Front mounted intercooler

Front mounted intercooler, an IC mount position, which involves mounting the intercooler at the front of the engine, usually in the bumper. Often found in high performance cars, although many manufacturers and racing teams use TMICs.

FMICs generally require open bumpers, and front spoilers, which will force air into the bumper and provide downforce as well, are also beneficial. In general, because of the location, a front mount intercooler tends to cool air more efficiently than a similarly sized TMIC (top mount intercooler) or a SMIC (side mount intercooler). FMICs have some disadvantages, however. One obvious drawback is the vulnerable position of the intercooler in front of the car - any moderately serious frontal impact will significantly damage the FMIC. Secondly, FMICs, by virtue of their siting in front of the radiator, block airflow to the radiator, as the air that passes through the intercooler is several degrees hotter than the air on the other side. While on most piston engines, this is not too major a concern, on hot-running engines, and rotary engines in particular, this can lead to problems. Thirdly, FMICs also require the most plumbing of any intercooler setup, which means that there is much more volume that the turbocharger or supercharger must pressurise before it can deliver positive boost. Because of this, many manufacturers opt to use SMICs or TMICs to avoid excessive turbo lag (acceptable for a personally modified car, but a major detriment to a stock car). One of the very few manufacturers to offer an FMIC setup in their factory street cars is Mitsubishi, in the Lancer Evolution series.