Expected HP gains from awic?

[douglas vincent]

. . . let alone seeing a vinyl image of Martha Stewart going at such speeds would be more than the common public could handle.

I'm panicking! I'm panicking! Ok Goddammit, I'm Picnicking, I'm picnicking!

[-K-]

I used a heat exchanger just not the OEM one. Though I burned up my first pump and it drove just fine with no pump untill I replaced it. I did turn down the boost during that time.

I was told that the OEM one won't fit, so we are talking about a tranny cooler to replace it. I took off my A/C and just used the condenser for a radiator.

[Brat4by4]

The AWIC flows better than the least restrictive STi topmount ever made, I've seen a write up on it. Boost loss will be minimal and the ecu should compensate for it.

That's amazing. Even better than the JDM v8?

I'd have to check, can't remember if the numbers went to V7 or V8. If you can find the flow numbers, it would be easy to compare.

[THAWA]

what does it flow?

[Brat4by4]

Anyways, I guess its an Autospeed article and I don't have access. Anyone?

http://www.autospeed.com/cms/A_1618/article.html

[LaureltheQueen]

Hey, so from what I've read, I'm going to need to relocate my coolant overflow tank, Can I just replace this with a nalgene bottle drilled and strapped to the firewall? Am I going to need to fit a radiator type cap on it?

[vrg3]

It's not an overflow tank. You do need a radiator cap on it.

You might want to just try mounting it sideways like I did. It's worked well for me. There are two mounting brackets on the tank. If you rotate it 90 degrees counterclockwise, you can use one of the brackets with the threaded hole in the intake manifold that's normally used with the other one. It's not ideal, but it's worked fine for me for about ten thousand miles so far. It's kind of clumsy to explain, but it'll make sense when you look at it in real life.

Then you have to deal with the four hoses.

The small hose going from the radiator cap neck to the overflow tank worked okay if I remember right.

The small hose going to the hard line on the intake manifold wouldn't work, since it would have to take a very sharp curve. I removed the hard line and the two stock hoses, and replaced it with one long piece of 5/16" fuel hose (because I couldn't find heater hose in that size) going all the way from the small fitting on the tank to the fitting on the upper passenger-side corner of the radiator.

The large hose going to the turbo had to be extended a little if I remember right. I just cut it in the middle of the straight section and stuck in a short piece of 1/2" copper pipe and secured it with hose clamps. This made the coolant line longer and then it fit.

The large hose going down to the hard line low on the driver side of the engine wouldn't fit directly. I think I ended up just using a short piece of 1/2" heater hose and a 1/2" barbed elbow to extend it and put it at the correct angle. You might be able to just replace the molded hose with a longer piece of 1/2" heater hose though; I remember thinking it should work without kinking.

Mounted this way, the nipples are all out of the way of the intercooler. It almost looks like it's supposed to be that way.

I hope that makes some kind of sense...

[Yukonart]

Thanks, Vikash. . . we'll definitely work through it until things look the way they should.

[LaureltheQueen]

should i make a coolant resevoir for the ic setup?

[J-MoNeY]

All this AWIC talk makes me want to buy one. I'll wait on your *deatiled and pictureful write up on how and what you used. Then I may attempt a similar feat.

[-K-]

It's not very hard at all. Two things have to be changed.
One: The coolant tank
Two: The piping from the turbo to IC. It's going to have to be custom with the stock turbo. If you upgrade the turbo at the same time to a VF12 or a TD-05 the stock pipe will fit.

There is a little more work with all the water lines and pump but that is easy.

[vrg3]

Art - Cool... the only thing that would make this cooler, I think, would be if a short U-shaped bracket could be made to allow both mounting points to be used, because technically it's not kosher to mount something with only one bolt without any other locating device.

Laurel - You can always do that later if you feel the need. The stock Legacy/Liberty AWIC setup doesn't include a reservoir.

[Brat4by4]

You have to move the battery, which isn't very practical in a wagon... but running the new hoses isn't hard. And now when I have to put coolant into the resevoir... it doesn't spill directly on to the hot intake manifold . It is just a aluminum bar stock that I bent (3 dimensionally ) and then drilled holes for the screws and bolts to go through. Took about 45 minutes to make with a bench vise, hammer and a cordless drill.

[THAWA]

Why are you adding coolant while the car is hot?

Early AWIC's have small reservoir (it's actually a level sensor but the way it is in the system is also a reservoir)

I think you should find out how the system holds before you add a reservoir. If the water temp is still cool enough after some hard driving then a reservoir isn't really needed.

[Brat4by4]

Why are you adding coolant while the car is hot?

Ooookaaay. Even if you spill it on the intake manifold while its cold... it will eventually get hot and make that lovely smell of burning coolant.

[Yukonart]

Art - Cool... the only thing that would make this cooler, I think, would be if a short U-shaped bracket could be made to allow both mounting points to be used, because technically it's not kosher to mount something with only one bolt without any other locating device.

Quite right. . . my initial intention was to at least get one point of contact secure . . . if nothing else. . . to get the system up and running.

I'd be hesitant to autocross the car unless the intercooler were bolted-down in at least two spots. . . one on each side of it. (Minimum)

[douglas vincent]

My intercooler isnt bolted or even zip tied. I cant move it though! The connection to the throttle body and the intake hold it well in place. And its jambed against the firewall. I can't even get foam in between it and the firewall.

[J-MoNeY]

My intercooler isnt bolted or even zip tied. I cant move it though! The connection to the throttle body and the intake hold it well in place. And its jambed against the firewall. I can't even get foam in between it and the firewall.

Off topic a bit: Did you have to bash your firewall in a bit?

[-K-]

No body work is required to fit the AWIC.

My AWIC is solid in there as well, I was going to source the OEM brackets to mount it but it's not going anywhere.

[THAWA]

Okay finally saw the numbers. When testing just the cores of the intercoolers the AWIC flows the worst out of everything. When testing the intercoolers with their feedpipes the AWIC is second only to the V2 Sti Intercooler. The numbers are kinda interesting, I'll try to post them later.

[Legacy777]

Okay finally saw the numbers. When testing just the cores of the intercoolers the AWIC flows the worst out of everything. When testing the intercoolers with their feedpipes the AWIC is second only to the V2 Sti Intercooler. The numbers are kinda interesting, I'll try to post them later.

Thawa,

Any chance you can post the info for the AWIC. Do they give just air flow rates? Like how much it can flow, or does it give how much temps decrease for a certain water flow rate?

TIA

[Legacy777]

BTW Laurel,

How are things with the AWIC? You like? Any issues? Did you notice a decrease in boost when you put it on?

[vrg3]

You might want to just try mounting it sideways like I did.

This was bad advice: http://bbs.legacycentral.org/viewtopic.php?p=107827

[THAWA]

Okay finally saw the numbers. When testing just the cores of the intercoolers the AWIC flows the worst out of everything. When testing the intercoolers with their feedpipes the AWIC is second only to the V2 Sti Intercooler. The numbers are kinda interesting, I'll try to post them later.

Thawa,

Any chance you can post the info for the AWIC. Do they give just air flow rates? Like how much it can flow, or does it give how much temps decrease for a certain water flow rate?

TIA

They compared flow rates, both with just the metal parts and with the plastic or silicon tubing, the mass of the intercooler, and the core volume.

The AWIC was 221.1 cfm with just the metal inlet and 211 cfm with the plastic pipe attached, and weighed 3.9 kg. They couldn't get an accurate measurement of the core because it's welded inside of the intercooler but it's very tiny let me tell you. They noted it's smaller than the v2 wrx/sti intercooler

The v2 sti was 285 cfm without anything on it, and 224.2 cfm with the inlet attached, it weighed 2.8 kg. Core volume of 2852 cm^2. As a note, the v2 wrx flowed 3 cfm less without anything, and 80.3 cfm with the wrx pipe attached. This was common from v2-v6 (they didnt test a v7 sti intercooler). That shows that the sti intercoolers don't flow anymore, but the feedpipes is where the restriction comes.

The v7 wrx (same as usdm 02-03) was 293.1 cfm without anything, and 184.3 cfm (I think they mixed up the actual number based on the graph and precentage they showed) with the y-pipe and tube, it weighed 3.5 kg. Core volume of 3860 cm^2

They also tested the aftermarket version of the v2 and v7 and they outclassed everything (the v2 aftermarket actually flowed a little less than the v2 sti with the pipe attached, but made up for it in size and weight).

The reason the AWIC has such a small difference in flow between just the metal and with the feed pipe is because the metal pipe is very long. Much longer than the other intercoolers metal pipes. Sounds like to me that if one was to cut most of the metal part off and replace it with silicon you could greatly increase the flow of it.

[-K-]

The best part of the AWIC that doesn't get told is that the core doesn't have to be big and it's also more open to airflow. That's why it gets good flow numbers.
For all the shit people talk about the AWIC they are on some pretty fast cars, just not in the USA. They only get replaced by FMIC's over there because a TMIC can't beat the AWIC.

We should be talking about AWIC vs. FMIC