Well I was going to mount my intercooler flat but have different thoughts, I want to do it like most people are doing by cutting out bumper support and mounting it there. I am just worried about doing this, I dont know if I will loose any support to my frame, and what happens if I wreck my whole car will be F****D. I want to mount this intercooler I just cant decide on if I want to actually cut my bumper support. Please help me come to a decision. thanks

 

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-B

 

If you hit someone hard enough to hrut it while its stock, you have problems. Same with cutting it. I didnt see any downfall.

 

If someone hits you pretty good in the front, im sure you will have to replace more then just the bumper.

We have looked into fabricating a Bolt-on bar for the FMIC, but this will only raise the cost of the kit.

 

HUGE DOWNFALL- the prob is that that support is there to help the structural integrity of the car. all cars are designed to fold up a certain way in a crash and without that bar, it would be very weak. think of it like hitting a pop can from the top or the side. if it didn't need to be there, GM ( and all other manufacturers) wouldn't put them there

 

if you hit someone with your front bumper, DAYAM you got yourself a higher insurance to deal with too. lol but in all serious talk. like mentioned no down fall to and thats coming from a CA driver.

we all know its there to help in a front end collision, no doubt. but if you wanna play the game, learn to know when to slow down and not tailgate knowing you dont have a front beam suport.

have fun,
steve

 

it has nothing to do with the bumper, its part of the "frame" in a unibody car. you all put subframe connectors in just to deal with flex from cornering and holeshots and ****, imagine the force from a crash without the impact bar. go ask this in the paint and body section and see what answers you get. i'm sure anyone else who is I-CAR or GM certified will tell you the same

 

keep in mind, slowing down and not tailgaiting doesn't make everybody else drive better. i see all the ricer guys doing this to make those stupid ugly *** body kits fit, good way to get killed in a collision. doesn't have to be a bad one either

 

i am i car certified.
the plastic is the facia bumper cover, covers the "bumper", connected to the frame rails also known as dog leg to some in the body shop.

again like i stated if you want to play, you gotta pay. learn to drive "safer" while on the streets or dont take you car out on the streets keep it on the track. i have driven in cars with no bumper beams since 1995 from cars with FI

 

to each there own, the only point i'm trying to make is that cutting or removing it will make the structure significantly weaker

 

you need to talk to the guys who take the crash beams out of the doors.... lol.... no its not safe, but im not sure any one else cares :shrug: i dont DD mine for many reasons...

 

nor do i, 180 miles in 2 months.

 

its NOT part of the frame its a bumper, it is not needed for anything but an accident it doesn't keep the car form twisting like a rollcage or subframe connectors

 

I agree its not part of the frame.. its bolted in.. its made to slow down the reaction of the impact. either way in these cars they are mainly plastic and so low to the ground so your screwed either way if you ask me. i didn't give it a thought cutting mine to install the FMIC. no one lives forever no matter how careful you are something could happen. if you don't feel safe cutting or removing it then don't do it,simple as that if you ask me.

 

yup!!!! above!!!!

 

if you are concrned i know some guys cut it then add a weld in tube style support just under the ic...holla

 

You are going to get lots of replies from body shop guys, collision repair guys, Uni-Body engineers, and all that here. I have cut the bumper support to mount FMIC's many times and I can not tell any difference driving down the road or race track. My own car has it removed to mount the IC. All the kits I build are done this way. I also cut my radiator support and boxed it to be able to stand the radiator up. Yes I used 1"x1" square tube to reinforce it. Once again I have done this many times and never noticed ant loss of structural rigidity while driving down the road or track. I understand that in the case of a wreck my car will sustain more damage. Once I have the wreck I dont think it is going to matter for the car anymore, anyway. Just be careful and understand the risks involved for the sake of the performance edge. I just wanted to be able to fit a bigger FMIC and a bigger turbo on the car. For me it's all in the name of Performance.

 

ive had a frontal wreck without the bumper support in my current ride on the freeway against a guardrail a few years ago....it tweaked the radiator support on one end...which was later pulled out by a chain....one end that the support mounted to got pretty tore up and is useless. not needed anyway since i ended up buying another IC, front nose,radiator and fender..

 

My intercooler is bolted to the support which we did not cut. There is about 1/2" of a gap between the back of the i/c and the bumper support. I have experiened NO problems with IATs. Best of both worlds and a very simple install.

 

Here is my thinking. I cut the bumper support to be able to easily mount the FMIC by drilling 2 holes. It also allows air to pass through the FMIC and the into the fans and radiator. If the bumper support is not cut the air ends up stopping behind the FMIC when it hits the bumper support. It seems to me (and I may be wrong) that having the bumper supprt cut would promte better air flow and cooler IAT's.