Grimmspeed Top Mount Intercooler SILVER

Product Description

So, you probably already know that you want an intercooler with maximum cooling and minimum restriction, but when it comes to selecting the right ‘man for the job’, we think it’s important to understand why. As air is pressurized by your turbo, it heats up, not because of the heat of the turbocharger, but because when they’re compressed, the atoms in the air are forced closer together and as a result, move faster and have more energy. That energy manifests itself as heat. The more heat we can remove from the system, the denser the air becomes and that’s what helps eliminate pre-detonation, or knock, allowing for increased output from your system. Your OEM TMIC does just fine at stock boost under normal use, but as soon as you start putting some real heat into it with higher boost or harder use, it heat-soaks beyond recovery.

There are two primary considerations in the design of an intercooler: maximum heat transfer and minimum pressure drop. Unfortunately, one causes the other, so finding a perfect balance requires a detailed understanding of the intended application, some serious engineering power and the highest quality manufacturing processes. Fitment and quality are also critically important to ensure that the most safety-critical part of your turbo system is up to the task every time your foot hits the floor. They began by laser scanning an OEM TMIC to plot the mounting points and space claim in CAD with pinpoint accuracy. At the same time, they designed a custom bar and plate core with overall dimensions, fin density and fin types that would provide the insane heat transfer area they require with minimal flow restriction. With core size nailed down, they got to work designing end tanks that offered smooth flow, perfect fitment and even distribution of the hot charge air through the core. Countless revisions were tested in flow simulation before they finally found exactly the characteristics that they wanted. From there, 3D printed prototypes were used to confirm fitment and we began work on manufacturing details in preparation for verification testing and production.

The core of any top mount intercooler is the beating heart of the beast. The intercooler cools your hot charge air in two different ways. The first is by reducing temperature by transferring heat from your hot, compressed air by conduction through the fins of the intercooler. The second is from a small pressure drop due to the flow restriction in the fins. The idea when you’re selecting an intercooler is to find one that results in an overall increase in air density. Rather than designing the largest possible core, or the core with the highest possible fin density, they created a well-rounded unit that’s designed specifically for Subaru’s making up to 550whp. That said, this particular core flows over 1500CFM and will support up to 575whp before it’s likely that a FMIC might be better suited for your system.

In their pursuit of perfection (there’s that p-word again), they learned a great deal about aluminum casting. If you’ve done similar research, you know that every aftermarket end tank that you’ve handled was cast from a one-time-use mold made of re-used sand. Not their style. In typical GrimmSpeed fashion, they stepped outside of the box and explored other options. They quickly learned that they had stepped into big boy territory. To achieve the quality, tight tolerances, pressure tightness and strength that they required, permanent mold casting became their only option. Each and every end tank is cast from the same CNC machined mold, ensuring not just dimensionally perfect castings with an amazing surface finish, but also excellent repeatability. With this method, they have perfect control over both the internal and external contours of each casting. After casting, every single mating surface is precision machined for a leak-free finish and unbeatable fitment. They will not be outdone.

They designed tabs to be laser cut and CNC bent from 5052 aluminum, selected for its ductile nature, to ensure that the bending and welding processes do not compromise their integrity. These will accept your stock TMIC bushings and offer plenty of adjustability for tweaked brackets and creative turbo setups. After each component has been inspected, their welder hand TIGs each and every assembly. From there, each assembly is pressure tested to 50psi and is thoroughly cleaned before it’s sealed up and prepared for shipping.

Because of their dedication to providing an excellent, well-rounded product, you will find that with the proper y-pipe, the GrimmSpeed TMIC will install with ease. They designed the TMIC to work with your stock STI y-pipe. Don’t have one? No problem. They have also designed a cast aluminum y-pipe kit with a 4-piece 5-ply silicone couplers and t-bolt clamps for each and every connection (not included). Worried that your hood scoop splitter might not feed your GrimmSpeed TMIC with the air it needs to properly keep those outlet temps low? They thought you might, so they’ve also designed a lightweight splitter (not included) that’s optimized for their TMIC as well as whatever scoop you might have.