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Recomend me an intercooler


miko_supra
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Why is there such a massive difference in price from these ebay FMIC's to GReddy, HKS etc.? Is there really that much difference in efficiency or weight?

 

Alot of it is paying for the name ..... As far as i know there great FMIC but not worth the thousansds they are. Im using a £300 one, it looks great and does the job well!

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Why is there such a massive difference in price from these ebay FMIC's to GReddy, HKS etc.? Is there really that much difference in efficiency or weight?

 

Not all intercoolers are created equal, things to consider are core density, bar and plate versus tube and fin etc and i suspect a lot of the cheaper crop are produced in China (along with everything else on the planet at the moment :() a high quality intercooler core is expensive (have a look inside a stock Toyota one), however unless you are chasing every last horsepower at the higher hp levels a cheap IC will do a job and some effective ducting coupled with our crap climate will help make the most of it, the only thing i would do with a "cheapo" is have it pressure tested by an auto radiator specialist. As already mentioned the Greddy, HKS, Blitz tag will come at an inflated premium

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Why is there such a massive difference in price from these ebay FMIC's to GReddy, HKS etc.? Is there really that much difference in efficiency or weight?

 

Intercoolers may all look similarly shiny, but I personally think you get what you pay for in terms of efficiency, fit, finish and design.

 

Cheaper IC's tend to use less efficient cores and poorly designed end tanks. The quality of the core and the design of the end tanks determines how efficient the IC will be at cooling the charge air temps. Ideally the end tanks should flow the air evenly across the entire core with minimal drop in pressure.

 

Some of the cheaper kits do not have swaging on the ends of the hard pipes and use thin single layer silicon connectors, which can make them prone to blowing under pressure. I've also seen some where the hard pipe between the turbo and FMIC fouls on the stock airbox, requiring the fitment of an aftermarket induction kit (budget an extra £100+).

 

The Japanese branded FMIC's also include relocation kits for the PAS cooler and all fittings required for installation.

 

Personally if I was only going to run at BPU levels and don't want to spend too much, I would fit a brand new OEM Toyota SMIC. If I was buying a branded FMIC for BPU levels, I would fit a 2 row GReddy or Blitz kit.

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Unless you're going for a mid sized single in the future an SMIC would be a much better option than an FMIC.

 

There is that possibility that I might go single towards the end of next year. I might go for the xs power one as a couple of you have recomended it. Do you know if this will work ok with the stock airbox?

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This is interesting. I have a small boost leak and suspect its coming from my old SMIC so Im looking for an upgrade. With an aftermarket front bumper with a big opening at the front combined with an FMIC, which I assume generally have larger surface areas, would this not be more effective than replacing with another SMIC?

 

Also, if Im only interested in BPU is it possible to get an ovrersized FMIC or is it generally the bigger the better (comparing for example a good quality GReddy 2 row with a GReddy 3 row) if only running say 1 bar on stock twins? And is there any preference over pipe sizes?

Edited by dukenukem (see edit history)
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There is that possibility that I might go single towards the end of next year. I might go for the xs power one as a couple of you have recomended it. Do you know if this will work ok with the stock airbox?

 

The XS power IC pipes, as they are supplied, do not fit over the stock airbox (bad design as usual). The IC itself is fine and will be an improvement on a knackered side mount. It's not a good design, nor has a good core, but will work.

 

Personally I'd pay a lot more cash and get a side mount if you're not looking to go past 600bhp.

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Intercoolers may all look similarly shiny, but I personally think you get what you pay for in terms of efficiency, fit, finish and design.

I couldn't disagree with this more.

 

I payed well over £1500 for my 4 row & payed about £150 for my XS-Power. Do I regret getting a 4-Row, not at all, it's part of the "I must have the bets bits for my car" program I'm currently running.

 

Is it 10 times better than an XS-Power? Fuck no, I doubt if it's 1.05 times better in terms of bhp gained.

 

and use thin single layer silicon connectors, which can make them prone to blowing under pressure.

Have you seen what comes with a 4 row? I chucked all silicone pipes & shit jubilee clips away, they were so poor, & replaced with my mikalor clamps & hoses.

Edited by jevansio (see edit history)
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The XS power IC pipes, as they are supplied, do not fit over the stock airbox (bad design as usual). The IC itself is fine and will be an improvement on a knackered side mount. It's not a good design, nor has a good core, but will work.

 

Personally I'd pay a lot more cash and get a side mount if you're not looking to go past 600bhp.

 

 

I think I'll like the front mount for filling up the empty space in the front of the bumper too.

 

 

 

I couldn't disagree with this more.

 

I payed well over £1500 for my 4 row & payed about £150 for my XS-Power. Do I regret getting a 4-Row, not at all, it's part of the "I must have the bets bits for my car" program I'm currently running.

 

Is it 10 times better than an XS-Power? $#@! no, I doubt if it's 1.05 times better in terms of bhp gained.

 

 

Have you seen what comes with a 4 row? I chucked all silicone pipes & $#@! jubilee clips away, they were so poor, & replaced with my mikalor clamps & hoses.

 

£150! They charge £300 now.

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Ive seen lots of high power cars run the xs fmic, they seem ok to me, would i run one? no but thats just me being a snob.

 

On the note of ic pipework, i run a cheap ebay ic pipework kit, the mikalor style clamps and silicon connectors looked very good quality to me, nice and chunky.

 

My ic pipes dont have swaging on the ends and ive never had a boost pipe pop off, i run 1.8 bar daily and have run 2 bar in the past.

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The one I put a link to that I fitted (2nd one) had a perfect fit, even got the stock rad expansion bottle just about in its stock location above the cooler. The only thing I had to do was slightly move some of the A/C hoses which is normal and fabricate some brackets for the intercooler. £200 delivered is a bargain to me. If some people are so concerned that a 'cheap' ebay cooler isnt as efficient as a £1000 greddy or blitz (or even a £400 greddy 3 row) why not buy the 'cheap' ebay cooler and then buy a pressure regulated water/meth injection system for about £200 which will cool down intake temps more than any sized intercooler could. Even if you dont map for it it will offer further protection to the engine running high boost at BPU or whatever. Iv even read it helps keep the engine, valve's, seats etc clean over time.

Edited by Chris and Alana (see edit history)
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