It would depend on the usage. A TMIC is adequate enough for most HP applications. Heatsoak is not that big of an issue as you might be led to believe. Also, most FMIC are not the proper ones for WRX"s. If the FMIC core is too large, you really have to ask yourself if the radiator will be affected if left stock.

The throttle response from the lack of plumbing also contributes to better throttle response. Most of all, you get you retain your stock airbox, which is better then 99% of air filters out there in the market today. Remember, just because something is popular, doesn't make it any better.

 

Agreed. But, If i ever had the money, I would pruchase a FMIC, to try and get my end goal of a sleeper.

 

J-Rex.
my friend received his U-tec in less than 2 weeks. and that was about 1.5 months ago
maybe u ordered from the wrong place ya?

 

People rarely note this, but adding an FMIC requires removing a front bumper beam, compromising the stiffness of the car's engine bay. Also, hitting a curb with a TMIC costs you a repainted bumper cover; hitting a curb with a FMIC costs you the FMIC (they are EXTREMELY fragile). And as noted, the FMIC blocks airflow to your radiator.

 

i agree that a FMIC blocks airflow to the radiator under city driving, highway and the track is the only way to get ample airflow wiht a FMIC.

I've never heard of any FMIC kit requiring complete removal of a bumper beam, most kits now days offer a replacement beam.

The real downside with a FMIC is front end collision risk...you go from the stock bumper that meets the DOT standard (10mph?) for crash.., then you go down to 1mph crash protection.

 

FMIC=more power TMIC=less lag

 

when rallying, the tmic wont get as many rocks hitting it, less prone to damage

 

so if you cant get more power out of a TMIC why offer larger replacement units? im sure some one makes a monster TMIC that will perform just as good as your average FMIC and you dont have to worry about piping/relocating things, or even removing them HKS,perrin,spearco,turbo xs and helix all make TMICs aswell as FMICs im sure one of them would be just as good as a FMIC

 

Here is the deal.

FMIC = larger, more consistant airflow with a larger IC surface area.
TMIC = less air flow, less consistant air flow, more prone to heat soak, smaller surface area, less airflow efficiceny

The more you can cool the air, the more agressive you can tune the car... the more agressive you tune the car, the more power you will get.

Larger, more efficient TMIC will give you the ability to get more power as compared to stock. But your upperline limit will be reached (size of turbo, boost pressure) faster than a FMIC.

Basically, FMIC will give you the ability to tune for more power than a TMIC but a TMIC will give you more power ability than stock.

 

i see what your saying . even after a 4 mile drive to work in the morning i can feel the heat coming up out of my scoop. (good for cooking hot dogs or keeping warm onna cold day). good thing i didnt buy a bigger TMIC guess ill just go for a FMIC but which to choose. who makes a kit that take the least fab to install?

 

What about a redesigned hood for a tmic? You're comparing these two with a stock hood scoop. Surely you can acheive the same airflow you would get from a fmic..

 

Hmm... your point is well taken but eventually you will get to a point where you have diminishing returns.

The area of my Perrin FMIC is "about" 10" x 20 to 25". I am saying "about" because I am too lazy to go out to my garage (beer already in hand) and measure the damn thing. About 200 to 250 square inches of front facing area.

The Frontal area of my STI hood scoop is about 3 (maybe 4) inches high and about 14" long. 56 square inches (about 1/4 the size) I am using this area because if you look at a very simple fluid dynamics equation that says:

Volume m^3 (V) = Surface Area m^2 (SA) x Velocity m/s (v) x time s (t)
or
V=SA x v x t

No matter how big your TMIC is, you won't get any more flow than what the scoop allows. In order to get the same flow at a frontal facing FMIC, your scoop would have to have the same frontal SA as your FMIC.

Now I love our Subys look but the hood scoop is gaudy enough, if you make it larger (yes, I acknowledge that you could) it would look really stupid. Not to mention that the aerodynamics would suck. It would be similar to placing a large parachute on your hood.

Ok, another couple of things to consider...

1) Total surface area of the intercooler fin surface. The "deeper" and more dense your IC (intercooler) core is, the more surface area the IC will have for heat exchange. So you could have a smaller frontal SA but have a larger IC core area and have better heat transfer. This is what TMIC manufacturers are betting on to give better performance than a stock TMIC. The fact is though that TMIC manufacturers are the same guys who are making FMICs. They have the same cores so I again defer to the argument above... same core but larger frontal surface area on a FMIC = better cooling performance from a FMIC.

2) Resistance to airflow will most likely be greater with a TMIC. I don't know this for a fact but I do know about fluid dynamics. A great way to introduce resistance to a flowing fluid (air) is to create bends and twists in its path. The path of a TMIC will bend and twist more than a FMIC based on the orientation and location of each.

 

I'd get a JDM STi TMIC. They are 15% larger than the stock USDM TMIC. A FMIC is not really necessary unless you plan on getting a bigger turbo. To me, I just believe that investing on a FMIC would be greater since you are putting your car at risk if the FMIC is constantly getting beaten up by road debris and curb hits.