front mount intercooling vs top mount intercooling

[JONO250]

Looking at intercooling my safari. This truck is a daily driver and does not go offroad e.t.c, so I am not concerned about mud clogging up intercoolers e.t.c

just wanting peoples knowledge and opinions on front mount vs top mount intercooling??, and what would work best? I can see that a front mount would cool the air more, but will all the pipework to and from an intercooler result in turbo lag?

any info is appreciated

[Heath]

what about a top mounted water to air intercooler? Put the radiator near the front to cool the glycol (or whatever it runs) and then the intercooler on top of the engine replacing the std pipe work, which will mean a marginal increase in lag (less volume of pipe to fill) and a more efficient unit.

[mudbugga]

With a top mount you get lower under bonnet temps due to the airflow.
You'll get better cooling with a front mount, but may end up with more lag.
There's lots of for's and against's for either set up.

[tweake]

i don't think top mount changes under bonnet temps all that much. it would depend a lot on the setup.
one of the problems with top mount is it competes with the air flow through the radiator. when the mechanical fan kicks in air flow through the intercooler can be reduced unless you have a good fan on it.

front mounts cost more due to more plumbing but then top mount needs scoop which costs a fair bit.

water-air, expensive to get a reliable setup and for a daily driver its not really worth it. the only time they are very good is when going slow and full noise (ie towing uphill).