Wrx Intercooler Tilt & Splitter Fit - How to improve your WRX top mount IC  

Well its a pretty common thing to do to a >MY00 wrx as the intercooler isn really in a efficient position to utilise the large majority of air that is channelled through the bonnet scoop, that said the factory scoop does a pretty good job at keeping that heatsink cool, but the following things can be done to make it betterer!

First Tilting that mofo

What youll need:
2x 52mm bolts with appropriate thread pattern to suit your intercooler
2x 20mm peices of copperhose or
10-15x washers to make appropriate height

First things first is to unscrew the hoses and shit turbo and manifold first (see red circles)



Then unscrew the cooler support screws on each side (depending on your MY model it may or may not have the screw on the side of the cooler - the smaller red circle)
| after everything is unscrewed you can go at it with your longer bolts and washers/copper hose to tilt to your desired angle, keep in mind you do not want to have it interfere with your bonnet, so be mindful of how far you adjust it... (I did it 20mm)

copper pipe tilt



or the washers.. whatever floats your boat



You may also need to cut your intercooler seal so it does bend your fins .. becareful not to cut it to much as the cooler needs a tight fit so the no air is lost when passing through the scoop



Tighten the turbo and manifold hose and Thats it.. the end product... basically it brings the top of the intercooler in a better path to recieve air from the scoop... it works too.. I had to turn my boost down after this as it started spiking and hitting fuel cut(18psi)... all up it cost about $10 in parts and an hours fiddling (note: the MY01 and onwards already have thier intercoolers tilted)



Intercooler Hoses...
Even though the pictures above show them fitted (as I purchased mine first) it really doesn need to be done in any order. first is preferable cause you have to take the cooler completely off which will mean you have to re-do all the above.

The picture below shows the standard hose and the Samco hose which I bought, the std hose is SHIT and made of plastic and it doesn take a rocket scientist to see that in practice it probably won flow well... the Samco hose is made of silicon and is much better shapped and won blow up under boost like the plastic one does.







Further notes to removing the intercooler:

Youll need 8, 10 & 12mm spanners, plus a flat blade screwdriver. Unbolt the intercooler (12mm), unbolt the dump valve (10mm), loosen the hose on the turbo, and on the manifold. Next, wriggle off the intercooler. Lay it somewhere flat (not on your lap because youll bend the vanes) and swap the pipes. I recommend you use the 8mm spanner rather than the screwdriver to undo the hose clips - you are less likely to slip and stab a spanner through your intercooler. Whatever you do, don leave the hose clips where they are on my picture - I just forgot to position & tighten them before I took the picture !

I take no responsibility by any damage that may occur to your car by fitting any of the above products, what works for one may not work for others, best to contact a professional whenever modifying your vehicle.
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