With An AMS Intercooler And A Cobb Tuning Turbo-Back Exhaust, The Evo X Is Finally Able To Unleash Its Real Horsepower Potential.

From the June, 2010 issue of Modified Mag

By Peter Tarach

Photography by Peter Tarach

Project Evolution Last month, with just an intake and a Road Race Engineering tune by Mike Welch, the EVO X picked up a solid 51 whp and 35 ft-lbs of torque over stock. The final peak numbers came in at 312 whp and 318 ft-lbs, but Mike said there’s more horsepower to be made by freeing up the exhaust flow and providing adequate and consistent cooling with a better front-mount intercooler. I had my homework assignment and got right down to it.

After doing some research and comparing brands, my intercooler of choice was the AMS unit because of its cast end tank design, excellent fitment and 80 percent increase in flow area over the stock intercooler. The bar and plate core measures 12.4×20 inches wide and is 3.5 inches thick while flowing 1,250 cfm. Plus, it’s the same intercooler AMS runs on its 750-whp time attack EVO X – meaning you’ll never have to upgrade it again.

To go along with the FMIC, I also picked up the AMS upper and lower hard piping kit. The factory piping consists of many rubber pieces that tend to expand under high boost pressures and can become prone to popping off as the rubber deteriorates over time. The AMS four-ply…