corksport TMIC is very nice fit thanks CS
You are welcome sir!
If I’m planning on getting short ram intake, turbo inlet hose, Autotech hpfp, aftermarket exhaust (haven’t decided which one yet) and cobb accessport do I need upgrading my tmic?
That’s strongly going to depend on how the vehicle is tuned, but your stock top mount should be able to handle all that. We would recommend it as a precautionary measure, but if you plan on adding more mods down the road then you absolutely should!
I would at some point down the line like to go bigger turbo, and i would like the larger core for my Gen2 as well. However, I would be running the large core on the stock turbo for some measure of time.
With a proper tune (freektune), fuel pump internals i should be fine right?
(I have an ebay Downpipe, CS short ram intake/inlet and accessport as other engine mods go.)
Just want to get your guys thoughts.
Yes you will be fine with an upgraded intercooler on the stock turbo with the upgraded internals and tune by Justin.
I want to eventually push the limits of my unbuilt 2011 ms3 block, somewhere around 450whp. Will the cs tmic be enough, or should I go with the fmic? It’ll be a WHILE before I reach that power goal, but I don’t want to spend money twice. Thanks.