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Q: How exactly do I route the piping
of a front mount intercooler? A: There are
several different ways. We will try to provide you with as many
different styles as we can find so that you can try and make up your own
mind. 
This
is a reverse of the typical front mount setup. The turbo output goes
to the left rather than the right. It curves down toward the side of
the radiator and through to one side of the intercooler. This
intercooler has a port on each side. Since the battery has been
removed in this installation, there is room to put the filter straight
out. Once this is done there is room for the after intercooler pipe
to go through the engine bay and up to the throttle body rather than all
the way through the fender.
 This
is a similar setup to the above installation. This version offers a
higher possible performance by having smooth bends as well as a lower
number of bends over all. Notice the smooth bend over the
manifold. The final pipe comes from in front of the AFM and shoots
straight to the throttle body. These pipe diameters are smaller also
for better throttle response.
 This
represents the more typical front mount setup. The turbo remains
unchanged in this installation. The outlet pipe from the turbo down
to the front of the car. Once again the battery is removed to make
room for the pipe to go to the front without going through the
fender. This also leaves room to mount the air filter in a better
location. This is a side to side intercooler as well and the
intercooler outlet pipe comes around the side of the radiator and up near
the alternator. It finally ends with a straight shot to the throttle
body. 
Here
is a wild intercooler pipe job. Since the intercooler (supra) has
both intercooler pipes on one side, the piping had to be routed to accommodate.
Its a pretty job and very clean. The installation leaves questions
like what the heat of the exhaust manifold would do to the temperatures of
the pipes. The benefit of this installation is that the stock
battery was retained. The pipes may have been better suited to run
on the other side of the engine bay, but the battery would have to have
been removed. 
This setup is similar to picture number
2. There are some key points here however that could make a
difference on how you choose to do your setup. The first and most
important thing here is that the pipes have been heat wrapped to keep the
hot engine bay air away from the pipes. This will cause the
intercooled air to stay... cool. The second difference is that the
turbo outlet pipe has been routed straight into the fender, thus
preserving the stock battery location. There is already a hole in
the fender for the stock air filter. This would require you of
course to go with an aftermarket filter and mount it in an alternative
location. The after intercooler pipe comes through on the other side
in the typical routing to the throttle body.
Pic 2
Pic 3
Pic 4
Here is a better solution. Point
the the turbo down so that your piping doesn't have to be so long.
Ideally you would come up on the battery side to keep the pipe away from
heat. In this case though, the pipe comes up over the manifold which
makes a more straight shot and allows you to keep the stock batter and
airbox setup. It's difficult to do this with the stock turbo,
because the wastegate wil no longer mount correctly. We are still
looking for the proper way to do this on the stock turbo.
Q: Where can I get Piping?
A: There are several places to buy piping. Any steel or stainless
steel mandrel bends in 50mm or 60mm will work. You then need to find
the appropriate hoses and clamps. If you want something simple in
one package, see this Greddy Kit:
Got more questions? Got more answers?
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