amos wrote:
...I asked whether he has any problems without having air flow to the TMIC and he said he's had no issues whatsoever.
I wonder whether he can back that up with eg intake temperature figures?(Air-to-Air) Intercoolers rely on reasonable air flow to greatly increase the efficiency in releasing the stored heat into the atmosphere, so I find it a bit hard to believe that a convoluted air flow path through the engine bay will provide the same cooling effect as a scoop that directs air straight onto the similarly positioned Top Mount intercooler. I expect that without a scoop, the intercooler would get heatsoaked much quicker and stablise at a higher temperature (at around what the average engine bay temperature is) rather than say, 5 degrees above ambient. It wouldn't cause problems, you just wouldn't produce as much power and the ECU would be doing things like retarding timing due to higher intake temperatures (thanks to the intake temperature sensor at the side of the intake plenum).
If you were to retain the TMIC with no scoop, at least give it some fresh air. As an example - the diesel Mazda3 has no scoop and a TMIC but has a dedicated (and sealed) air feed piping from the front of the car to the intercooler
_________________
-Alan
I blame my dad for my love of minis. I think I was conceived in the back seat of one
I also blame my Dad for me being 6' 1" - not really the optimum height for driving a Mini.
