Hahn Intercooler installation experience

[SKY888]

Hello,

Today, I finally got my Hahn intercooler installed!

It took about 3 or more hours for me and a couple of my friends to install the Hahn Intercooler. The directions and photos didnt really help much. But the install was exciting. We don't have any equipment to lift the car.....so that's a bummer.

The OEM intercooler is definitely half the size in mass compared to the Hahn intercooler. The OEM intercooler is soooo light

After the install, we tried running the car on the highway and boosting it up to 24psi......then the hose clamps gave and we lost pressure This keeps on going on with all the trial runs.....until we finally fix the clamp problems. hehehe! Hahn didnt provide any clamps with the intercooler....and the clamps attached to the OEM intercooler were crappy. So we used a heavy duty clamps for those attachments.

I also dettached the black screen on my front fascia.


Finally, both my BSR ppc tuner and Hahn intercooler are working together. I'm happy with the way my car pulls!

This Friday, is the judgement day! I'll go to my other crew in Westerly RI, to have my car run the dyno and see how much my BSR ppc tuner and Hahn intercooler individually gives in regard to WHP

here are the pics!

[compdoc777]

Originally Posted by SKY888

Hello,

Today, I finally got my Hahn intercooler installed!

It took about 3 or more hours for me and a couple of my friends to install the Hahn Intercooler. The directions and photos didnt really help much. But the install was exciting. We don't have any equipment to lift the car.....so that's a bummer.

The OEM intercooler is definitely half the size in mass compared to the Hahn intercooler. The OEM intercooler is soooo light

After the install, we tried running the car on the highway and boosting it up to 24psi......then the hose clamps gave and we lost pressure This keeps on going on with all the trial runs.....until we finally fix the clamp problems. hehehe! Hahn didnt provide any clamps with the intercooler....and the clamps attached to the OEM intercooler were crappy. So we used a heavy duty clamps for those attachments.

I also dettached the black screen on my front fascia.


Finally, both my BSR ppc tuner and Hahn intercooler are working together. I'm happy with the way my car pulls!

This Friday, is the judgement day! I'll go to my other crew in Westerly RI, to have my car run the dyno and see how much my BSR ppc tuner and Hahn intercooler individually gives in regard to WHP

here are the pics!

if it is less than 255 whp 247 torque then the ic causes a loss in power.

i dynoed those numbers with just bsr tune.

[SKY888]

Originally Posted by compdoc777

if it is less than 255 whp 247 torque then the ic causes a loss in power.

i dynoed those numbers with just bsr tune.

I guess it really depends on what dyno equipment to be used.

but I'll definitely, get the dyno numbers with just the intercooler first. Then the intercooler w/ bsr tune.

So we'll see what happens this friday

My baseline is around 234 whp (with only gmpp exhaust). If I get about 255-260 whp....with both my intercooler and new tune....I'm happy.

[fr0stb1t3]

If I may recommend, take the BSR tune off a few days beforehand to get the factory tune "used" to the new airflow. The BSR tune should react relatively quickly to IC, while the factory tune may need some time.

[SKY888]

Originally Posted by fr0stb1t3

If I may recommend, take the BSR tune off a few days beforehand to get the factory tune "used" to the new airflow. The BSR tune should react relatively quickly to IC, while the factory tune may need some time.

bro, if I leave the BSR tune......wont the factory tune catch up in a few days? Or is it really necessary to take the BSR tune off for a few days?

thanks!

[fr0stb1t3]

The BSR tune is actually an aftermarket OS from what I understand. It's completely rewritten from the factory stuff. So when you put the factory one back on at the dyno place, it will have the parameters from when you pulled it off, not the recent ones, that includes the flow characteristics of the original IC, not the new one.

[SKY888]

Originally Posted by fr0stb1t3

The BSR tune is actually an aftermarket OS from what I understand. It's completely rewritten from the factory stuff. So when you put the factory one back on at the dyno place, it will have the parameters from when you pulled it off, not the recent ones, that includes the flow characteristics of the original IC, not the new one.

I got you now bro! thanks for the tip!

[compdoc777]

Originally Posted by SKY888

I got you now bro! thanks for the tip!

You should leave the BSR tune in the car unless you are going to dyno twice. We know that the tune gives about 255 whp. So the only thing missing is the IC we can extrapolated from there. I am dynoing on a dynojet, but the difference should not be more than 5-8 whp + or -

What I see as the biggest bottle neck at the moment is the exhaust manifold, turbo and tune at this moment. With a new bigger better flowing turbo in the 550-600 CFM area to get our cars past the 300 whp and up in the 400 whp zone. Tune is greatly needed Westers says he can tune the car by giving him our mods. Don't know how that would be very exacting could be close.

What we need is a programmable ECU we can have tuned at our own independent shops.

[fr0stb1t3]

Originally Posted by compdoc777

You should leave the BSR tune in the car unless you are going to dyno twice. We know that the tune gives about 255 whp. So the only thing missing is the IC we can extrapolated from there. I am dynoing on a dynojet, but the difference should not be more than 5-8 whp + or -

What I see as the biggest bottle neck at the moment is the exhaust manifold, turbo and tune at this moment. With a new bigger better flowing turbo in the 550-600 CFM area to get our cars past the 300 whp and up in the 400 whp zone. Tune is greatly needed Westers says he can tune the car by giving him our mods. Don't know how that would be very exacting could be close.

What we need is a programmable ECU we can have tuned at our own independent shops.

He wanted to dyno how much additional power each piece made. Factory, IC, IC + BSR

Go look at what Bald Turbo Freak has set up on solstice forum. New turbo (GT30R) plus a custom westers tune for the setup. Not a bad price either (less than $3k) for everything you need.

[elahz]

how long did the installation take? did it look complicated to take the bumper off? i got my IC yesterday i'm going to see if i install it myself tomorrow. let me know thanks

[ceeker]

I installed mine in just under 4 hours by myself.

The instructions that come with the Hahn intercooler were very good as far as I'm concerened. If you follow each step removing the bumper cover is really easy.

Turn you wheels all the way one direction and remove the screws in the fender well then turn the wheels the other direction to get too the other side.

I did jack the front of the car up to make it easy to get the the lower screws but it's not required.

Since the Hahn is 4" thick you really need to shave the shroud as they suggest.
The pictures in the instruction are really hard to understand, so I just put the shroud around the IC to see what area's they were talking about. There are 3 ribs on the shroud, one on each end and one in the middle, you need to shave off about 3/8" to 1/4" of these ribs so they car fit around the bigger IC.

You don't want the shroud to touch the IC!

Good Luck, and it's not as bad as it sounds!

[SKY888]

Originally Posted by ceeker

I installed mine in just under 4 hours by myself.

The instructions that come with the Hahn intercooler were very good as far as I'm concerened. If you follow each step removing the bumper cover is really easy.

Turn you wheels all the way one direction and remove the screws in the fender well then turn the wheels the other direction to get too the other side.

I did jack the front of the car up to make it easy to get the the lower screws but it's not required.

Since the Hahn is 4" thick you really need to shave the shroud as they suggest.
The pictures in the instruction are really hard to understand, so I just put the shroud around the IC to see what area's they were talking about. There are 3 ribs on the shroud, one on each end and one in the middle, you need to shave off about 3/8" to 1/4" of these ribs so they car fit around the bigger IC.

You don't want the shroud to touch the IC!

Good Luck, and it's not as bad as it sounds!

yeah the illustrations were bad...hehehe!

I didnt use any jack to lift the car on one side and such....just to be on the safe side. I don't want to deform the frame or something.

[DirtyMike]

the instructions were fine, pics could have been better im not much of a reader mine was on a lift wich i think made it easier. and i love it!

[SKY888]

Originally Posted by DirtyMike

the instructions were fine, pics could have been better im not much of a reader mine was on a lift wich i think made it easier. and i love it!

yeah...Im not a reader kind of guy too! I usually just look at photos and work from there. But the illustrations were just not helpful to me at all. Oh well...I'm glad its over

Having a lift will probably make a big difference. I was trying to insert my body underneath the car without a lift..which makes it really hard.

But overall the whole installation process is exciting and fun! You learn more about your car while underneath it

[DirtyMike]

Originally Posted by SKY888

Having a lift will probably make a big difference. I was trying to insert my body underneath the car without a lift..which makes it really hard.

there no way i was gonna even try to get underneath, my beer belly wont let me....7 years of college will do that and im no doctor!

Originally Posted by SKY888

But overall the whole installation process is exciting and fun! You learn more about your car while underneath it

[SKY888]

hahaha!

I didn't mean the whole body! lol!

I barely can fit up to my shoulders. hehehe!

it was just a struggle to work underneath w/o a lift, but im glad its over now

beer-belly! mine is growing now too! 7 years in college? try going 9 years in college! I kept on transferring from one college to another...hahaha! but two of those 9 years were for my post-grad though

[DirtyMike]

Originally Posted by SKY888

hahaha!

I didn't mean the whole body! lol!

I barely can fit up to my shoulders. hehehe!

it was just a struggle to work underneath w/o a lift, but im glad its over now

beer-belly! mine is growing now too! 7 years in college? try going 9 years in college! I kept on transferring from one college to another...hahaha! but two of those 9 years were for my post-grad though

im still undergrad, im a slacker...at least for school

wanna see those dyno numbers, cant wait to dyno mine when i get my tune

[elahz]

that was not easy at all... i couldnt get the plastic that went under the car that screws on the bumper, what did i do wrong ???