getting frustrated on IC choice! please help!long

i have been researching/debating on which intercooler to use on my car ever since i got the car and found out about the 3.5-4 psi pressure drop. i have gone from water to air, to front mount, to new core in stock location with a fan in my head the whole time. i do not know my final HP out put. but i do know im stickin with m car for years to come and i do not want to change the IC back out down the line. i hear liquid to air is not good because the water will heat up and not be efficiant on a dialy driver car. and it only good for 1/4 mile runs. i do not wish to do any 1/4 mile racing. and i seem hear that a front mount has too much IC tube to make it an easy application and it seems the throttle response would be shot even more than our SC's are. from waht i have read the double stock IC setup doesn't cool very much because the second IC doens't get much air flow. someone please help me decide. i am willing to work with a core in stock location with a fan. i just need some guidence on what others are doing with their IC section. this is driving me crazy. thanks agian for your help guys. this is the best board i have been on.

your friend in SC,
steve

A properly designed liquid to air IC should be more efficient regardless....Most important is PROPERLY DEDSIGNED..Now if your running at full boost for 24hrs straight..I think youd have a problem with a liquid to air.Yell a new lightning or Cobra owner liquid to airs are no good for teh street:O)

The length of the IC pipes doesn't slow throttle response on mine or anyone else I know with a front mount. I like the front mount..it's simple and it works nearly as well as the liquid ICs do.

David

PS: I see MP is now selling their FMIC kit for $1240.

You've been fed some misconceptions by some well meaning people. The differences in cooling ability, throttle response, airflow and boost drop are minimal between each design you have referred to.

A liquid to air design is perfectly fine for a street driven vehicle. Some examples of factory liquid cooled vehicles? 03Cobra, 02 Lightning, GM Typhoon/Syclone that I can think of off the top of my head. Add a number of aftermarket suppliers as well and the proof is self evident. For drag racing the benefit extends to being able to put ice water in and achieve even lower intake air temps.
The drawbacks are expense, complexity and additional parts required by this type of system.

The MPFMIC is a great piece. Wherever you got the idea that there would be increased lag, forget it. This is not a turbo and it does not suffer the same woes from a large intake plenum volume. You will see an extension of your useable torque about 500-1000 rpm with this type of IC as well as a slight torque increase. You will not see an increase of 2-4psi like you might assume from the lower pressure drop of this IC. You will see the same or perhaps lower boost numbers due to the increased cooling capacity of this IC.

An efficient core in the stock location can provide great performance, but I would not aniticipate much of a HP increase if any. Todd Jelle and Kurt Kriesz are two people with fast SC's that I know of who have this design.

Make your decision based on what you like. I have a small FMIC and it works well for me. However my car will never pass for stock either.

MP has thier setup on sale right now for $1200 if that makes any difference!

Thomas