lol...i was thinking of gutter gaurds myself! thats really wild. so it works well, great. Does the cable ties hold pretty good force against it, ie keeps rocks and debris at bay? I figure a rabbit or other small animal is gona do damage anyway, just want to keep as much damage from that area as possible. thanks for the r & d with gutter gaurd mesh!

 

The cable ties hold really well and they are invisible unless you try to find them on there. The holes are a little big so smaller rocks can still get in there but it will protect against anything that would be big enough to cause any damage i.e. small animals. Of course the only way to fully protect the intercooler from everything would be to fully block it off, defeating it's purpose. The gutter guard looks really nice though and I swear it is the same stuff they have at Advance Auto for $35.

 

Hehe, thanks!

As far as other people who mentioned gutter guard, the reason I went with the automotive stuff is because I've known a couple of friends who used the gutter guard and it didn't seem to hold up as well long-term. It looks the same, hell even feels the same, but a friend of mine had it on his ITR and said he didn't think it held up as well...it seemed to get bent more easily. Mine has gotten hit with a couple of stones and some bugs, and has yet to so much as dent.

In the long run, the gutter guard may be cheaper still even if you replace it a couple of times. I just went with the auto store stuff because that's what my friend recommended after he replaced the gutter guard with it. Like most stuff, it's personal preference.

As for the cable ties, they hold up great...you have to cut them in order to get them off...they can stand a surprising amount of pull on them.

 

less air is an incorrect statment, what you reall mean is lower air flow.
and as I explained to people on other posts that, the air flow is not an issue in this area of the car.
you will still have more then enough fresh air to keep the engine cool, especially when driveing.

worrying about the reduced air flow in this area of the car is a none issue, unless you were to run a Short ram air (or scoop) to this area.

 

I was washing my car and trying to remove bugs from the intercooler and noticed that some of hte fins have moved slightly so that you can notice the different color. So perhaps a guard is not all that absurd. Anything larger then a fat bug would probably make your intercooler less attractive lol.


Jason

 

Mine seems to be getting the job done, not a single bug has made it through since I installed it....but many have died trying.

 

use gutter guards