Cooler piping and fropnt facing Plenum (which workshop)

[dabigbolf]

hey,

i am just after some photos or some results of front facing plenums. Basically doing the cut and shut. I need cooler piping done also. I'd like to find someone in the eastern suburbs.

Who does anyone recommend?

I'd like it to look like for an out of the factory job, meaning good clean welds. i have seen some really bodgey ones, and thats not what i want.

If its a workshop, i''d get them to mount the cooler, piping and everything.

I have heard of racepacemotorsport in bayswater.

Basically looking to take it to a work shop as it will be done in quicker time, by the pros.

cant be stuffed mucking around, waiting for people anymore.

But like someone who knows there stuff, no backyard job.

thanks heaps.

cheers.

[Sydneykid]

Hi dabigbolf, arhhhhhhhhhhh moving the throttle body to the front, very risky. Really stuffs up the airlfow distribution. I know some people swear by it, but I have seen a lot of holes in pistons

and crushed ring lands. Let's just say it worries me.

I have personal experience with a car that had the throttle body moved to the front. We replaced it with a standard upper manifold and it produced 15 rwkw more and had much more even exhaust gas temperatures across the cylinders. That's a good indication of poor distribution and leaness in number 1 and 2 cylinders.

Some people like the idea of reducing the length of the pipework from the intercooler to the throttle body, and that's a worthwhile thing to do. You get about a 50% reduction in pipe length. We prefer to use a 120 degree bend 120 mm from the throttle body and cut out the 2 X 90 degree bends and the 45 degree bend in the normal across behind the radiator pipework. This gives a reduction in length about half that achieved by moving the throttle body to the front.

I first saw this pipe layout on the Gibson R31 GTSR a long time ago and cringed, but it worked OK for Fred. So a few years later I tried it and it seems to be a good compromise.

We have also used a Sub Zero upper manifold with good results on a drag car. Due to the size of plenum (it was almost 6 litres in capacity) distribution seemed to be OK.

Hope that helps.

[Clint32]

I agree with Sydneykid as i was going to do the same mod myself when putting the to4 on, but when i cut the front of the plenun off and looked in the hole you realise that the first 2 runners cannot get a good airflow, even when under pressure there has to be a fair amount of flow difference. The stock manifold is pretty good when you look inside and see how all the air is distributed.

Also a interesting article in the new Zoom mag, they put a rb20 in a vr commo i think and modded the GTR manifold and throttle bodies on to it, after it was running they were not happy with the way it was running so they fitted the stock setup and it ran better and made more power.

[dabigbolf]

heres what you are saying then yeah

[Skyrine-Dave]

bingo... we have a weiner

yeah tho your colors are around the wrong way

are you going to use a new pipe to the throttlebody or re-use the factory cross over pipe?...

i am using 2 1/4 piping front turbo, flares up to 3" intercooler inlet exits at 3", tapers down to 2 1/4, joins a step up pipe that is 2.5" then joins the factory cross over pipe.

i dont know any real pro's or con's of my method, but it was suggestted by 2 workshops and my brain... and it works fine for me.

Having said that.. after going flat out for a while, parking the car.. the pipes heat soak abit, but within 40seconds of driving inlet temps are back to 23-25deg

[dabigbolf]

well colours were just to tell the diff.

butyeah they are round the wrong way.

i dont want to keep the facotry crossover pipe.

i'd probly use 2 and 1/2 inch piping all the way.

u are using stainless or mild steel or alloy.

i have been sugguest alloy is the best. but most expensive, but stainless is to heavy and costly.

mild steel cheap and not the best unless hpc coated.

[Clint32]

Thats the same way i have set my pipes up as well, im not sure if there is any benefit but keeping the cold pipe shoter has to reduce the inlet temps a bit.

What material to use is often debated and many people have different ideas. Some say alloy some Stainless, my idea is that you use alloy out of the turbo to try and dissapate some heat, then use ceramic coated mild steel from cooler to the inlet to try and insulate the cool air. But then again hot air travells faster so it may be better just having ceramic coated pipes all round.

[dabigbolf]

u got a pic. i am dieing to see a good setup like this.

[Clint32]

give me your email and i can send you one

[Skyrine-Dave]

yeh i have mild steel

going to get it HPC coated all the way when i have a spare week when i dont need my car.

[lowlux]

well if you read the new zoom mag it tell u how to do it properly and it states that if u use steel piping there is realy no advantage by using ally, also the air inside the piping is moving that fast that even though the piping on the outside might be a little hot, the air inside the cooler piping doesent have enough time to heat up because its constantly moving,so really theres no point in putting your piping the other way, id say the best way would be to come straight out of the throttle body then do a 120degree turn{like sydneykid said) and then go down and out to the cooler as this is the shortest route

[dabigbolf]

[email protected]

[dabigbolf]

conflicting views. this is one reason i hate cars. more than one good way of doing things. plus when i lose the only key i have, and need to get a locksmith out. bugger.

[dabigbolf]

very impressive pics man. nice.

[Skyrine-Dave]

both ways will use very similar lengths of pipe, its just the air flow direction

i dont care if i wasted my time.. it works and i am happy

i reckon you picture the way you want your piping, a front facing plenum would be ideal.. but is it worth forking out the cash now to save $50 on piping or do you be happy with routing it back like everyone else.

either way it WILL work, and in a silvia.. it WILL be quick