LED Fog Lights & Intercooler Ventilation

[Kiel_GTI]

has anybody out there tried moving the stock intercooler into a FMIC position? would vastly increase airflow without the expense of a full FMIC setup.

just a thought.

[Bubu]

has anybody out there tried moving the stock intercooler into a FMIC position? would vastly increase airflow without the expense of a full FMIC setup.

just a thought.

I haven't tried but I imagine it would not be easy as the inlet and outlet of the stock IC are on a angle which is not ideal for such a conversion.

[Greg Roles]

Great ideas guys, but what you definately need is a water spray onto the intercooler, ideally triggered by a temp sensitive controller so that it turns on after idling for a while, when heatsoak really sets in. I've been doing a lot of monitoring on my Golf, and when driving it's all good, sits only a few degrees aover ambient, but sitting at the lights for a minute or two and the intercooler output air rises and remains well into the 50 degrees for several minutes driving afterwards. This is with the large radiator sized golf intercooler, so you guys would probably have even longer heatsoak problems. Autospeed have some great articles there. I'm putting in the "worlds best spray" and using the "intelligent controller" made from a Jaycar mixture meter. Going in this weekend.

That wheelguard mod is a great idea, exactly what the sidemount needs. Does it also exit from the bottom after the sidemount?? You need as little restriction post intercooler to get air to actually flow through it, and not around it, as air will always take the path of least resistance.

[Stuwey]

If you also look on the Autospeed site, there's alot of information on measuring high and low pressure zones over and beneath your car. You'd have to make sure there is a negative pressure zone under the wheelarch, other wise the equal pressures infront and behind the 'cooler will make the air stop moving through the core altogether.

I've thought about doing this, and also making a complete undertray for the car too

[noone]

Makes sense...

I didn't think about the indepth theory too much, thought that better ventilation (in and out) would mean more cooling.

There is a reasonable possibility that the opening of the air passage into the wheel arch could have a negative effect (thus VDubb not using this in the design).

From other reports, sounds like it may have a benefit, even if small.

I'm not expecting any large changes, but cheap mods (this one was about $20) intrigue me.

Guess I'll have more regular heatsoak if its any worse...

[Buller_Scott]

i had a great long reply lined up last night, and guess whose computer screwed up and lost it? my work computer......

on tdiclub, people have posted that taking the black smic body faring (where the fog light goes) actually slightly increases intake temps slightly as apparently the air is not being directed at the smic as effectively, when you completely take the thing off.

however, for stock smic setup, people have said that these produce great results for the price:

http://www.fk-automotive.de/websale7...87717%2fmd5%7d

one of the boys on tdiclub said that these really help on a hot day.

but seeing as they arent available for the 9n, i figured i would custom make mine. basically, taking fins out from infront of big scoop that sits behind the bumper, cutting rest of faring away until where the outer edge of smic shroud behind the bumper begins, and at that point, moulding plastic up and out so as to grab any air that is travelling around the bumper bar, and shove it straight at the smic.

i will post pics when i figure how- and when i finish.

p.s. its all done with a dremel.

[Buller_Scott]

Makes sense...

I didn't think about the indepth theory too much, thought that better ventilation (in and out) would mean more cooling.

There is a reasonable possibility that the opening of the air passage into the wheel arch could have a negative effect (thus VDubb not using this in the design).

From other reports, sounds like it may have a benefit, even if small.

I'm not expecting any large changes, but cheap mods (this one was about $20) intrigue me.

Guess I'll have more regular heatsoak if its any worse...

the previous gen audi tt had a factory smic wheel arch vent standard. the wheel arch vent must be worth something. maybe not on a track or whatever, but for an hour of your time and 20 bucks, why not? its not as if it will do anything bad.

ive done this aswell, i just havent put a decent vent in.

[jamesatfish]

the previous gen audi tt had a factory smic wheel arch vent standard. the wheel arch vent must be worth something. maybe not on a track or whatever, but for an hour of your time and 20 bucks, why not? its not as if it will do anything bad.

For what it's worth, the Porsche Cayenne Turbo has twin side-mount intercoolers for the two turbos, and Porsche chose to include the wheel arch vents on both sides as well.

I've also performed this simple mod on the Polo - though I just took out the wheel arches, marked out a grid and drilled holes right through the arches. Took about 10 minutes per side at a cost of zero. Again I'm not sure if it provides much of a benefit, but with no fog lights and improved flow through the SMIC and out into the arch it probably can't hurt.

[noone]

I think the air flow theory is important and by making our own versions we are altering what could be a good design. Without a temperature or air pressure gauge, its all just hearsay...

After a little run last night, I felt the outlet grill, somewhat expecting it to be hot or warm to the touch, it wasn't. Don't really know if that is good or bad, but with some suburban driving, thought it may show some signs of temp change. The possible negative is that the outlet could actually be acting as an inlet and reducing airflow over the SMIC... As with the molding of the Fog light panel, its reasonably well designed. Other than removing the fog light, or making an air funnel, don't think that cutting the slots out will improve airflow over the SMIC.

[Buller_Scott]

I think the air flow theory is important and by making our own versions we are altering what could be a good design. Without a temperature or air pressure gauge, its all just hearsay...

After a little run last night, I felt the outlet grill, somewhat expecting it to be hot or warm to the touch, it wasn't. Don't really know if that is good or bad, but with some suburban driving, thought it may show some signs of temp change. The possible negative is that the outlet could actually be acting as an inlet and reducing airflow over the SMIC... As with the molding of the Fog light panel, its reasonably well designed. Other than removing the fog light, or making an air funnel, don't think that cutting the slots out will improve airflow over the SMIC.

i agree the designs are good to begin with... but they can be improved. the wheel arch vent is a tried and tested mod worldwide, and there seem to be no negatives to it apart from the time and the $20 it takes to perform it. ive done the wheel arch mod, and i will be implementing a water spray system that, while not as nuts as cogdoc's (240V!!!!@!#@!@!#!@!!!!!!!!), will help with heat sink issues in traffic and on a hot day.

as for the moulding of the fog light panel- sorry if i was unclear. i DONT have fog lights on my tdi, so i am basically working with a clean sheet. i agree that the removal of a fog light opens up that hole, which is ideally positioned infront of the smic to feed air to it, althought im not sure how much of that air will actually hit the smic directly- this air would be flushed by the air coming in from the right-hand-side (as you look at it), by the air that is fed in via the big plastic scoop that sits in the bumper.

cheers