In regards to cheap and effective DIY intercooler piping: Marine exhaust piping

[lil' is 300]

DO NOT USE MARINE EXHAUST TUBING ON THE HOT SIDE OF THE TURBO (PRE-INTERCOOLED). READ THE ENTIRE THREAD BEFORE BUYING THIS STUFF. THERE ARE BETTER ALTERNATIVES: FLEXFAB SILFAB 2

Edit (8/11/07): I have decided to remove the information regarding the marine exhaust tubing because I believe many people will be mislead by this thread. Yes, the marine tubing will work, but only on the cold side of the turbo.

I ordered Flexfab Silfab II tubing and it is rated at 600+f and more PSI any 2.7t will ever see (for now at least hehe...). It is extremely flexible, as in you could tie it in a knot if you are so inclined. The color of the tubing is red which I'm sure could be coated if desired. All in all, I would recommend this tubing for both the hot and cold side of the intercooler piping. I have yet to try it as I have downpipe issues I need to get sorted out first, but with hands on experience, I think it will be a great alternative to aluminum piping and way better than the initial marine exhaust tubing.

If anybody orders this and gets the FMIC done, please post pictures. It will make this thread a great resource for people unsure how to best route the tubing. Regardless, it is pretty self-explanatory and very forgiving because of it's great flexibility. Good luck, I hope to have mine done next month (vacation and other car issues have priority as of right now)


Got hose? Yea... 12 feet of it.


Got Flex? Not bad...


The pretzel test...




detailed shot


model number (no difference between the flx2005 and flx2001 except flx2001 meets the aerospace requirements of FAR25.853)


very smooth airflow


another shot of inside with a bend (crappy shot, but shows it doesn't crimp).

[Das General]

I believe Clint deserves props for calling on the marine piping.

Glad to see someone finally did it. Lets see some pics when it's all said and done.

[Mystthebird]

I like AZ becasue yu get help and not flamed... unlike audiworld

any way i realy want to know how it works out becasue im all for a cheap FMIC. who isent

[nogaroblues4]

Alex, as soon as you do logging on this I'm most likely going to go out and get started on this as well, I don't see there being any problems doing this and I'm sure that everyone would appreciate what you are doing so to that. Also, for anyone skeptical about welds on the FMIC's off of eBay, since this project is so inexpensive, it will relatively cheap to just swap out FMIC's if something happens. Alex, also let us know all the clamps and materials needed to do this along with which core you buy. Thanks again and good luck.

[AB18]

What core are you thinking? Ive looked and only saw on twin turbo core, and im doubting it will fit behind stock bumper.

[Dr.Duct]

u have to cut the bumper support. Also u should get an efk.

[1997gtx]

Nice! Glad to see someone pulled the trigger on this. Make sure to log a lot of IAT's, etc. before and after.
--Adam

[lil' is 300]

The twin turbo one on Ebay (with 2.5 inlet/outlet) is being used by Josh (BlackS4TT) and he's trapping 122mph in the quarter so I don't doubt it's a decent unit - especially in comparison to stock.

I'm still eyeballing a custom Bell Intercooler core with tanks but it would be quite a bit more expensive. I suppose for this project, there is very little money involved so I may as well try out the Ebay core and see how it goes.

The Ebay FMIC's are going for $130 (Plus 60ish for marine piping) so there really is not much to lose. We're talking an efficient (hopefully) FMIC with piping for around $200...If that's not a bargain than I don't know what is.

And I will DEF. be doing very extensive logging with ECUx. The whole purpose of this isn't to say I have an FMIC...I want to see results. If they suck, it's coming off the car and everyone will know about it

[MultiAudis]

I think my buddy Tommy "t0mt0m" on AZ just picked up a fmic with marine piping. I took a look at it and to be honest, I was pretty impressed, very flexible yet extremely tough and durable. I will be paying close attention to see how all your testing goes. Thanks in advance!

[spturks]

also measure pressure loss

[Blue AWD]

Where did you order the hose from? Ive got the core already and was debating this stuff, your post has sold me on it, thanks a lot.

[lil' is 300]

also measure pressure loss

Tell me how I go about doing this and I will...

Just ordered Ebay FMIC.

[b5s4tt]

sounds like a good plan. see if you can get measurements of the pieces you make.


off mrc site. should be a nice guideline or at least an idea of what you need

[S4 Dan]

Where did you order the hose from? Ive got the core already and was debating this stuff, your post has sold me on it, thanks a lot.

same here.... haha, i actually spend a whole day a few weeks ago, and couldnt find anything.... but i was looking locally.... if you can hook us up w/ the site you bought this stuff from, that would be amazing

[AB18]

lilis300, we just installed the ebay the core on the shop S4, but havent mounted the bumper yet to see if it would fit, and to be honest, im doubting it will. The ebay core is huge, and im not sure if it fits behind the stock bumper. If it does, ill be next in line for this.

[lil' is 300]

Don't see any reason why it wouldn't fit...several people have done it. Gotta do some bumper triming, but here ya go. Pic of BlackS4TT's Ebay FMIC w/ stock bumper.



In regards to the marine piping resource:

http://www.fisheriessupply.com

[spturks]

log it with a mbc and see how much boost you lose at redline

[lil' is 300]

log it with a mbc and see how much boost you lose at redline

Parallel or standalone? I already have it in parallel.

[spturks]

standalone,parallel just controls spikes

[lil' is 300]

Gotcha. Should I kiss my TT's goodbye now or later?

[Blue AWD]

Did you buy the corrugated hose or the wired hose? Trying to decide on which will bend easier/hold the diameter better. Thanks again.

[lil' is 300]

Corrugated Wet Exhaust Hose - It's ribbed and supposedly gives more flex than the regular hose.

Part Number: 252-2120

The ends were cut pretty sloppy when I got it, but you can see a wire poking out at the end - it's extremely reinforced (two layer of heavy duty hose stacked with wire). My only issue is the outer diameter - It's nearly 3.25'' which will make for an already tight fit even tighter. We'll see... T-Bolt clamps have been ordered from ATP and the ebay FMIC is on the way.

[spturks]

is it smooth inside?email pics if possible

[lil' is 300]

is it smooth inside?email pics if possible

Will snap some pics in a bit, need to charge the cam. But yes, it's smooth as a babys bottom. Just ribbed on the outside.

[Das General]

3.25 diameter, ribbed...sounds like I can double this as a profilactic.

thanks for the part number though, that helps out big time, seeing as their site is rather hectic.

whats the diameter on the outlets for the ebay core?

[greenz]

it says maximum of 250 degrees F. Isn't it going to be in contact with some much hotter areas ?

[lil' is 300]

3.25 diameter, ribbed...sounds like I can double this as a profilactic.

thanks for the part number though, that helps out big time, seeing as their site is rather hectic.

whats the diameter on the outlets for the ebay core?

2.5 in/out. I bought 2.5'' marine tubing and it seems like it's going to be an extremely tight fit.

and about the 250 degrees, I would sure as hell hope the intake air i'm sucking in will never be 250f otherwise my own safety would be of concern ;)

[greenz]

you dont think the cold side of the turbo can get to 250?

[EUROTEK//S4]

Don't see any reason why it wouldn't fit...several people have done it. Gotta do some bumper triming, but here ya go. Pic of BlackS4TT's Ebay FMIC w/ stock bumper.



In regards to the marine piping resource:

http://www.fisheriessupply.com

thats very nice polished piping ...

[EUROTEK//S4]

sounds like a good plan. see if you can get measurements of the pieces you make.


off mrc site. should be a nice guideline or at least an idea of what you need

how much is mcrtuning fmic kit ?

[lil' is 300]

you dont think the cold side of the turbo can get to 250?

It's possible, but i'm hoping this tubing will be able to endure up to 275ish F. Either way, the next highest rating tubing they carry is silicon which is ridiculously expensive and would defeat the whole purpose of a cheap alternative to piping.

If it turns out to be too hot coming off the outlet, then I will most likely go with pre-bent pipes coupled with silicon connecters. We'll see...if it doesn't work than it's not the end of the world.

[2ndEngineS4]

Consider checking your calculations before embarking on this potentially very expensive journey. I'm no expert but assuming 15 degree temp rise for every lb of boost you create, if ambient temp is 90 F (conservative for the engine compartment), the hot side of the intercooler piping could very easily see temps of 315 F under full boost pressure of 15 lbs. What's the mode of failure at 250 F? Pressurized hot marine piping exploding out the front of your car could be hazardous to your health. Just a thought. . . .

[lil' is 300]

If it's getting too hot, I won't use it on the hot side - just on the outlets to the charge pipes. The outlets have the more drastic bents either way.

I'm mainly interested in how this Ebay core is gonna perform. I've seen some results but I want to see for myself when comparing my own logs of stock IC's to the ebay logs.

[lil' is 300]

Here are the pics I said I'd take:

[b5s4tt]

lookin good. thats a clean work area too

[deephouse]

My only issue is the outer diameter - It's nearly 3.25'' which will make for an already tight fit even tighter. We'll see... T-Bolt clamps have been ordered from ATP and the ebay FMIC is on the way.

Interesting DIY material.

You might want to consider Constant Torque clamps, they have a variety of sizes that will get around that OD.

http://www.breezeclamps.com/ct.htm

[Das General]

interesting, it certainly isn't prettiest material. how much of a pain is it to cut that up?

[lil' is 300]

interesting, it certainly isn't prettiest material. how much of a pain is it to cut that up?

I'm not sure, I didn't make the cuts you see in the pics - they were done by the place I bought it from. They are very rough and jagged, but I will clean it up when time comes to try it out and chop it up. Hopefully it works - I'm a bit bummed with the 3.25'' OD, I wasn't under the impression it would be so thick. Cutting it should not be difficult at all, it's just a rubberish material with a single spiral metal wire. Nothing my cut off wheel can't handle.

[AB18]

Get your dremmel and sawzal ready to. We put on the stock bumper today and had alot of cutting to do. This was the ebay core aswell. The ebay core build is great.

[Das General]

I wonder what kind of fitment issues there would be for reiger front end.