Top mounted or Front mounted?

does anyone know if i were to move the intercooler from a top mount to a front mount? because in the WRC sti the intercooler is front mounted and the hood scoop is only cosmetic.. so is it better to convert to a front mount? and when u have a front mounted intercooler.. does it block air from also hitting your radiator? or does it just pass thru the intercooler/ac/radiator?

Grill mount style FMIC in WRC cars is one of the kind, almost impossible job to do. You have to reverse the intake manifold push the engine block back an inch or 2.
Bumper mount style FMIC like the one I have can be sourced by many different manufactures, there are 2 type of bumper mount FMIC, one requires hacking the bumper beam, and the other ones don't.
hacking required:
Blitz, Greddy, MRT
hacking not required: ( replacement bumper beam )
TurboXS, APS(2)

FMIC
Pros:
Cooler air, no heat soak, looks cool. needed for big power.
Cons:
Cleaning is a b!tch, everything gets in there, increase lag, need to cut bumper and bumper beams ( some ), added weight. minor frontal crash will destroy the FMIC.

You don't need a FMIC until reaching 250WHP. Huge topmount are also good investments.
Topmounts :
Turboxs, Vishnu, Spearco, APS, MRT,,,etc

go with MRT top mount
i think top mounts are better cause it has less piping then the FMIC.
more intercooler piping=less HP
But theres nuthin better than seeing a huge IC sticking out of your front bumper.

because in the WRC sti the intercooler is front mounted and the hood scoop is only cosmetic.

What makes you so sure the hood scoop is only cosmetic?
If you're talking about the current generation WRC Impreza it is, but the previous generation they actually had the air intake directly under the hood scoop where top mount used to be.

longer IC piping *does not* mean less power, it simply means more lag. A FMIC will technically allow you to create *more* power, as it cools better. Remember, each 11 degrees F that the charge air is cooled means a 1% increase in power.

What makes you so sure the hood scoop is only cosmetic?
If you're talking about the current generation WRC Impreza it is, but the previous generation they actually had the air intake directly under the hood scoop where top mount used to be.

yea im talkin about the current generations, im pretty sure if i can see the intercooler, thats all there is.. i duno why they would put 2 intercoolers for ONE TURBO..

Top mounts are usually best because how far the actual pipping travels. long as you can get air onto the top mount via larger scoop or whatever it doesnt matter. an intercooler can only run as much psi as the turbo and a front mount, i think, kind of defeats the purpose since it covers the radiator. It may get colder but less air going to the radiator evens it out.

Next car?
92-95 Civic HB
98-00 Civic HB
Subaru Impreza WRX/STI
Subaru Legacy GT
Acura RSX Type-S

--aznthuggie why would u even think of getting a civic hb, or a rsx over an wrx or sti. The Sti would murder any of those other cars on the list. Not even a question go with an STI!

yea im talkin about the current generations, im pretty sure if i can see the intercooler, thats all there is.. i duno why they would put 2 intercoolers for ONE TURBO..

OK, translator please!

I just told you the current generation WRC Impreza uses a front mount with a blank plate on the scoop, read my post again.

The 2001/2002 WRC Impreza used a front mount with the air intake under the hood scoop. This means that where the top mount was on the street car, they had the air intake on the rally car.

Read posts correctly and carefully and you will find enlightenment, the road to true enlightenment starts at your Subaru dealer.

Something to note; Sport Compact Car just reviewed the APS TMIC, and found [nearly] no advantages over the stock.

imthinkin bout gettin a Turbo XS cuz i wanna have the sleeper effect.

When you do, you'll most likely have to have your ECU re-tuned to show any kind of advantage.