I think Subaru might have overlooked the inevitability of bugs and road debris being sucked into the HUGE hood scoop and damaging the intercooler fins. I know if I travel to my cottage through a forest road, hundreds of bugs will be blenderized through that thing clogging up the intercooler. Dragonflies, moths, junebugs, grasshoppers etc. If they are all over my windshield where I can barely see, they will definitly be going into the hood scoop as well.

Other forums suggest removing the hood scop and affixing galvanized mesh or "gutter guard". How would one remove the hood scoop and is there any better idea to solve this problem?

 

I can see your problem but regular and delicate cleaning should see it good. Delicate cleaning means taking care not to bend the fragile blades of the intercooler.

On the WRX you need to check the intercooler for fried insects and leaves etc. On the new STi you have to check for birds, cats, dogs, children and slow evo's because of the size of the scoop.

 

esso,

Go check out the following solution which requires no removal of the hood scoop, is easily installed & removed for cleaning and is made of thermally efficient Kevlar (carbon fiber).



The unit indicated at the above link is for the standard WRX intercooler but I'm sure they will have an STi version by the time you get your car.

This is the solution I plan to go with if/when applicable.
Those other options such as installing mesh within the front of the intake snorkle are IMHO both unattractive and require too much work/effort to install & remove (service visits).

- Janq

 

I'm curious, does the intercooler screen affect the airflow over the intercooler fins? If so, that's definitely not good. I've always worried about the hood scoop on the WRX and it seems the STi's will be even more prone to catching things... I wonder if it's possible to ingest a low-flying bird in that thing?

 

LOL! slow evo's... that's pretty funny.

Janq, what a $%#@ great post. I feel the same way... why put an unsightly screen over the hood scoop when you can put something over the intercooler, itself? So simple! why didn't I think of that? Anyway, thanks for the reply. That's exactly what UI plan to do. I should call them to make sure they are going to make one.

 

Go to the link as provided, your questions is answered there.
The screen is just that, a screen. Yes I would imagine there would be some airflow reduction but not nearly enough to matter or make a difference.

As for birds and stuff, when is the last time you ran into a bir mid-flight? Anything is possible but I sincerely doubt you have to worry about such an issue.

IRL those of us that live/work/play in cities and/or urban areas one has to be concerned with vandals. The WRX hood scoop doesn't look 'odd' nor does it realy draw attention. But the STi scoop is big by everyones account and as such might draw the unwated opinion of jerks & jerk-offs. Folks who might purposely place/pour garbage inside your hood and engine compartment.
I often park on the streets of Wash., DC for work purposes and
I know for a fact folks do screw with vehicles that stand out. The rear wing is also going to draw attention to itself.

- Janq

 

As a backup plan, if for some odd reason they don't make one in STi size I plan to pickup some cargo netting or material with a relatively small criscross pattern ('X') and mount it to the underside of the hood scoop (inside engine compartment) to then drape over the intercooler itself. That way cool ambient air will still help reduce IC temps while at the same time providing a physical barrier for 'biological debris' that might make it into the hood scoop.

- Janq

 

I'll tell you exactly why!

That screen will only makeit easier to clean the intercooler by keeping the bugs and what not out of the fins. It will NOT stop a rock or bird from denting the intercooler and possibly damaging it, especially if the rock or bird has a sharp edge on it. That screen is going to flex or give some amount, especially in the middle. By installing the screen at the opening of the scoop you allow for the most possible cushoining zone between the point of impact and the intercooler. That way when the object hits the screen at 60mph it will flex inward on the screen but never hit anything. If the screen is directly on top of the intercooler when the object hits it at 60mph it will leave a mark, and possibly damage the intercooler. I plan on rallycrossing and autocrossing my car along with driving it on the street. I can't count the number of times I've had rocks kicked up at my car on the highway, once enough to break a windsheild. I don't want a rock hitting my intercooler that hard, and I don't think that screen will help that at all.

Keith

 

Keith,

I'll take my chances witht he IC screen.
As for birds, in my area the birds fly higher than 4 feet off the ground although we do in the summer time get moths in certain areas that are as big as small bats.

As for rocks, any rock large & heavy enough to flex the Kevlar screen and still have the energy to actually dent the IC is going to beat the hell out of my lightweight aluminum hood on the way in. I'll have bigger worries at that point than my IC.
Now I've never been to a officially sanctioned Rally cross but I have driven through Anacostia in South East DC and anyone from DC would know the roads in this area just don't get any tougher or harsher than there. Even on these roads which in sections don't even use tar for pavement (_wood_ and packed dirt!) I have only seen pebbles and rocks the size of marbles at the largest.

Now I also happen to live near a rock quarry and every so often the dump trucks will drop a small boulder on the road (at 60 mph!) but they tend to hit the ground with a big thud and stay there. I've hit three...one took out my windshield (through the passenger side), another took out a driving light on the lower fascia of my Volvo and a third went under my car bouncing around beneath putting a dent in my oil pan. In all of these cases the rock was huge and again if any of them were to enter my hood scoop I'd have a much bigger issue than dented fins on on my IC.

- Janq

 

Jang. What BOV do I see there?

 

Hmm, good points presented both ways...Just by thinking about it logically, I'd say the IC screen would work well enough, not take away anything visually from the car, and WAY easier to install. Then again, you don't want anything going under the hood regardless, bouncing off the IC screen and doing minor damage to other stuff... best to prevent any problems right at the source; entry. I'll think about it some more but I do like the IC screen idea. I'll see what others do and see how it works out.

 

i think both janq's screen and keith's idea is great so i would get both...but i think keiths would also protect the scoop to be used as a garbage can

O4STi

 

I don't know who makes it. The picture was sourced from the manufacturers site. Check the link and scour the site, you might find it there.

Best of luck...

- Janq

 

BTW,

The IC screen isn't my idea.
I found it via an ancient thread at NASIOC.

Whatever you decide to choose/use is cool with me.
I have no ties to the manufacturer or seller.

Just an FYI...

- Janq

 

lol. I will get a mesh if I get STi..