[jmc]

Bad ass ?
Interesting "resonance" at 5250rpm for the particular engine regardless of inlet dynamics

 

[jmc]

@turbokits
Thanks for posting the manual!
Why on earth is the oem turbo baffle needed? The stock fmic cant handle the incoming flow? Or ...?
You folks opted for a thin and tall radiator so its partially blocked by the bumper ... a thick and short one is no good? Would some nice 2" venturi stack trumpets right through the bumper and crash bar cool the new radiator better? (that would get rid of those pesky front plate holes ? and look like 007 missile ports to boot)

 

[jmc]

You got it!

They baffle the turbo to keep the car quiet and make it sound like a non-turbo car. The baffle is large and adds tons of turbulence to the charge.
View attachment 23653

Well it's not that thin, it's still 3" thick and judging by the AITs and DYNO numbers cooling every ounce of the charge that goes into it , but yes, if one wanted to add some stacks to the crash bar, they could gain even more cooling to the core. I agree tho, would look very bond'ish.

I see ... kill the flow for the sake of sonic control. Bummer.
Ok ok maybe not big ass holes in the bumper ? will find another way to route airflow to the upper fins

 

[jmc]

Really thorough job on the instruction guide - kudos for that.
& especially nice for those considering, to see exactly what is involved.



So I trust you mean it is not CARB (California Air Resources Board) certified - but regarding the actual emissions, the FMIC itself should have no major affect? (Unless of course ECU re-map/piggyback is also added)
i.e. most likely will pass the actual smog test and would be up to a knowledgeable* tester to fail it on visual
*I.e. whether they would know the difference between an OEM part and after-market part in this specific instance.

My NSX had aftermarket headers (which WERE CARB certified), Muffler which I'm not sure was, or not; but regardless in all the years I would get it tested, they never once looked at it or asked for the OE number.
(It may or may not have had some other bits on there too - but it always passed emissions levels)

Not encouraging anyone to bend the rules, just observing ..............

I have had my share of dealing with smog police ... so I just make sure all my toys have carb stickers stuck on them or plaques rivet on. Doubt they will notice the fmic as it is tucked behind the bumper ? ?

 

[jmc]

I have had my share of dealing with smog police ... so I just make sure all my toys have carb stickers stuck on them or plaques rivet on. Doubt they will notice the fmic as it is tucked behind the bumper ? ?

@turbokits
Awww come on guys lets do a group by for the $1.95 TK CARB sticker ... ?

 

[jmc]

Our FMIC is a perfect solution to combat these increases in IATs from the tuner and I would expect even a larger increase in peak power as well as power above 4.5K where the stock ECU starts to really pull timing due to heat soak

Odd query if I may...
IATs have a variation time frame and it seems to be somewhat slowly varying (as compared to how quickly the cat temps modulate) so when the ECU backs off the timing is it a fairly gradual event in which one would just notice a slow decrease in acceleration, or is it pretty quick and it would be like releasing the throttle during hard runs?

 

[jmc]

It doesn't happen like a "limp mode trigger" where throttle is killed. The ECU pulls timing degree by degree until it hits a spot where it expects no pre-ignition. It pulls timing down as the IATs increase and the RPMs increase. Now, it revs pretty quick due to the DCT7, so how fast it happens is probably within a few seconds. If you car is stock, you probably haven't noticed it too much, it's just the normal way it accelerates. Once you have the FMIC and then go back, it becomes 100 times more obvious. So it's most likely not something you even notice, but would miss tremendously once you had the better feel.

Ok good at least I got that right ... figured the adjustment rate is tied to the (somewhat slow) IAT delta.
As for your response, that's good to know ... it's always that second derivative that creeps in and pegs everything ...

Now since your FMIC is slightly thicker, a bit taller, and quite the efficient unit, there's gonna be a (larger) heat plume
right in front of the water radiator. For your before / after tests, can you take a look at your data files and see if there
is a slight rise in coolant temps? I mean 1 or 2 F is in the noise ... but 5F and up is news worthy, yes?

 

[jmc]

I took a look at the logs for our Development CLA with the turbo upgrade, ECU tune, etc and it's moving up ~10* by the end of the run. I am going to try to dig up the stock runs to compare as coolant temp increase is normal during a heavy loaded run, even on a stock car. It's not anything we are concerned about.

Thank you! Yes that data would be interesting to see ...

 

[jmc]

We'll get it ASAP!

Water to Air -vs- Air to Air, not really a true comparison. Plus an AMG built water to air made to match the performance of the AMG -vs- save $5 on the front mount by using plastic end tanks and we save a few million over the production run of our entry level model. What I mean is there is a lot left on the table with the CLA 250, whereas the AMG45 is already pushing things to the limit, even in stock form.

Thank you!

And yes the water to air is a nice AMG touch though isnt that water pretty hot to begin with?? I figure the heat capacity bit and all, but geewhiz coolant temps are already in the 180-190F range yes?

 

[jmc]

Are you referring to the CLA or the AMG?

You know what I am an idiot ... nevermind ... I was referring to the AMG intercooler system, and just realized
it has it's own auxiliary water loop and radiator on the right front vent. Duh.
Though now the query is are the coolant loops independent? Hard to tell from the parts diagrams ...
And it's tough to reroute the 250 intercooler system to use the 45 system, right?
Just curious.

 

[jmc]

Typically the coolant loops would be independent, there would be no advantage (more so a disadvantage) putting hot engine coolant thorough a water/air intercooler heat exchanger. Adapting the water to air from the AMG to the CLA 250 would be very cost prohibitive and may not even best our FMIC. I suspect they use it for AIT consistency because of the high boost levels the car runs stock more so than for the coolest charge.

Ahhh so the poor little e-bot running around inside the ecu doesnt get overworked! ?
Consistency makes sense.
When I am ready to yank the front off for other stuff maybe a facelifted fmic.v2 will be ready...

 

[jmc]

We did have an A250 customer report back. He said the bumper support beam sits tighter on the A250 than the CLA 250. He was able to trim some of it away and the shop installing it created an adapter to space it out some and he was able to get it installed. It wasn't overly difficult from what he is telling me, but not 100% drop in. He is going to send some pics of the mods. I'll post more info once i have it. Thanks

Very odd ... its supposed to be their modular front architecture and the CLA and A share the 176-xxx front end body parts which is the whole point of that MFA ... and yet the bumper cross members are variant?
Weird...

 

[jmc]

i think its the bumper design not the structural

Oh its the cosmetics ... though where the fmic sits and how the bumper inner and outer parts must fit to the structure I am still surprised?

 

[jmc]

Well ... sometimes "being careful" translates into slower progress and multiple prechecks before any mechanical steps ... which seems so in this case considering their concern with the bumper.
Either do it for speed production style and end up with scuff marks and busted mount pins bla bla bla, or work it artisan style to maximize perfection. Its amazing how many scratch marks fingers or gloves can leave! Hate those!
Anyway I am sure you are glad its done! Look forward to your butt dyno reports ?

 

[jmc]

Very cool! pun intended ?

 

[jmc]

@gohawks - thanks so much for posting this
@turbokits - gotta owe this dude something for such effective advertising?! ;-)

 

[jmc]

@turbokits ... kindly indulge me

Q1 - what is the total weight of the whole "kit" ?
Q2 - what is the weight of the FMIC only ?

 

[jmc]

Q1 - 25lbs
Q2 - 22.7lbs

You ready to do this JMC?

Thank you for the information! The core mass isn't too bad considering its size and capacity.

I am in research phase and in the spirit of full disclosure there is the other American unit, and
one German unit being evaluated.

In terms of installation ... since there are two top mounting plates which are secured against
the crash bar via (self tap) screws, and furthermore there are two rather tough polymer tubes
at the lower section, you still indicate (as a precaution) there will be start up "vibration" so the
weatherstrip buffer is necessary. However since the buffer only damps the (potential) startup
disturbance but does not (and cannot) eliminate it, the aluminum welds at those top mounting
plates will experience continued displacement stress (even during normal driving as the motor
torques around) and (as the Navy's Littoral Combat Ship teams now know all too well) that will
lead to long term integrity issues. Is there a 4-point mounting option you can see? Or perhaps
you have mitigating comments for my (perhaps odd) concern?

As for pesky CARB ... I have an upgraded dry air filter element which is in the intake track and
is a "passive" update with increased air flow. Although your FMIC is not exactly a very "hidden"
intake track element, it is a "passive" update with a similar increased air flow result, so is there
any reason you folks (a) cannot get a CARB sticker, or (b) do not want to get a CARB sticker, or
(c) do not need to get a CARB sticker?? ..... Smog abatement expires 6/2020 for me, and just in
case I keep the car, I don't want to have irritating dealings with them. You understand yes! ;-)

As always, certainly appreciate your teams' efforts in addressing customer queries.

 

[jmc]

Well yeah I am hoping with cooler air and similar pressure drop we will get "more air flow" in the loosest sense of the phrase. ? And of course the preliminary numbers seem to show this .....

 

[jmc]

Thank you for the question regarding the mounting style of the intercooler. Because the silicone couplers used with our package and factory intercooler charge pipes have flex capabilities, potential vibration from lateral thrust and engine movement is isolated. We only noted a split second vibration during start up, likely at a very specific engine RPM or frequency, which is not a “normal” working, no load RPM that is seen while driving. The construction of the intercooler is intended to match the life expectancy of your vehicle.

A CARB certified product would require extensive documentation, paperwork, labor, testing by the folks in CA, and delay the release to market. In weighing out these impacts, we did not believe the majority of our customers could justify the necessary premium price for this certification.

I appreciate all the information!! As for CARB I'll just "disguise" your FMIC somehow ;-)