I just purchased a TMIC based on the Spearco core.

My car '03 WRX is somewhat modified and I have recorded my underhood temperatures for over a year.

Tonight with an outside temp of 78, with my new TMIC I went for a fun run through twists and turns and high speed straightaways. I know from my previous logs that my under hood temps should have been around 115-120 degrees F.

My temp sensor read 85. I thought the sender must be broken - I popped the hood and gingerly touched the new TMIC - it was cold...I couldn't believe it.

By replacing the stock TMIC with a large core TMIC, I have substantially reduced the under hood temperatures - Thumbs up to Bill at I-Speed for his suggestion.

 

Since the TMIC is a passive device and relies on outside air passing through the hood scoop to cool it down, shouldn't the underhood temps be warmer because heat is being transferred from the interooler to the air passing through it? Isn't that the purpose of a larger or more efficient TMIC - to allow greater heat transfer to the air, which in turn cools the intake charge air inside of the unit? All that heat has to go somewhere.

I'll take your word for it since you've been documenting underhood temperatures. I just don't understand how it works.

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0==WW==0
"…axles of evil…" - george w. bush

 

I have noticed that ever since i got my larger tmic that it has never been hot to the touch after driving or even warm, in fact it has always felt cool. THis wasnt the case with my stock tmic, most of the time it was warm or even hot to the touch . SO i am assuming just by that test that i am getting cooler air to my motor. I have not been tuned for it yet to see how much timing and boost i can add as a result of the cooler temps. I also have a spearco core.

 

I think it is better at dissipating the heat - I also think that the bulk of the heat from the stock TMIC is internal - compressing the air in the turbo then sending it through the restrictive stock TMIC. I believe that since I now have a much more substantial intercooler that the heat is pulled away as I drive and I develop much less heat due to the less restrictive nature of the large intercooler.

Note: My stock rubber cowl is in place in order to force air through the intercooler and not around it.