its possible i guess, but you'd have to rearrange some stuff. your SAI pump lives on the passenger's side in the same spot as the intercooler on the driver's side, so you'd have to either remove it or relocate it. Apart from that, all the plumbing would be custom. I'd also be concerned that two SMIC's wouldn't flow enough for a BT application

 

Looks like the shop is leaning toward a SMIC.

They've recommended either the Apikol or the Tyrol.

I'm still on the fence. I just don't see how a SMIC tucked up under the side can perform anywhere near a FMIC.

I read this from Tyrol indicating SMIC was just as good as FMIC, and far superior to stock.

TyrolSport

But they don't say which FMIC it was, and I know from my homework that not all FMIC are created equal...

Apikol is a few hundred less than the Tyrol, and actually seems to be larger core volume (LxWxH). Tyrol is 355.5 cubic inches and Apikol is 364.5 cubic inches. I've been unable to find flow ratings in cfm for either unfortunately.

Sigh. I'd hate to buy a SMIC only to find out that next year, when I go further with the 2871R setup (north of 300hp), I have to buy a FMIC.

Then again, I see folks, like Devil and others saying SMIC can handle it...

Decisions, decisions...

 

I think a quality SMIC will work for you, though you'll probably have heat soak issues on really hot days in this area, especially if you're stuck in traffic. (which as you know is all the time lol)

I know guys have managed to fit really big FMIC's under the stock bumper, but in all of those cases it involved serious trimming or complete removal of the crash bar, which I'm not a big fan of.

Worst case scenario, you might just have to slap W/M injection on that bitch

 

Haha, you said it man! Especially with this heat wave too...being stuck in traffic is a way of life around the beltway That's why I have TV and DVD up front, LOL...

Thanks again guys, will let you know which side of the fence on...eventually!

edit to add: just talked to somebody from Tyrol who was extremely helpful. "apr stage 3+ is our max, with a apr stage 3, you're at about 80-90% of the SMIC capacity" "should see IATs drop about 25deg F" me: so a good rule of thumb is about 300whp limit for your SMIC? "yeah that's about right, maybe a little more...about 350 to the crank...anything more than that and FMIC is needed"

 

Talked to Apikol last night, also real helpful.

He was a little more confident in the SMIC ability with the APR Stage 3, and more HP. But the story was basically the same - heatsoak from multiple runs, with the SMIC, even if its only a stock APR Stage 3 kit.

034 Motorsports it is. Order placed.

 

Speaking of heatsoak, I'm not sure if you've considered this, but use of a SMIC keeps your radiator unobstructed and prevents cooling system heatsoak. Putting a large FMIC in front of the radiator can considerably cut its efficiency since a) airflow to it is reduced, and b) the air passing through the IC and hitting the radiator will be hotter. I haven't read of specific problems with this on the A4 like I did in the 300ZX (where use of a good FMIC necessitated an upgraded radiator) but it's something to consider. It's a moot point if you went SMIC, but worth mention all the same.

 

Lol oops - didn't see that Chris covered that already. Screw it, it's worth saying twice lol.

 

Thanks for this! It's not something I had really considered. I guess I'll have to keep an eye on temps once I get the car back. Any pointers to a good upgrade? I looked on ECS and didn't really see any radiators that indicated they performed "better" than stock...they all seemed to be just replacements for leaky radiators

I've known about Mishimoto from previous years but I don't see anything for an A4 on their site either

 

I think as long as you're going with the SMIC, your stock radiator should be fine....except on days like today when its 115* o_O

 

It'll be the 034 Motorsports FMIC. And yeah, hell with it on days like we've had recently. 100+ is no fun...

Depending on if I add anything else to the shopping cart, and if the delivery shows up to NGP in time, I might have the car by next weekend.