when using a big FMIC where half the IC is going to be up and behind the bumper cover such as this:



how much air thru the inside of the IC is actualy getting cooled by the flow across the IC when half of it is not getting direct flow.
is the choice to use a big IC like this one just a preference or a "i got a really good deal on this one and thats the reason i have it"
or is there any better cooling even with a big IC up inside compared to one that fits just in the opening?

pros and cons to bigger than opening vs. fits just right in opening!!
GO!

Thats my car :)

I have my front bumper cut so that air does get to the entire fmic tho




but to answer your question, more surface area, more cooling, more heat dissipation

I think with a design such as yours the compromise is pressure loss and CFM capability. Better designed endtanks where the air minimizes the changes in direction will utilize that particular core better than the current setup.

Do I think you are using all your intercoolers capability or think you are not cooling down your air enough....NO. That is a mighty big intercooler for your setup so you are just fine.

Also remember that the air will find its way to all the rows in the core before actually going through the other side outlet due to path of least resistance. It just could have been made easier to find all the rows with endtanks designed to funnel the air directly to the core rows without making major direction changes. see above.

Remember the larger the core the more heat will be absorbed out the the airflow. If you weld a couple small brackets on the bottom or side, just try and touch the other side of the intercooler with your hand. I think the proper term is that it conducts heat really well(aluminum)which also allows better cooling of air passing through it. Just my guess and understanding of how it works.

I talked with an engineer that designs turbo/intercooler setups for a friend of mine. His main expertise is in airflow and its characteristics. He talked to me about goals to keep in mind when routing air through intercooler systems. Some went over my head, but I got the point of the conversation.

Think of how you would flow water along a path to maintain the least amount of resistance to keep the flow steady. The best setup would be a straight line, which cannot be done. Two 45 degree bends would be better than a 90 bend to help with flow. Some bends cannot be helped, but could be minimized of you planned correctly. Changing the size of the piping is also not good. You can go with a slightly smaller size up the the inlet and slightly larger from the outlet to the throttle body. It just cannot go from large to smaller to larger again. This was what I was doing when utilizing the original piping from the starion intercooler I had. He was also into intercooler endtank design which promoted better flow(minimal resistance for less pressure drop). Point of my story is when the path for the airflow is difficult and makes extremely hard changes in direction then flow suffers. This will make your turbo work harder(less efficient)to achieve the same pressure. This can lead to less flow if turbo efficiency drops off and/or higher air temp from the turbo.

If someone else has something to add great. If you want to pick apart my understanding and school me a little. Feel free, as I always welcome more knowledge.