V-Mounted Intercoolers

The V-Mounted Intercooler is a hybrid system, developed to provide superior air cooling to a front mounted intercooler, yet still retain the short intake piping and radiator airflow of the TMIC. In this case, the intercooler is mounted horizontally, directly in front of the engine (although it can be at an angle). Most VMIC setups place the radiator below the intercooler, at a great angle, tilted back until it is almost touching the motor. Ducts are used in the front of the car to duct air through the intercooler, creating a ram-air effect, while the remainder of the air flows over the radiator, normally. The air is usually removed via a hood vent (a vent recessed into the car's hood near the front of the car; if it is mounted too far back, it will actually suck air into the engine bay), although in the case of a bottom-mounted intercooler, the air is allowed the exit underneath the car (although this is dangerous because is places the intercooler at extreme risk to damage from bumps and rocks). VMIC setups are typically utilized on Front Midship cars, as the location of the engine, far back in the engine bay, allows room for the system.

VMICs were pioneered on the Mazda RX-7, because rotary engines have a tendency to run hot. It was intended to be a compromise between a TMIC or a side-mounted intercooler (2nd Generation and 3rd Generation RX-7, respectively) and a FMIC. An intercooler in the stock position would not support high airflow (and thus limit top power, or create severe detonation in the engine, which damages rotary engines more easily than piston engines), while FMICs would block airflow to the radiator, leading to overheating. The RX-7 is the only car that currently has a VMIC kit available for it. VMICs on other cars are custom made, usually used on track cars and require significant investment and fabricating skills to properly set up and tune.