Keeping Bugs Out of my Intercooler: Need a Net or Something

[Bryan Fenstermacher]

All,

Anyone know of any products that are perhaps like a net or something that
can catch bugs before they impale themselves on my intercooler?

My 05 STI intercooler is like a bug magnet? Didn't know if any company sold
a product or something that would keep the bugs out. I'm taking a road trip
in a week or two and would perfer not to an armada of insects plugging up my
intercooler.

Thanks,
Bryan

2005 Subaru STI
2002 VW Passat V6 4Motion
2001 Bianchi Veloce (great fuel economy)

 

[Alan Peterman]

Anyone know of any products that are perhaps like a net or something that
can catch bugs before they impale themselves on my intercooler?

I've got a screen in my hood scoop that keep all the bugs out. It's actually
installed UNDER the hood, between the hood scoop gasket and the bottom of the
hood. It's just normal aluminum window screen material, took about an hour to
fit it, and cost maybe a buck. I do have to blow the bugs out of it once in a
while, though they tend to move to the back of the screen and not really block
it. And my intercooler looks like new after 25,000 miles.

 

[Wayne Farmer]

Anyone know of any products that are perhaps like a net or something that
can catch bugs before they impale themselves on my intercooler?

Might look tacky, but there are "bug deflectors" that mount near the front
of the hood and deflect the airflow so that bugs go over the roof rather
than hit the windshield (or the hood scoop).

 

[Byron]

Might look tacky, but there are "bug deflectors" that mount near the front
of the hood and deflect the airflow so that bugs go over the roof rather
than hit the windshield (or the hood scoop).

The scoop relies on the speed of the car to feed cool air to the
intercooler because there is no fan in there. If a hood deflector
changed the airflow up over the scoop, and reduced the efficiency of the
intercooler, the temperature of the air going into the cylinder could
increase by a couple of degrees. That may be something you could see
with a dyno. You probably won't feel much difference though.

I've driven my (58,000 mi)'02 WRX through Vermont and New Hampshire at
the height of bug season. If I didn't keep smearing dead bugs with my
windshield wipers, my front glass would have become opaque in less than
30 minutes. But I've found that very few actually end up stuck in the
intercooler fins. Some big dragonflies and beetles get caught there
once in a great while, but they are easy enough to pick off the top.
I've actually been surprised by how little debris gets caught. On the
other hand, my front radiator looks like it did battle with the bugs and
lost as many rounds as it won.

Are the bugs in your locale really getting stuck? I'm used to dealing
with fairly small mosquitoes and black flies, the state birds for VT and
NH. Plus my '02-'03 scoops are not as pronounced as the '04+,
especially the STI.

-Byron

 

[Jim Sanchez]

All,

Anyone know of any products that are perhaps like a net or something that
can catch bugs before they impale themselves on my intercooler?

My 05 STI intercooler is like a bug magnet? Didn't know if any company sold
a product or something that would keep the bugs out. I'm taking a road trip
in a week or two and would perfer not to an armada of insects plugging up my
intercooler.

Thanks,
Bryan

2005 Subaru STI
2002 VW Passat V6 4Motion
2001 Bianchi Veloce (great fuel economy)

I went to Home Depot and got some material that is used to cover gutters
on your house. It has small diamond shaped holes and is made from wire
that is large enough that you can bend it over your intercooler to hold
it into place. It cost a couple of bucks and I suspect it doesn't block
much air either.
Jim

 

[TG]

get one of the intercooler water spray kits and fill it with bug spray! TG

 

[CompUser]

@netnews.comcast.net>, (e-mail address removed)
says...

I went to Home Depot and got some material that is used to cover gutters
on your house. It has small diamond shaped holes and is made from wire
that is large enough that you can bend it over your intercooler to hold
it into place. It cost a couple of bucks and I suspect it doesn't block
much air either.

Did same, and it's a great solution. I cut a
length to jus sit inside the IC rim. Leave the
existing curve as is and it's fine. I black
vinyl dipped mine.

That gutter guard (about $3 for 6x36" length) is
good for making a grille for the lower intake,
too. Primed & spray painted flat black, just use
some closed-cell black foam to retain it at each
end and in the center...mine hasn't shifted a bit
in over 6 months, including runs over 110.