ETS Upgraded Top Mounted Intercooler - pros and cons?

[Xerxes9]

I was taking a look at this upgraded top mount intercooler, but when asked around never got a real answer. Is there any real dangers to upgrading this?

The only reason I'm just trying to see what you all think is that I want get a slight more kick out without pushing the car too hard.

So in short,

Will I notice the difference? Is it worth it? And what are the pros and cons?

http://www.extremeturbosystems.com/ETS-MazdaSpeed-3-Top-Mount-Intercooler-TMIC-Gen1.html

Thanks in advance to anybody that contributes opinions

[Xerxes9]

I just realized I put this in the wrong section. My bad.

[Mr Wilson]

ETS has the thickest core if I remember correctly. It's also one of the more expensive ones.

No real cons to it. Will still heatsoak like any tmic, but once you are moving BATS come down quickly.

[Xerxes9]

ETS has the thickest core if I remember correctly. It's also one of the more expensive ones.

No real cons to it. Will still heatsoak like any tmic, but once you are moving BATS come down quickly.

Will there be a performance difference?

[loki]

A thread about this exists already

[loki]

Will there be a performance difference?

Unless you push the limits with a tune you will not notice a difference

[S.F.W.]

Will there be a performance difference?


Unless you push the limits with a tune you will not notice a difference

Agreed on the tune, you also need other supporting mods in order to make more power overall. Have you already upgraded your fuel pump ? Have you added a downpipe ?
Upgrading the TMIC was the last item I did. My order was 1)Fuel pump(internals are fine as well) 2)AP 3)Intake & TIP(gained about 15 HP) 4)Ultra94 5)Tune 6)Downpipe(gained another 15-20) 7)Re-Tune 8)Upgraded TMIC (Gained another 20 HP) 9)Re-Tune . Overall I am at 295 Wheel Horsepower as measured by the dyno(real not Virtual) .
So look at your current mods, then your budget, then your power goals, and decide accordingly.

[crasth]

I say fix the rust spot on ur trunk first.... Lool. Jks. Yeah man what. @s.f.w said its true.. Thats the way to ho

[Xerxes9]

Honestly I'm at 183k and I'm worried shitless of something bad happening to the motor. I was told at this high kms it's not worth modding the engine too heavily. Just basics, as why I considered this.

Thanks so much for the advice and replies, they help. And I actually just was thinking about ordering auto tech internals

[S.F.W.]

Honestly I'm at 183k and I'm worried shitless of something bad happening to the motor. I was told at this high kms it's not worth modding the engine too heavily. Just basics, as why I considered this.

Thanks so much for the advice and replies, they help. And I actually just was thinking about ordering auto tech internals

Definitely Internals before TMIC. As for the mileage, have you done a compression test ? If compression is fine, go ahead and mod.

[SomeGuy]

If you're worried then don't mod...the car has a fair bit of power stock anyway. Once you start, you never really stop...TMIC isn't the best choice anyway to start, fuel, AP and intake are the way to go and can be done for around $1000.

[Mr Wilson]

Xerxes9 a member on here, horto, made over 300 whp well into the 200K km.

[loki]

If you're worried shitless then stop talking about modding your car

[Flagrum_3]

Xerxes9 a member on here, horto, made over 300 whp well into the 200K km.

Maybe so, but a big gamble is taken. Chances are high any motor with 100k+ miles on it, the bottom end is already in a weakened state and pushing the HP or torque numbers up too high can literally blow it....Modest gains probably would be fine.

On a further note, a Compression test will only show how well the cylinders seal; condition of valves, valve seals and rings and not a diagnosis of the condition of the engines real bottom end; push rods, bearings, crank etc.

If I was the OP I would leave it as is, or if anything look too mods with modest increases of output.

_3

[Xerxes9]

If you're worried shitless then stop talking about modding your car

So then what's the point of a group that supports and helps each other on decisions if you're gonna call me out and tell me to stop?



Maybe so, but a big gamble is taken. Chances are high any motor with 100k+ miles on it, the bottom end is already in a weakened state and pushing the HP or torque numbers up too high can literally blow it....Modest gains probably would be fine.

On a further note, a Compression test will only show how well the cylinders seal; condition of valves, valve seals and rings and not a diagnosis of the condition of the engines real bottom end; push rods, bearings, crank etc.

If I was the OP I would leave it as is, or if anything look too mods with modest increases of output.

_3

Thanks. I'll try to keep it simple and continue with cosmetics for now

[Mr Wilson]

A big gamble with a tmic, seriously?

We're not talking about a big turbo and 30 psi. There's no downside to an uprated cooling setup.

[loki]

A big gamble with a tmic, seriously?

We're not talking about a big turbo and 30 psi. There's no downside to an uprated cooling setup.

This

No one is calling you out really, just stop being a little bitch and do what you want

[loki]

The cp-e TMIC is about $200 cheaper btw

[crasth]

A big gamble with a tmic, seriously?

We're not talking about a big turbo and 30 psi. There's no downside to an uprated cooling setup.
Yeahh this is true. Ive heard of lots of people with modded cars on 100+k miles on their engines. Just take care of it. Obvs dont abuse it..have fun with it

[loki]

http://www.torontomazda3.ca/forum/showthread.php?76272-TMIC-Does-core-size-really-matter&p=1200236&viewfull=1#post1200236

[murdaspeed]

Maybe so, but a big gamble is taken. Chances are high any motor with 100k+ miles on it, the bottom end is already in a weakened state and pushing the HP or torque numbers up too high can literally blow it....Modest gains probably would be fine.

On a further note, a Compression test will only show how well the cylinders seal; condition of valves, valve seals and rings and not a diagnosis of the condition of the engines real bottom end; push rods, bearings, crank etc.

If I was the OP I would leave it as is, or if anything look too mods with modest increases of output.

_3

Nobody really knows the condition of their bottom end unless you open up the engine. But a compression test will tell you if its actually worth spending the cash on power adding mods. If the compress is way down, you're just not going to see the power increases you might expect.

[mickey_g]

As others have suggested, do a leakdown test and compression test. If the numbers are good, go ahead and mod it to make some reliable power. Quality parts are only part of the equation. A good tune will ensure that your motor stays healthy.

[Flagrum_3]

A big gamble with a tmic, seriously?

We're not talking about a big turbo and 30 psi. There's no downside to an uprated cooling setup.

I was pertaining to the 300whp comment not any particular mod. As I said, modest upgrades shouldn't hurt, just don't push it.


Nobody really knows the condition of their bottom end unless you open up the engine. But a compression test will tell you if its actually worth spending the cash on power adding mods. If the compress is way down, you're just not going to see the power increases you might expect.

Obviously, and that's why its a gamble! I disagree that a compression or leak down test would be sufficient enough too guarantee spending the money. Those tests will tell you only part of the story and there's no guarantee. Btw low compression is a pretty general statement, its perfectly fine to have slightly lower compression as long as all cylinders are relatively equal...BTW, I'm not a novice when commenting on this issue, I spent 2 years of my apprenticeship as an engine rebuilder/machinist and have worked with some very seasoned rebuilders....so no BS here.

To clarify; I'm not suggesting the OP doesn't mod it up, just be extremely careful. It would be pretty sad to see him spend $1000+ bucks, then need a engine afterward.

_3

[Aitch]

At ~$1000 you guys are talking about the fuel pump, AP, and an intake, (from SomeGuy's advice). I don't know exactly what net increase in power that gives you, but I'd think if that much of a bump has the potential to destroy an engine, that particular engine would have been likely to fail fairly soon anyway?

/just a non-MS3 guy thinking out loud.

[SomeGuy]

At ~$1000 you guys are talking about the fuel pump, AP, and an intake, (from SomeGuy's advice). I don't know exactly what net increase in power that gives you, but I'd think if that much of a bump has the potential to destroy an engine, that particular engine would have been likely to fail fairly soon anyway?

/just a non-MS3 guy thinking out loud.

Pretty damn true. If it's going to go, a mild upgrade isn't going to be what caused it.

That said, with a decent tune and those hard parts it's easy to get 20-30hp over stock and some better driveability.

[loki]

Fuel pump, AP and intake will run you around $1700 if you buy new

Can't/shouldn't run an upgraded TMIC without the AP, fuel pump and a decent tune

[SomeGuy]

Fuel pump, AP and intake will run you around $1700 if you buy new

Can't/shouldn't run an upgraded TMIC without the AP, fuel pump and a decent tune

True, maybe not quite $1700...$1500ish depending on what you opt for. $1000 will easily covered good condition used stuff if you opt for a ap v2.